We've seen Nicholas Galitzine play a prince twice now (!!), and his gig as Prince Henry in Prime Video's Red, White & Royal Blue is his latest venture into the royal role. The flick, which is based on Casey McQuiston's romance novel of the same name, follows Henry, the prince of England, and Alex, the first son of the United States, as they play nice for the press after a public feud at a royal wedding. Of course, the queer love story follows the enemies-to-lovers trope we know and love (and, let's be real, all the best rom-coms do).
The Greek and British actor brought the beloved character of Prince Henry to life on screen, and in conversation with People, he revealed whether the fictional prince is based on real-life British royalty.
"I feel like, especially in the last five years, Prince Harry and Prince William have been so in the public eye. Harry, especially being this kind of rogue amongst these very uptight, duty-bound royals, is maybe a comparison people will make," Nicholas explained, adding that Prince Henry is his "own entity" as he didn't conduct "too much research into one royal in particular."
"But to be honest, I feel like Henry almost has more of William in some sense. For a large part of the story, duty comes first," he shared. "This responsibility that has been bestowed upon him since childhood comes first and he can't put his love, who he really is, before that."
In 2019, Casey McQuiston revealed they are more "of a casual fan" when it comes to the royals, and while they have "always been part of [their] pop culture landscape," the author typically creates their characters based on different factors.
"Most of my characters are pulled from a mixture of my brain, people I know, people from history and tropes I love," Casey told the Los Angeles Public Library.
"I remember my sister having pictures of Prince William on her bedroom door in high school, and I definitely woke up at the crack of dawn to watch both royal weddings," they added. "My favorite royals would definitely have to be Duchess Meghan and Princess Diana."
So, there ya have it. Prince Henry isn't confirmed to be based on a true story of Prince Harry or William, but the brothers may have been in the back of Casey McQuiston's mind while writing their bestselling novel.
Watch Red, White & Royal Blue on Prime Video
Sam is an assistant news editor at Cosmo, covering all things pop culture, entertainment, and celebrity news. She previously covered those same topics along with health, lifestyle, and beauty at Seventeen. When she isn't catching a concert or live-tweeting awards shows, you can likely find her judging DJ sets at parties.
