Red, White, and Royal Blue
Transcript:
Welcome to the jelly pops book club where we read book to screen adaptations and compare them to their screen Counterparts, i'm julia washington and on today's show we're getting into one of my absolute favorite books of 2019 Red, white, and royal blue. This movie dropped today, August 11th, and I am so excited to be bringing this to you all so quickly.
And also just need to mention, I do not run a spoiler free show, ever. This is your warning that if you have yet to watch Red, White, and Royal Blue, that you need to pause this episode right now. Go watch that two hour film and come back once you have,
let's get in to who the author is. Casey McQuiston is the number one New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies. They are from Louisiana and went to Louisiana State University and received a B. A. in journalism. They have written three novels with Red, White, and Royal Blue being the first in 2019.
Okay, let's get into the book. Let's do a quick Google summary. If you're new around here, I love to pull summaries from Google because we all Google everything and Google gives us the answers we supposedly are looking for. So here we go. Thanks for watching. Bye. First son, Alex Claremont Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic.
With his intrepid sister and the Veep's genius granddaughter, they're the White House trio. A beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties. Do you have downsides? Namely when photos of confrontation with his longtime nemesis, Prince Henry at a Royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American British relations, the plan for damage control, staging a fake relationship between the first son and the Prince as president Claremont kicks off her reelection bid.
Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. This book was originally published May 14th, 2019, and depending on which printing you own, this book is roughly 400 pages or more. At the time of its release, Kyrgyz had this to say.
Although the story's premise might be a fantasy, it takes place in a world in which a divorced mom, Texan Democrat, won the 2016 election. The emotions are real. The love affair between Alex and Henry is intense and romantic, made all the more so by the inclusion of their Poetic emails that managed to be both funny and steamy.
McQuiston's strength is in dialogue. Her characters speak in hilarious rapid fire bursts with plenty of likes, ums, creative pronunciation, and pop culture references sounding like smarter, funnier versions of real people. Although Alex and Henry's relationship is the heart of the story, their friends and family members are all rich, well drawn characters, and their respective worlds feel both realistic and larger than life.
End quote. I just want to start with prefacing that Enemies to Lovers is my absolute all time favorite. Trope in romantic comedies, like give me a freaking rom com with an enemy to lovers trope any day. And I am a happy girl with few exceptions. Okay. So now let's get into the movie. Here's the Google summary.
Alex Claremont Diaz, the first son of the United States and young Prince Henry fall in love. However, considering their high profile public lives, they must keep their relationship a secret at all costs. Very different. But also kind of the same. This film is an Amazon prime original. And as I mentioned, it's released today, August 11th, 2023.
This film runs at two hours and seven minutes and it sometimes I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it feels that way. Let's get into the themes of the book. There were three that really struck me and stuck with me when I read this book the first time. So the first theme is. History's ability to repress and inspire in the book, Henry and Alex exchange emails.
And in those emails, they quote parts of letters to and from figures in history that have experienced love. They are the PS in already very beautiful emails written to each other. So I'm actually going to read a few to you as an excerpt. So let me get to that page. So in this email from Alex to Henry, I'm, I'm not gonna give you context of where this email fits into the story.
You're gonna need to read the, read the book to get there. Um, but he, let's just put it this way. He has just returned from London. He is missing Al, um, he's missing Henry a lot, and he writes this incredible email. At the end of the email, he says this PS Vita Sackville West to Virginia Wolf 1927 with me.
It is quite stark. I miss you even more than I could have believed. And I was prepared to miss you a good deal. Oh, so good. Okay. And then another one in an email from Henry PS from Michelangelo to Tomaso Cavallari, 1533. And this is from. Henry to Alex. I know well that, at this hour, I could as easily forget your name as the food by which I live.
Nay, it were easier to forget the food, which only nourishes my body miserably, than your name, which nourishes both body and soul. Filling the one and the other with such sweetness that neither weariness nor fear of death It's felt by me while memory preserves you to my mind. Think if the eyes could also enjoy their portion.
In what condition I should find myself.
So that's just an example. It's so good. Okay, the second one, the second theme that was pretty big to me, pretty obvious is love, obviously, but specifically secret love. Henry is the Prince of England, the heir to his brother, Philip, his role, his duty is to his country, and he is expected to fulfill that role.
No questions asked. But throughout the entire book, he struggles because the realities of who he is don't align with the world he was born into. Living as a high profile, closeted gay man has its challenges, and meeting and falling in love with Alex Claremont Diaz is one of them. Alex being the son of the President of the United States, interested in politics for his own career, known as an attractive young man with a lot going for him, more specifically as America's closest version to a prince.
Not really having considered his own sexuality beyond experimentation. Even in 2019, in politics and in royalty, being closeted still feels like a viable option. So when Henry and Alex kiss for the first time, it's full of fireworks. Immediately followed by the understanding that this cannot come out and a little bit of ghosting.
Which is so sad, which is so sad, but that scene, it happens on New Year's Eve. It was, it was just so incredible to read throughout the book. The relationship must remain a secret as there is too much at stake for both of them. And again, in 2019, you just wish that kind of story wasn't true. The third theme I felt strongly was love can dismantle the facades while both Henry and Alex work really hard to maintain their public image, it is through the secret love that they grow and find the strength they need to eventually be true to their emotions, true to who they are, and it's within that truth.
They find freedom, which I also love. Okay. So let's get into the highlights. So the movie did a really good job of taking the key points from the book and putting them in the film. And to me, that is such a huge thing. It is a make or break situation for an adaptation. The key points to me were okay. Cake gate, which is The second chapter of the book, Alex's visit to London for some recon slash the hospital visit the New Year's Eve party, because that's a big one.
Am I right? That is a turning point in the story. The red room scene, the polo match when Alex goes to England to watch Henry play polo, the DNC event, Paris. The fundraiser in L. A., Labor Day weekend in Texas, the Albert and Victoria Museum, and the hacked emails and the aftermath. So those were all of the defining events in the book to me.
If I'm missing something, I'm going to tell you where you can email me in a little bit. All of these are in the film. Yay. And if there's anything that I missed, I will tell you in a little bit where you can email me and tell me what I missed. But to me, this is the core of the story, Red, White and Royal Blue.
Everything else in the book just rounded out the world. So you get this expansion in the book, right? So you have all these other characters, um, and they're just so much fun. Each of these scenes slash scenarios are not exactly how we read them in the book, but the film version still carries the weight and the nuance of the source material, which is also a really important element to a screen adaptation.
My favorite scene Is when they are at the Victoria and Albert Museum and I really feel it sums up the feelings and longing and desire for Prince Henry. I'm going to read an excerpt from that, so give me a second while I pull up the page. Okay, this is the scene where we are in the Victoria and Albert Museum and Alex and Henry are there.
Henry has taken Alex there to show him something and to let him in and be a little bit more vulnerable. Through the marble choir screen at the back of the room is a second, deeper chamber, this one filled with church relics. Past stained glass and statues of saints at the very end of the room is an entire high altar chapel removed from its church.
The sign explains its original setting was the apse of the convent church of Santa Chiara in Florence in the 15th century. And it's stunning set deep into an alcove to create a real chapel with statues of Santa Chiara and St. Francis. When I was younger, Henry says, I had this very elaborate idea of taking somebody I loved here and standing inside the chapel, that he'd love it as much as I did.
And we'd slow dance right in front of the blessed mother. Just a daft pubescent fantasy. Henry hesitates before finally sliding his phone out of his pocket. He presses a few buttons and extends a hand to Alex. And quietly, your song starts to play from the tiny speaker. Alex exhales a laugh. Aren't you gonna ask if I know how to waltz?
No waltzing, Henry says. Never cared for it. Alex takes his hand, and Henry turns to face the chapel, like a nervous postulant, his cheeks hollowed out in the low light before pulling Alex into it. When they kiss, Alex can hear a half remembered old proverb from catechism mixed up between translations of the book, Come, Gio, Mio, Dile, Mio, Por que es bueno, and the honeycomb sweet to thy taste.
He wonders what Santa Chiara would think of them, a lost David and Jonathan turning slowly on the spot. He brings Henry's hand to his mouth and kisses the little knob of his knuckle, the skin over the blue vein there, bloodlines, pulses, the old blood kept in perpetuity, within these walls, and he thinks, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Ah, so good. You can judge my pronunciation later. Okay, thanks. Bye. In the film, the song is different likely because getting permission to use Elton John's music I hear is a serious major feat. In the film. This scene also immediately follows when Alex shows up unannounced after essentially being ghosted by Henry.
In the book. It's a few days later. The entire dialogue between Alex and Henry when Alex shows up is completely different. But hey, still effective. Okay, I want to get into what is majorly different, like big time differences between the book and the film. The White House trio is now a duo. June has been deleted from this universe, along with Senator Luna, Alex's stepfather, and Queen Mary.
Alex's parents are not divorced in the film, but rather married and seemingly happy. Alex's father is still in politics, however, though that's never fully explained. Whereas in the book, we know that he's a senator. I believe it's a senator from California. All right, Golden State. Alex goes from being a brother to an only child.
And with the movie not including June, at first, I was a little frustrated and worried they would fold some of June's traits into Nora. If the writer did, then I didn't pick it up. Another major change is Alex's parents are married, like I mentioned before, the contention in the book between Ellen Claremont and Oscar Diaz is non existent, as we have a happy looking couple.
Senator Luna, who plays a key role in the book, he is a young politician who is openly gay. Whom Alex looks up to and aspires to be like in the book, he has a working relationship and a friendship with both Alex and Oscar Diaz as Alex and Henry's relationship unfolds in the book. Senator Luna is in the background, but like I mentioned, he is a key role.
Ellen Claremont's biggest opponent in her reelection bid is this horrible bigoted Republican who essentially does something incredibly devious to try and take down the Claremont campaign. Senator Luna, being an independent, has joined this Republican as his running mate, and the Claremont administration is floored, shocked, experiences feelings of betrayal, as one does.
Later, Luna redeems himself and works his way back into their good graces. And this is something I'm not going to spoil for you. I really do think that you should read the book for that particular conflict. Um, and the way that it gets handled because that's not in the film. The fictional election of 2020 is giving the very real election of 2016.
It's just a lot of, it's just a lot. But in the film, Luna no longer is a part of the story. We are given a new character by the name of Miguel. He is a reporter who has on occasion hooked up with Alex. Miguel comes off as a bit sleazy and over the course of the film becomes a little bitter towards Alex.
It's not entirely clear to me if he's acting as a lover scorn, but it for sure does not feel like he is doing his journalistic duty. Contributing to the involuntary outing of a person is just icky. And Unlike in the book, the film blatantly expresses this in Alex's speech in the aftermath of the email hacking.
The book does take the stance of not outing people who aren't ready, that's clear. It's just not as explicitly expressed as it, in the same way that it is in the movie. While the book version is a little bit more gut wrenching and deep in political drama, the film version goes into less detail, but still gets us where we need to be.
Next in the story.
Okay, so changing Queen Mary. Grandmother to Princess Philip and Henry, Princess B is a Joyce. Is this because the 2019 England's monarch was a queen and now in 2023 the monarch is a king? I don't know, but I realize that I'm not entirely thrilled about the sovereign being male since all I've ever observed is a queen.
Complicated and antiquated as the monarchy may be. Alex's plan to flip Texas blue in the book, it's a secret plan. He's got a binder. He's very protective of this binder. And the film, it is a 14 page memo that he has sent to everyone that no one reads. And then when he makes a comment to a reporter passively, flippantly, whatever, and it gets leaked that this is a thing, and then everyone reads it and says, Alex, you're brilliant.
Do it. So that was kind of a big Big difference. Um, a small change that I had to go back and check my notes slash rewatch the scene is when Alex returns to London after Cakegate, the cake tastrophe. Part of the visit includes stopping in at the hospital to visit children in the cancer ward. At some point, Prince Harry sneaks off and is speaking with a child.
Alex overhears that there's a conversation about star Wars later when there's a supposed threat, the pair are shoved into a closet and they get to the root of their beef. And I bring up the star Wars thing because that becomes a symbol later when, um, after the email hacking and after everyone's like, you guys have to stay closeted and then like the world's like, we love you, your, you know, cause in the emails they exchange.
Alex and Henry get into the conversation about who's Han and who's Leia and it's just, it's this whole really sweet thing. Anyway, um, I'm going to read that part for you, okay? That particular scene. It's very early on in the book too. So, to set the stage, they're trapped in the closet, they're trying, and, and, and Henry's just like, Why the fuck do you hate me?
Can you just tell me, please? So, okay, so they've just had this conversation about pop culture, and Star Wars, and, you know, Who are you really, Henry? And like, if we're really gonna get into this, we need to get to the root of the problem. And, here we go. Why don't we start, Henry says, turning his head to squint at him, This close?
Alex can just make out the silhouette of Henry's strong royal nose with you telling me why exactly you hate me so much. Do you really want to have that conversation? Maybe I do. Sorry, I can't do a British accent. Alex crosses his arms, recognizes it as a mirror to Henry's tick, and uncrosses them. Do you really not remember being a prick to me at the Olympics?
Alex remembers it in vivid detail himself at 18 dispatch to Rio with June and Nora, the campaigns delegation to the summer games when one weekend of photo ops and selling the next generation of global cooperation image. Alex spent most of it drinking and subsequently throwing up behind Olympic venues.
And he remembers the first time they met Henry size. Is it that time you threatened to push me into the teams? No, Alex says, it was the time you were a condescending prick at the diving finals. You really don't remember. Remind me. Alex glares, I walked up to you to introduce myself and you stared at me like I was the most offensive thing you had ever seen.
Right after you shook my hand, you turned to Sean and said, can you get rid of him? A pause. Ah, Henry says, he clears his throat. I didn't realize you'd heard that. I feel like you're missing the point, Alex says, which is that it's a douchey thing to say either way. That's fair. Yeah. Yeah. So. That's all? Henry asks.
Only the Olympics? I mean, that was the start. Henry pauses again. I'm sensing an ellipsis. It's just, Alex says as he's on the floor of a supply closet waiting out a security threat with the Prince of England at the end of a weekend that has felt like some very specific ongoing nightmare. Censoring himself takes too much effort.
So in the film, Henry is overheard saying, get me out of here. This changes the tone considerably. With saying get rid of him, it presents an air of entitlement and privilege that comes with being a wealthy white boy, and especially one who is royal. It gives the impression to whomever, it gives the impression to whomever is overhearing that they are the problem, thus aiding to the conflict just a little different.
Another teeny tiny change when it's learned that the emails have been leaked to the press. The POV in the book is from Alex, and we get his entire breadth of emotion. We see the presidential team sort of taking action, if you will. In the film, it's from the POV of Henry, and the confrontation with Henry's family is different.
Princess Catherine, Henry's mom, instead of being present, is off somewhere doing work for the crown. Whereas in the book, she is stricken with grief after her husband's passing, and it takes the leaked emails to bring her back to reality, back to her children. The family discussion is more than just, what are we going to do about this gay prince?
But rather the reckoning that was needed before we as readers even came to the story. Okay, I want to talk about some things that, um, I loved that about the movie that came directly from the book that I thought was really sweet. Alex wears his house key from his childhood home in Texas around his neck.
So freaking happy that they left that in the book because it would have forced a change to the end of the story for both the book and the film. Henry gives Alex his pinky ring, his signet. And in the book, Alex puts it on his necklace next to his key, signifying the importance of his relationship and his feelings of Henry.
Henry equals home. Um, at the end, when it's the night of the election, Henry is wearing a tie with yellow roses on it because he has learned that Texas's flower is a yellow rose, and damn it if that scene didn't make it into the movie and make me so happy. I love small gestures like that. Plus, it's a reoccurring joke throughout the entire book that Alex wears, or excuse me, that Henry wears, um, boring stuff.
And I loved it. I just loved it. There are other changes in the book, but I didn't find them worth mentioning because once you realize the major changes, the small changes that follow are kind of necessary or the story just doesn't make any sense anymore. So,
As I mentioned before, this is one of my all time favorite reads of 2019, and what surprised me the most about reading it this time around is how far away 2019 feels. I remembered the highlights of the book, but there were things I had completely forgotten. The book is a gold standard when it comes to rom coms.
It is everything you could want. Whippy dialogue, withering stairs, Steamy scenes that aren't trite and characters you can't help but fall in love with. And on August 8th, 2023, the Library of Congress announced this book is being added to the National Collection. When people ask me for romance wrecks, this book is always on the list.
I was nervous walking into the movie because I love the book so very much and I was worried that because it's a love story between a bisexual man and a gay man, that the love wouldn't be treated the same as if it were a hetero story. After all, in the film world, when Harry Met Sally is still rated as the best rom com in movie history, plus my brain can't always turn on the enjoy the movie for the movie's sake element.
I was worried Uma Thurman's fake. Southern accent would be distracting because fake Southern accents usually are for me or that the movie would feel like it belonged on the Hallmark Channel and not like it should have had a theatrical release But I loved it. All the emotions I felt about Henry and Alex in the book showed up while watching this film.
I thought they did a really great job at boiling down this 400 plus page book, getting to the core of the story and the message and the themes and flushing it out beautifully for screen. While I do miss some of the characters like Luna and June, you don't feel like. The movie is missing anything, and that's kind of the important element, right?
You want to walk away feeling like it is a whole story, and the writer of this film did a great job.
We're going to get into some trivia now. There's not a ton out there that I can find, but I'm going to share what I found anyway. The book was optioned for a film before it was even released. Love that fun fact. That is such a great Um, confidence boost for our author Casey, such a great job. There's an updated re release of the book where all the references to Harry Potter have been removed and replaced with other references, which I love.
And I think it's a really cool, but very quiet stance. The author is, is taking, because think about some of the crap that Harry Potter writer has said about the LGBTQ community. It's very, it's very disconcerting and gross, but our beloved author, Casey Minquiston has basically said, not in my universe and has removed it all Harry Potter references.
And I just love that. And it's not like there was a big to do about it. It was just done. And I love that. And it just makes such an impact. I have a first edition of the, of the book. So my copy definitely had, um, Harry Potter references, but knowing that. All future versions won't makes me happy. Also, I couldn't get into Harry Potter.
So I might be biased. Um, another little tidbit trivia that I love is the author tweeted the birth dates and times of all the main characters. I love that. So it's really fun because then you can kind of see there and she did that specifically for the astrology, um, folks out there. If there is more trivia you want to share about this film or book, email the show at pop culture makes me jealous.
At gmail. com that's our sister show. And frankly, I do not want to make an entirely new email for this one. I have plenty of emails I have to manage already. If there's something about this screen adaptation that you think I missed and are dying to discuss, or just are dying to discuss in general, you can find me on Instagram at the Julia Washington.
You can find the show on IG as well at jelly pops books. If you enjoyed this episode, share with a friend or two or 40. This month, our book club is reading A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. It's the story of a gay, middle aged English professor adjusting to the solitude after the tragic death of his young partner.
This book was released in 1964. The film adaptation starring Colin Firth, Matthew Goode, and Julianne Moore released in 2009. You can read along with us. But in order to join our live book club chat, you got to join us on Patreon. You can find it at patreon. com slash Julia Washington and choose the book club only tier.
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Tune in next time when we get into breakfast at Tiffany's. Thanks for tuning in y'all until next time.
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