Royalty pains
The Royals are their own worst enemies as they bicker and brawl for a shot at that shiny crown.
Succession in the British monarchy is determined by two factors: bloodline and gender. And those determine said youngster’s behaviour in fun drama series The Royals (2015-2018, seasons 1, 2 and 3 can be streamed online from content provider Showmax). While fictional British royal twins Prince Liam and Princess Eleanor ( William Moseley and Alexandra Park) enjoy their fair share of partying and wild behaviour, their big brother Robert (Max Brown) has the responsibility of remaining level-headed as first heir to the throne. But where is the fun in that, tease the cast?
“Robert is killed in a mysterious plane crash in season 1 and their mom Helena (former supermodel Elizabeth Hurley) is forced to decide who will take the crown,” explains William. As with any patriarchal society, there isn’t much of a competition and “Liam is automatically ‘ the chosen one’. He goes from being a royal rockstar to having a diary full of duties. It’s hard for him to change his entire life and rethink his personality; he can’t spin his head around having to rise to the occasion,” adds the actor. Liam is required to clean up his act and exude positive qualities in the public eye, which means that he must ditch his love for booze, narcotics and most significantly to him, his US girlfriend Ophelia (Merritt Patterson). That just goes to prove that being the King Of England is a lot more boring than most people realise.
LIVING LIKE A KING
Being a British royal means putting the needs of the country first. Although Liam would like to renounce his new role to be with Ophelia, he steps up to the plate and sucks up to his parents’ demands. “Prince Liam doesn’t have that arrogant hierarchy thing going on. He’s a normal guy and his reactions are normal too,” reveals William. Liam, unlike Robert, is far from perfect. He’s stubborn and would like to enjoy a bit of freedom. “I wanted him to have a Prince Harry feel because he’s probably what a normal person would be if they were royal,” adds William. Just as Liam makes peace with being king in episode 7, Queen Mother Helena announces that she had a secret affair behind her husband King Simon’s (Vincent Regan) back – and the royal twins aren’t of royal blood after all. “The castle goes into shock-mode as they scurry to figure out who’s going to be next in line. It gets messy and chaotic with everyone out for the power.”
DRAMA QUEEN
Everyone but Eleanor is fighting for throne by season 2. They want a seat at the table with abdicating King Simon’s health deteriorating, but it’s a different story for the princess in the wings. “Eleanor is still a young girl who wants to mean something to someone,” says Alexandra. “She is on a mission is to find out who killed her brother Robert. She’s dealing with coming into her 20s and searching for purpose.” Eleanor rebels against the monarchy – like a typical youngster: “That is because she doesn’t know how to figure stuff out. She is struggling to find her way with her family plotting against each other and trying to take charge of the throne. She just wants to be a young woman and have fun – for now!”
PS: While the family are fictional, some of the storylines are based on rumours from the British monarchy, like Prince Harry not being a royal…
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