Red, White & Royal Blue

Red, White & Royal Blue is a 2019 LGBT romance novel by Casey McQuiston. The novel centres around the character of Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States, and his relationship with Prince Henry, a British prince.[2]

Red, White & Royal Blue
Cover design, 2019
AuthorCasey McQuiston
Cover artistColleen Reinhart
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreRomance, LGBT,
PublisherSt Martin's Griffin
Publication date
14 May 2019[1]
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages421
ISBN9781250316776

Background

McQuiston first came up with the idea for what would become Red, White & Royal Blue during the 2016 American presidential elections.[3] While watching a season of the HBO comedy series Veep and reading both a Hillary Clinton biography by Carl Bernstein, A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, they found themselves intrigued by the extravagant, high-profile lifestyle of the royals and wanted to write their own take on a story featuring a royal family.[3]

Plot

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the son of America's first female president, who is getting ready to run for re-election in 2020. After an incident at a royal wedding, Alex has to pretend to be friends with England's Prince Henry, to prevent it becoming a full-blown diplomatic and media crisis that would distract from his mother's election bid. While the effort is initially to control the damage, the two actually do become friends. They eventually become romantically involved when Henry reveals he is gay and Alex realises he is bisexual. They have to reconcile this with their positions on the world stage, while trying not to endanger his mother's re-election.

Characters

Main characters
  • Alex Claremont-Diaz is the First Son of the United States and the brother of June Claremont-Diaz.
  • Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor is a British prince and fourth in line to the throne of England.
  • June Claremont-Diaz is the First Daughter of the United States and the sister of Alex Claremont-Diaz.
  • Ellen Claremont is the first female President of the United States. A Democrat from Texas, she is the mother of Alex and June Claremont-Diaz and the ex-wife of Oscar Diaz.
  • Nora Holleran is the granddaughter of Vice-President Mike Holleran. Along with Alex and June Claremont-Diaz, she makes up the 'White House Trio'.

Minor characters
  • Zahra Bankston is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Ellen Claremont.
  • Amy Chen is a Secret Service agent and security detail to the First Family. She is trans and married to an unnamed woman.
  • Cassius (also referred to as 'Cash') is another security detail to the First Family.
  • Oscar Diaz is a Senator from California, the father of Alex and June Claremont-Diaz, and the ex-husband of Ellen Claremont.
  • Mike Holleran is Ellen Claremont's Vice-President. He is the grandfather of Nora Holleran.
  • Leo is the second husband of Ellen Claremont and the step-father to June and Alex Claremont-Diaz.
  • Rafael Luna is a young Independent Senator from Colorado. He is Latino and openly gay. Alex Claremont campaigned on Luna's campaign and the two are close friends.
  • Percy 'Pez' Okonjo is the best friend of Prince Henry. He is the founder of several charities and non-profit organizations.
  • Jeffery Richards is the far-right Republican nominated to face Ellen Claremont in the 2020 election.
  • Shaan Srivastava is an equerry to Prince Henry. He is engaged to Zahra Bankston.
  • Beatrice Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor is the older sister of Prince Henry and the younger sister of Prince Phillip. She is a recovering cocaine addict, an addiction which was developed after her father's death. She is the third in line for the throne.

Reception

The novel gained generally positive reviews, especially for its representation of a homosexual relationship.[4][5][6][7] Kirkus Reviews said that "McQuiston's strength is in dialogue" and their "rich, well-drawn characters" and Publishers Weekly called Red, White & Royal Blue an "extremely promising start".[8][9] The Nerd Daily said the novel was "an absolute gem" and praised McQuiston's "exquisite care" in creating their characters, awarding it a ten out of ten.[10] The Hoya also reviewed the novel positively, noting its "distinctive millennial humor" and the "spectacular supporting characters".[11] It was noted, however, that the plot was not necessarily realistic.[4][12]

In April 2019, it was reported that Amazon Studios had won an auction to the film rights of Red, White & Royal Blue, which would be produced by Berlanti Productions.[13] The novel was included in the New York Times Bestseller List in June 2019.[14] McQuiston said they were "blown away" by the response to the novel and have discussed the potential for a sequel.[15]

Red, White & Royal Blue won a 2020 Alex Award and the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Romance and Best Debut.[1]

References
  1. "Red, White & Royal Blue". Goodreads. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  2. "Red, White & Royal Blue". Blackwell's. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  3. "An exclusive interview with Casey McQuiston". shereads.com. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  4. Harrison Hill (28 December 2019). "Unthinking Pleasure: On Casey McQuiston's "Red, White & Royal Blue"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  5. Alexandria Esteban (6 April 2020). "The Book Nook: 'Red, White, and Royal Blue' explores mature themes surrounding a long distance relationship". The Highlander. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  6. Daisy Finefrock (16 April 2020). "Review - Casey McQuiston's 'Red, White & Royal Blue'". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  7. Hannah-Rose Yee (29 October 2019). "This Super Sexy, NSFW Book About The Royal Family Is The Perfect Beach Read". Body and Soul. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  8. "RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE". Kirkus Reviews. 87 (6). 15 March 2019.
  9. "Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston". Publishers Weekly. 266 (9): 65. 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  10. Nathalie DeFelice (15 May 2019). "Review: Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston". The Nerd Daily. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  11. Catriona Kendall (7 September 2019). "MANAGING READS: 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Portrays Authentic Modern Love". The Hoya. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  12. Truly Hunter (7 February 2020). "The LGBTQ Review - Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston". The Martlet. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  13. Mike Fleming Jr (10 April 2019). "Amazon Studios, Berlanti Productions Win Casey McQuiston Novel 'Red White & Royal Blue'". Deadline. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  14. "Books: Best Sellers Paperback Trade Fiction". The New York Times. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  15. Emmy Griffiths (10 September 2019). "Red, White and Royal Blue author Casey Mcquiston talks potential sequel". Hello!. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
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