Article contributed by Johanna H
If you haven’t read Casey McQuiston’s debut novel, lucky you! You have something really great to look forward to. If you have read it, lucky you as well! Now you can read it again and again and again.
Before we start to talk about why we all wish this book was a true story, a small recap of the book is in order, so that everyone is onboard!
The book is about the Alex, the first son of the United States, and Henry, the prince of England. These two do not get along, and after a scandal when they fall into a cake at the royal wedding of Henry’s big brother Phillip, all the tabloids are talking about the feud of these two powerful sons of the two nations. To save the nations of more drama, the president and the royal house decide to do a public stunt and make Alex and Henry best friends, sending them on public visits together to be photographed having a good time. Both Alex and Henry are furious about having to spend time together, but after some time, they start to get to know each other and understand how the other person tries to handle the situation of being in the public eye, and belonging to a powerful family. A life not many people can share and understand, their friendship soon evolves to something more…
As you can see, this is far from how the truth is. In the United States, there is a male president who I would guess wouldn’t be so fond of having a gay child. The royal family in the United Kingdom had their first gay wedding in 2018, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, who is Queen Elizabeth II’s third cousin once removed, so not a close relative or even an important royal.
Red, White and Royal Blue gives us a story that feels modern and uplifting. Fine, both the current president and the royal family has a lot of drama around them, let’s just mention a few: Twitter (!!!), Megxit, Prince Andrew’s friendship with Epstein, and basically everything Trump says in every speech ever… Let’s try to create a new truth of what “could” happen. Unfortunately, Prince William and Prince Harry’s kids are a bit young now and are not at all in the ages as either Trump or Biden’s kids. Let’s say that in 2032, Chelsea Clinton wins the presidential election and becomes the first female president of the United States. She may not be politicly active now, but if a businessman can become president at 72 with no political background, so many others could as well.
It’s 2032, Chelsea Clinton has just won. Her campaign focused on that everyone should have it better. Healthcare, better conditions for mothers, wanting to impose laws to protect children, but she is still keen on making the US a strong nation and she is not afraid of conflicts in other countries if she thinks it will help the US. By this time her children are 18, 16, and 13 years old. The middle child, Aidan, has always felt a bit forgotten. His big sister Charlotte has gotten all the attention for her beauty and brains. Aidan don’t like the spotlight his family has been in for decades; he does not want to be known by everyone. He likes playing soccer with his friends, to read classic literature and in the future, he wants to work with helping the planet. A few months after they have moved into the White House, they are going to a fundraiser in New York where parts of the British royal family are attending. Prince George, now 19, is visiting his sister Charlotte who is studying a year abroad in the US. They enter the event together with their cousin Archie and mother Queen Catherine, and everyone looks at them. They stand out of the crowd with their natural sophistication, class, and aura. Aidan can’t stop looking at Prince George in his dark navy suit and striped shirt, so casual and elegant at the same time. When the royals start walking toward the Clintons, the flashes from the press almost makes Aidan blind as everyone wants to see this meeting. Prince George is looking into Aidan’s eyes intensively. ‘Is it just me, or does anyone else feel the sparkle between Prince George and I?’, Aidan thinks when they shakes hand for the very first time.
Wouldn’t this be amazing? The headlines in all the major magazines in the world would go crazy, and just as in the book, the families try to divert the rumours that Alex and Henry are dating by sending Henry on fake dates with Alex’s sister. Here Princess Charlotte could take the place and help her brother George out and go on dates in Kensington garden and at the MET with Aidan. Instead, we have to read headlines like “‘I’ll kiss everyone’: Trump’s final re-election push begins” and “’Step too far’ Meghan Markle slammed for putting hands in pockets”.
During Prince William’s visit to Albert Kennedy Trust in 2019, a gay man asked William what he would do if one of his children came out, and he said:
“Do you know what, I’ve been giving that some thought recently because a couple of other parents said that to me as well,” he continuous “I think you really don’t start thinking about that until you are a parent, and I think — obviously absolutely fine by me.” But he also adds to explain that he would be worried about the public scrutiny they would face. “It worries me, not because of them being gay, it worries me as to how everyone else will react and perceive it and then the pressure is then on them,” he said.
So, the idea of his children being gay doesn’t seem to be an issue. Even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took to Instagram to support the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month. Even if Harry and Meghan aren’t a part of the royal family anymore, they will probably always be seen as it anyway. The brothers are probably more open about the LGBTQ+ community than their relatives because of their mother, Princess Diana, who was known for caring about everyone, regardless of statues, nationality, and sexuality. In April 1987, Princess Diana visited the London Middlesex Hospital to help open the first HIV and AIDS unit in the UK. At this time, many believed that the disease could be contagious through handshakes (which obviously isn’t true). Princess Diana famously shook the patients’ hands without gloves. When the handshake was captured in a photo, it became a historical moment in LGBTQ+ history.
Imagine how much it would do for the LGBTQ+ community in the US and the UK if two members of these powerful families were part of the LGBTQ+ community? It would be huge! Therefore, I prefer reading Red, White and Royal Blue instead of the tabloids about the true families. Now we can look forward to McQuiston’s next book, One Last Stop, that will be published in the summer of 2021. It is not about gay royals, but reading more from her brilliant mind is something to long for!
