Prime Video's long-awaited adaptation of Casey McQuiston's novel "Red, White & Royal Blue" was finally released on Friday — and it delivers on the book's central relationship, even with some differences.
The film, directed by Matthew López and starring Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine, follows Alex Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the US, and Henry, a British prince, whose fraught relationship turns into love after they're forced to pretend to be friends.
As with any on-screen adaptation of a novel, there was some slimming down to be done: not every character from the novel made it into the movie of the same name, and some side plots were shifted as a result.
"I think at the end of the day, whether or not fans of the book are happy with any decision, I'm hoping… that they will be grateful for my ruthlessness," López told Insider in an interview, where he spoke in his capacity as the film's director but not as a screenwriter given the ongoing WGA strike. "Because I do believe it's yielded a better movie as a result."
Here are 11 of the biggest differences between the book and movie.
Major spoilers for "Red, White & Royal Blue" ahead.