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This post contains spoilers for<\/strong> Red, White & Royal Blue<\/strong><\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely undeniable that the fans love the book for the same reasons that I do, so I think of myself as one of them,\u201d Red, White & Royal Blue<\/em><\/a> director and co-writer Matthew L\u00f3pez<\/strong> told Vanity Fair<\/em><\/a> of how he approached Casey McQuiston<\/strong>\u2019s New York Times<\/em> best-selling novel<\/a>. His adaptation of the book is now streaming on Prime Video. \u201cYou could argue that I\u2019m such a rabid, passionate fan that I made the most expensive bit of fan fiction ever. I hope the fans take solace from the fact that one of them has made this movie.\u201d<\/p>\n Given L\u00f3pez\u2019s reverence for the source material, much of the original enemies-to-lovers story between British prince Henry (Cinderella<\/em>\u2019s Nicholas Galitzine<\/strong>) and American first son Alex Claremont-Diaz (The Kissing Booth<\/em>\u2019s Taylor Zakhar Perez<\/strong>) remains the same. They still connect over a royal wedding gone wrong, quote Sense & Sensibility<\/em> via text, and consider a polo match as foreplay. But the film isn\u2019t completely beholden to the book on which it\u2019s based. Ahead, a look at the biggest differences between RW&RB<\/em> book and movie, from missing characters to a completely changed coming-out scene.<\/p>\n Alex and Henry\u2019s Siblings<\/strong><\/p>\n With any adaptation, inevitably a few characters\u2019 arcs will be scaled back or downright stripped from the narrative. The victim in this book-to-film transfer is June Claremont-Diaz, Alex\u2019s unfiltered but supportive sister, who pretends to date Henry when rumors about her brother\u2019s relationship start to circulate. In the novel, she\u2019s Alex\u2019s closest confidant, along with his friend Nora (played by Rachel Hilson<\/strong>), granddaughter of the Vice President. And it\u2019s in the pages of her teen magazine that a 12-year-old Alex first spots a photo of Henry. In the film, she\u2019s completely absent.<\/p>\n While both of Henry\u2019s siblings\u2014Prince Philip (Thomas Flynn<\/strong>) and Princess Bea (Ellie Bamber<\/strong>)\u2014remain in the film, their roles have been largely reduced. Gone is Bea\u2019s cocaine addiction\u2014in the book, tabloids call her \u201cPowder Princess\u201d\u2014and most scenes involving Prince Philip, who publicly shames Henry for not finding a proper wife while he and Alex attend Wimbledon.<\/p>\n The Political Intrigue Ratio<\/strong><\/p>\n The political machinations surrounding both men, but particularly Alex, go far deeper in the book than the film. Many of them surround the character of Raphael Luna, a gay US senator and family friend of the Claremont-Diaz clan who shocks everyone when he joins the campaign for Republican presidential candidate Jeffrey Richards\u2014the opponent of Alex\u2019s mother, Ellen (played by Uma Thurman<\/strong>). We eventually learn that Rafael only jumped ship to expose Richards\u2019 sexual misconduct\u2014but more on that below. Rafael is missing from the movie, seemingly replaced by Miguel Ramos (Juan Castano<\/strong>). Miguel is a Politico journalist and Alex\u2019s former lover who pulls a similar betrayal later in the film.<\/p>\n Alex\u2019s Romantic History<\/strong><\/p>\n Alex\u2019s journey to acknowledging his bisexual identity is truncated to fit within the span of a two-hour film. In the film, he\u2019s had some more experience and is less rattled by the fact that he kissed a man than by the fact that said man was his sworn enemy.:\u201cI can wrap my head around being low-level into guys, but what I\u2019m really confused about is being into Henry,\u201d Alex says. In the novel, his kiss with Henry catapults Alex into a more in-depth internal struggle over his sexuality, and even a Google search on the presidential views of bisexuality.<\/p>\n The Details of Alex\u2019s Coming Out<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s cheeky acknowledgment of one book-to-movie difference in the film. After Alex comes out to his mother Ellen, she quips, \u201cI mean, if I\u2019d had more warning, I could\u2019ve made you a Powerpoint presentation.\u201d That is, in fact, exactly what happens in the book. The president creates a PowerPoint and schedules an official debriefing to cover the threats Alex\u2019s romance with Henry could pose to her re-election. She also yanks her son from the campaign trail. In the movie, Ellen\u2019s reaction to Alex\u2019s reveal is far more positive. She urges him to use protection both actual\u2014 anyone who\u2019s been yearning to hear Uma Thurman say \u201cTruvada,\u201d you\u2019re welcome\u2014and metaphorical. \u201cYou need to figure out if you feel forever about him if you take this any further,\u201d Thurman warns in a Southern drawl. \u201cA relationship like this will define your life.\u201d<\/p>\n How Alex and Henry\u2019s Relationship Is Leaked<\/strong><\/p>\n With the character of Rafael Luna axed, there\u2019s no subplot involving him exposing Ellen\u2019s opponent as a sexual predator or evidence that the Richards campaign leaked our couple\u2019s private correspondence. Instead, it\u2019s that pesky Politico journalist who catches on to Alex and Henry and breaks the story of their relationship.<\/p>\n The Ending (Sort Of)<\/strong><\/p>\n The final moments from the book, where the couple returns to Alex\u2019s childhood home in Austin with the key he gifted Henry, remain intact. But a few tweaks have been made in setting up their fairytale ending. First off, Henry\u2019s grandfather King James III (played by Stephen Fry<\/strong>) is his grandmother, Queen Catherine, in the book. Alex and Henry\u2019s connection over Star Wars<\/em> has been nixed from the film, meaning the mural painted of them as Han and Leia by the public is also gone. And it appears Anderson Cooper<\/strong> wasn\u2019t available\u2014so instead, it\u2019s Rachel Maddow<\/strong> who declares Ellen\u2019s presidential victory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n