What Will Happen in ‘Red, White & Royal Wedding’? How ‘RWRB’ Book Sets Up the Sequel
The Red, White & Royal Blue book offers several clues as to what will happen in the upcoming sequel, Red, White & Royal Wedding.
Four years after its publication, Casey McQuiston’s beloved romance novel got the movie treatment on Prime Video. The film follows the enemies-to-lovers story of Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the President of the United States (Uma Thurman), and Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), a British prince.
After an unfortunate wedding cake incident at Henry’s older brother’s wedding, Alex and Henry grow from rivals to friends while doing damage control for the royal family and for Alex’s mother’s re-election campaign. However, a New Year’s Eve party kiss turns their friendship into something more, forcing Alex and Henry to figure out how to navigate their romance in the public eye.
The film made a handful of changes from the source material, including cutting the characters of Alex’s older sister, June, and mentor, Senator Rafael Luna, as well as changing the English monarch from a Queen to a King, played by Stephen Fry. (The latter change was made before Queen Elizabeth II‘s death in 2022.)
Like the book, the RWRB film ends with Alex celebrating his mom’s re-election by taking Henry to visit his childhood home in Austin, Texas. With Red, White & Royal Wedding officially underway, how does the book tease what will happen in the new movie?
Prime Video
Does Red, White & Royal Blue have a sequel book?
No, Red, White & Royal Blue is a standalone novel. McQuiston will return as an executive producer for the sequel film and has cowritten the script with Gemma Burgess and Matthew López, the latter of whom also directed the first movie.
When the sequel was officially greenlit earlier this month, Prime Video revealed that plot details were being “kept under wraps” for the time being.
Swooon asked McQuiston about potentially writing a sequel book in the future. The author noted that they think “a lot about what the future would hold for Alex and Henry of the book,” and added, “For that reason, I don’t think I’ll ever say never to a book sequel.”
What happens in the Red, White & Royal Blue bonus chapter?
A hardcover collector’s edition of Red, White & Royal Blue was released in 2022, featuring a bonus chapter told from Henry’s POV. (Spoilers!) The chapter picks up with Alex and Henry around five years in the future as they move from their New York City brownstone to Texas ahead of their wedding.
The chapter also flashes back to reveal more of what happened to Alex and Henry after the events of the first novel, including their decision to move in together, Alex attending and completing law school, Henry choosing to give up his royal title, their engagement, and more.
Given the sequel’s title and Alex and Henry’s engaged status, it’s likely Red, White & Royal Wedding will feature the couple tying the knot. Contrary to the movie’s name, the bonus chapter reveals that Alex and Henry planned to have a “private ceremony” at Alex’s family lake house in Texas. Fans will have to wait and see whether the duo’s wedding plans will be changed for the film.
Prime Video
On the other hand, the movie could still feature a royal wedding — just not Alex and Henry’s. During a section of the bonus chapter set on New Year’s Eve in 2024, Henry’s POV reveals that his sister, Beatrice (Ellie Bamber), got married. In true Alex and Henry fashion, some chaos ensued at the festivities, as Henry recalls an “incident with the croquet mallets and the Dutch ambassador” happening at the wedding.
Perhaps the princess will be the subject of the sequel’s ritual event, and Alex and Henry will get to keep their wedding on a much smaller scale like they want.
Red, White & Royal Wedding, TBD, Prime Video
