The Royal We

To celebrate the birth of Princess Charlotte, the newest addition to the British Royal Family, I decided to fall head first down a rabbit hole of Kate Middleton/Prince William romantic fanfiction.

I started off with The Royal We, a new romantic comedy inspired by the real-life romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton. The story is told from the perspective of American student Rebecca Porter, known by her friends as Bex. Bex decides to spend a semester abroad at Oxford where she meets Nick, her neighbor and the heir eventual to the British throne. Nick and Bex fall in love, and have to figure out whether or not that love is strong enough to withstand the pressures of a very royal, and very public life. While at times The Royal We feels like thinly veiled Kate Middleton fanfiction, it is also smart, funny, and a very entertaining read. I was slightly dissatisfied with the ending, which left a few conflicts unresolved, but I am hopeful for a sequel. Besides that, I loved nearly every page.

After finishing The Royal We, I decided to dig deeper and figure out which parts of the book were actually based on real events, and which were most likely fiction. So naturally I watched both the Lifetime movie, William & Kate, and the Hallmark Channel movie, William and Catherine: A Royal Romance (because nothing screams historical accuracy like a made for TV movie, amiright?). The plot points that the book and both movies have in common (and therefore are maybe based on real events) include: our two lovers meeting and falling in love while at university, an ex-girlfriend who upstages the heroine at the hero’s birthday party, a breakup that may or may not have been caused by the paparazzi and/or the demands of the hero’s military service, a romantic night out/reconciliation involving the live performance of a sappy love song, and a white bikini. A real royal romance in a nutshell.

In all seriousness, The Royal We got me wondering; just how much of this narrative is true, and how much is a massaged and palace-approved version crafted for the benefit of public consumption? And in light of the Royal Family’s history with the press/paparazzi, what right do I (or anyone else) really have to know? I’m not sure. But until I figure it out, let the rabbit hole widen.