Entertainment

'The Royals' & the Royal Family Share Similarities

by Kelsie Gibson

After only five episodes, E!’s first scripted series, The Royals, is causing quite a buzz among viewers. It's unlike anything on television right now and fans say it even has the possibility of becoming the new Gossip Girl . Taking place in modern England, the show follows the fictional royal family, giving an inside look as to what it's like to live in the public eye, but could the show's characters possibly be created after the actual royal family? The show’s producer, Mark Schwahn says no.

“One of the biggest things for me that I really want people to understand is that we are not telling stories about the actual British monarchy. This is completely fictional, it’s meant to be fictional. I think people might get confused because it’s modern day, so the references are actual real references but it’s not a biopic or a docudrama. If anything, it’s just ‘royal adjacent.’”

So maybe the characters on the show do not have real life counterparts with the royal family, but there are still some (very small) similarities between the two. It's not to say that the royal family is as crazy as The Royals makes them out to be (because this is still an E! drama after all, everything is dramatized) each character does possess a hint of reality.

Queen Helena — Princess Diana

Not only does her iconic outfits resemble that of Princess Di (Elizabeth Hurley said she based her character's style on her) but just like Diana, Helena assumed the throne by marriage.

King Simon — Prince Charles

Just like Prince Charles, King Simon is the rightful heir to the throne. It is also worth noting that both royals had a similar strain in their marriage, as Prince Charles and Princess Diana eventually divorced 1996.

Prince Liam — Prince William

Not only does Prince Liam resemble a young Prince William (seriously, Prince Will was a major heartthrob back in the day) he also falls for a commoner.

Princess Eleanor — Prince Harry

While Prince Harry may not be as rambunctious as Princess Eleanor, he was known for being quite the wild child when he was a teen. And just like Princess Eleanor, he was next in line for the throne after his brother (that is before Prince George was born).

Ophelia — Kate Middleton

As Prince Liam compares with Prince William, it only seems fit that Ophelia resembles the Duchess of Cambridge. Just like the show, Prince William and Kate met at university and just like the real royal couple, Ophelia played the make em jealous card after her and Prince Liam's breakup (with a happy outcome for both couples I might add)

Gemma — Davina Duckworth-Chad

Speaking of the royal couple, apparently Prince Liam's ex-girlfriend shows some similarities with a real life Brit. Just like Gemma knows the ropes of royalty, Davina's James, was equerry to the Queen. It also helps that her family come from old money, her father being a Norfolk landowner.

Prince Cyrus — Prince Andrew

In no way does Prince Andrew's lifestyle match 'The Royals' character (and we're also pretty positive Prince Andrew never tried to kill Prince Charles for the throne) these two are both the younger brother the rightful heir, missing king status by a few years.

Princess Penelope & Princess Maribel — Princess Beatrice & Princess Eugenie

And just as Prince Cyrus might take after Prince Andrew (again only in the sense that they are the king's brother) his two daughters would just as easily take after the real-life Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The real royals are of course in no way like the TV show's sisters characteristically (Eugenie is working at an online auction house and Beatrice is studying finance) but they are the cousins of Prince William and Prince Harry.

Images: E!