BTS Pics From 'The Royals' Finale Are Spoilery

Alright, Royals fans, the moment we've all been waiting for is almost upon us: The Royals' Season 1 finale. We've experienced royal stabbings (albeit unsuccessful ones), royal deception by Cyrus and the queen, a half-royal pseudo relationship between Princess Eleanor and Jasper, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. (That was pretty exhausting to write out, FYI, so thank-you notes are welcome.) The promo for the season finale suggests that we juuuust might get some long-awaited answers to some big questions: Why did Prince Robert die? Are Eleanor and Liam really illegitimate? How will Jasper get out of jail? And seriously, how the hell does Ophelia get her hair so gotdam perfect all the time? Maybe some of these Bustle exclusive behind-the-scenes Royals photos will give us some idea of how the finale will go.

OK, OK, don't get too excited. Since these are behind-the-scenes photos and not episodic ones, we're not exactly getting the whole picture. More often than not we're seeing the cast interact out of character with the show's creator, Mark Schwahn, so we're not exactly getting any photographic insight into any big plot points. OR SO THE INTERWEBZ WANTS US TO THINK.

There's not that much in these images to spoil the finale. But I'm a curious cat and I'm here to posit some theories about what these photos could tell us about the finale, because what's the Internet here for if not to allow us to speculate wildly until the cows (or Prince Robert, perhaps?!) come home.

Let's go through them as methodically as humanly possible — it's as good a strategy as any other, right?

Theory 1: Lucius & The Queen Were Behind King Simon's Stabbing

The above photo shows Elizabeth Hurley as Queen Helena and Andrew Bicknell as her faithful manservant (personal butler/bartender á la Patricia on Southern Charm ?) in what looks to be the queen's office space. Here's what could be going down: It looks like they're in the midst of one of their v. secret and dubious conversations, much like the one they had after Lucius eavesdropped on Liam and Eleanor's talk regarding Liam's plans to sign King Simon's referendum once he was named the acting King of England. I can only assume that they're talking about what they will do when the king's health returns, because, as we know, he was supposedly well enough to be moved back to the palace from the hospital. I think that, in this conversation, it will be revealed that the queen and Lucius have been colluding to take down King Simon, and that Lucius is the one who stabbed the king.

Come on, you have to admit it would be a great plot twist. He has stated in the past that his only devotion is to the queen and her wishes. Plus, Lucius is a pretty nefarious name, and I think it'd be very smart of the writers to make such a minor (but still fairly prevalent) character such an integral part of an important storyline.

Theory 2: Liam Will Get The Truth Of His Parentage Out Of Cyrus

This photo shows William Moseley as Prince Liam sitting in what looks like Cyrus's bedroom. We know from the promo for the finale that Liam and Cyrus engage in some serious fisticuffs (such an underused term, BTW), but we don't know exactly why. I've been saying since pretty much the beginning of the series that Cyrus deserved a hearty kick in the groin, so when I first saw that it was finally going to happen, I was nothing short of thrilled.

That said, I'm pretty sure this photo shows Liam sitting in wait for Cyrus. When Cyrus shows up, that's when the fisticuffs will begin, and I'm speculating that, unless someone stops him, Liam is going to beat some answers out of Cyrus's stupid, smarmy little face.

Theory 3: Eleanor And Jasper Try To Reconcile Whatever Relationship They Had

This photo shows Alexandra Park and Tom Austen as one of my most favorite couples to 'ship, Jeleanor (Eleanor and Jasper, for those not up on the lingo). My first thought when I saw this photo is that it depicts a scene that happens post-meetup with the mysterious hooded man. However, since that's supposed to happen at midnight, and in my experience, the sun isn't out at midnight, I'm going to go with the notion that this scene takes place just after Jasper gets out of jail. My thought is that Eleanor, knowing that she could be meeting someone dangerous, bails him out to use him as her bodyguard once again. (There are hints confirming this theory in the promo as well.)

Based on the seemingly unhappy looks on both of their faces, I'm going to assume that Jasper attempted to explain his reason for sleeping with the queen, and that Eleanor either didn't like the reason or didn't believe him. Alternately, Jasper could be (understandably) pissed that Eleanor got him arrested, and this is a photo of him not accepting her explanation for bailing him out or her apology. Either way, things aren't exactly looking great for the two of them. That said, Tom Austen has stated that Mark Schwahn has some exciting stuff in store of Jeleanor in Season 2, so I don't think this icy attitude between the two will last for that much longer.

Theory 4: Someone VERY Important Will Return Home

This photo shows Liam, Merritt Patterson as Ophelia, and Sophie Colquhoun as Gemma, standing on what appears to be the front steps of the palace. They're all dressed up, and it looks like they're waiting to receive someone. Here's what I'm thinking: They're waiting for Eleanor and Jasper to return from their mysterious meeting with the mysterious hooded figure that cornered Eleanor in the hospital elevator, and they're bringing Prince Robert with them.

I think I say this every single time that I write anything about The Royals, but I feel so certain that Robert isn't dead. I know that this hooded figure revealed to Eleanor that he killed Robert, but maybe he means in the figurative way. Like, maybe he thinks that Robert's apparent death was his fault, not that Robert actually died by his hand. Maybe this scene will end with Eleanor and Jasper returning either with Robert or with information about his whereabouts.

To say that it would be an awesome way to leave us begging for Season 2 would be an understatement.

Images: E! (5)