Royally familiar! How bonkbuster Red White & Royal Blue’s lead Prince Henry is VERY similar to Prince Harry – with the pair sharing a love for partying, polo, an American partner and tense relationship with older brother

A transatlantic love story, tension with an older brother, a party boy past and grief over loss of a parent. No, it’s Prince Harry‘s memoir Spare, but the plot of new bonkbuster Red White & Royal Blue. 

The Amazon film, which was released over the weekend, is based on the bestselling novel by Casey McQuiston, which sees the son of the US president Alex Claremont-Diaz, played by Taylor Zakhar Perez, fall in love with Britain’s Prince Henry, portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine.

But many have noted the similarities between the fictional Prince Henry and the real-life one (Prince Harry’s full name is Henry Charles Albert David).

Like Prince Harry, Prince Henry falls in love with an American – albeit a man, not a woman.

But that’s not where their similarities end. Henry also grieves his father throughout the film, Harry has openly spoken about grief over losing his mother.

Branding himself a ‘spare’ Prince Henry also faces tension with his older brother and heir to the throne – named Prince Philip – while he also has a sweet relationship with his red-haired sister, who in perhaps no attempt to veil her inspiration, is called Princess Beatrice.

The film’s director, Matthew Lopez, told Tatler that he borrows things from ‘both William and Harry’ for the character, while the actor playing Henry says he’s ‘more of a William’.

Here, FEMAIL looks at the striking similarities between Prince Henry and Harry, from their names to love of polo… 

Refers to themselves as the spare

In Red, White & Royal Blue Prince Henry frequently refers to himself as ‘the Spare’

Prince Harry famously called his memoir ‘Spare’. The 416-page book revealed dozens of scandalous tales including his his frost-nipped penis and an allusion to having sex with Meghan at Soho House 

In Red, White & Royal Blue Prince Henry frequently refers to himself as ‘the Spare’.

He is the second-born son of  Princess Catherine and Arthur Fox. Princess Catherine (who is only mentioned by name in the film as she is off-screen in Botswana) is the first in line to the throne, while her son, Prince Philip, is the heir.

Prince Harry famously called his memoir ‘Spare’.

The 416-page book revealed dozens of scandalous tales including his his frost-nipped penis and an allusion to having sex with Meghan at Soho House.

 The prince, who quit as a working royal and moved to California with Meghan in a quest for greater privacy, recalls in excruciating detail dozens of family rows and intimate conversations. He reveals his father’s medical ailments and the fact the King still carries around his favourite teddy bear.

Love of playing polo

Both Prince Harry and Prince Henry enjoy a spot of polo.

This week the Duke of Sussex headed to Singapore to play a match with his friend Nacho Figueras 

Both Prince Harry and Prince Henry enjoy a spot of polo.

This week the Duke of Sussex headed to Singapore to play a match with his friend Nacho Figueras.

He threw himself into the game that ended in a 7-7 draw in the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup. 

At home in California he often plays polo too and regularly attends the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club for his team Los Padres.

The club is run by his old friend Nacho Figueres, an Argentine sports star dubbed the ‘David Beckham of polo’ by Tatler. 

Tense relationship with family 

In the film, his brother (named Prince Philip) is cold towards him while his red-haired sister Princess Beatrice is the one he confides in, telling her he’s ‘as gay as a maypole’ (pictured together)

Prince Harry may have fallen out with Prince William and King Charles, but remains ‘best of friends’ with his cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, a source has claimed. Harry and Meghan are pictured with Eugenie 

Prince William (pictured with Harry in July 2021) is the ‘most upset’ by his brother’s memoir, while King Charles ‘would like to have Prince Harry back in the family’, according to a source close to the Royal Household

While Prince Harry is famously tense with his brother, Prince Henry also has a frosty relationship. 

Harry branded William  his ‘arch-nemesis’ and has  publicly called on his family to apologise to himself and Meghan for what they see as slights.

In the film, his brother (named Prince Philip) is cold towards him while his red-haired sister Princess Beatrice is the one he confides in, telling her he’s ‘as gay as a maypole’.

While Prince Harry doesn’t have a sister, he is famously close to red-headed cousins Beatrice and Eugenie.

In fact a source close to the family recently claimed Harry remains ‘best friends’ with his cousins.

‘They’re still the best of friends and talk constantly,’ an insider told People.

They added that the tensions between Harry, Meghan and the Firm has been ‘really stressful’ for Beatrice and Eugenie, and they find it ‘hard to watch’ because they ‘see both sides’.

And while Harry has accused the royal family of racism, the King (played, ironically,by Stephen Fry) in Red, White & Royal Blue is openly homophobic

Romance with an American (and choosing them over duty)

Perhaps the most obvious parallel between the Harry and Henry is their love for an American, although markedly the fictional Prince Henry falls in love with a man, while Harry fell for a woman

Prince Harry broke with tradition when he chose to marry American actress Meghan Markle in 2018, while the central theme of the film is Henry’s love for the ‘First Son’ of the United States

Perhaps the most obvious parallel between the Harry and Henry is their love for an American, although markedly the fictional Prince Henry falls in love with a man, while Harry fell for a woman.

Prince Harry broke with tradition when he chose to marry American actress Meghan Markle in 2018, while the central theme of the film is Henry’s love for the ‘First Son’ of the United States.

Harry and Meghan stepped back as royals in January 2020, while the end of Red, White, and Royal Blue sees the King warn Henry against coming out.

This doesn’t stop him though, with the film ending on the pair walking out on a balcony hand-in-hand. 

Love of partying and a rebellious streak 

In both the book and the film, Prince Henry loves to party. As does the real life Prince Harry who was known for his rebellious streak and his wassailed ways in his youth 

In both the book and the film, Prince Henry loves to party.

As does the real life Prince Harry who was known for his rebellious streak and his wassailed ways in his youth.

He racked up a bill of  racked up a bill of over £30,000 during an infamous stay at a hotel in Las Vegas, but never had to pay it.

While he often frequented Boujis, and infamously hit the front pages by landing in the gutter in 2007, in the days when it was a regular occurrence to find the royal stumbling on to the street after a night quaffing Crack Baby shots – the club’s blend of vodka, passion fruit puree, Chambord and champagne. 

In his memoir, Duke of Sussex sensationally admitted to having taken cocaine ‘a few times’ during his wilder party years. 

And he also confessed to also confessed to taking cannabis and magic mushrooms, and ended up hallucinating that a bin was talking to him.

In his book, Harry described smoking cigarettes and cannabis and drinking at the Windsor Castle golf course while he was a student at Eton.

Grief over losing a parent 

Much of the film also deals with Prince Henry grieving his parent.

Prince Harry has openly discussed losing his mother, Princess Diana, at a young age.

In Spare, he revealed he sought a woman who ‘claimed to have powers’ to try and speak with Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when her youngest son was about to turn 13. 

He also claimed to have received a message from the late Princess of Wales, in which Harry was apparently told he was ‘living the life she couldn’t.’