When Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) came out to Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) in the Red, White & Royal Blue movie, which was released in August 2023, he made a very specific reference.
In a very sweet scene between the two lovers, Alex revealed that he is bisexual while Henry made it clear that he’s “as gay as a maypole.” While Alex didn’t quite get the reference because of his American heritage, neither did some of the film’s viewers.
What is a maypole? Keep reading for an explanation of Henry’s phrase.
What Is a Maypole?
A maypole is traditionally a European folk symbol, in which a tall wooden pole is erected as people celebrate by dancing around it with colorful ribbons. In the case of Prince Henry’s saying, “gay as a maypole,” he’s seemingly referring to the happy nature of these celebrations. Essentially, Henry is taking a serious topic in coming out to Alex and making it as playful as possible, but also making it clear that he’s proud of his sexual identity.
“He felt really real. I felt like I empathized with him,” Nicholas told Teen Vogue in August 2023 of playing Prince Henry. “I didn’t really feel a pressure necessarily, in that capacity. It just felt like a really beautiful story.”
What Is ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ About?
In the film — based on the book of the same name by Casey McQuiston — Nicholas and Taylor play Henry and Alex, respectively, who are in a secret relationship due to their status as political world leaders. Henry is the Prince of England while Alex is the first son of the first female president of the United States of America.
Taylor, for his part, felt some pressure bringing the story to life on screen because he wanted to be “accurate with the storytelling,” the actor shared with Teen Vogue. “If we are playing these roles — any role, but especially this — [in] a film that has the opportunity to change perceptions, internationally,” he added, noting that the movie needs to be done correctly.
Director Matthew López felt similarly, which is why he made some major cuts from the film to have it focus on Henry and Alex’s love story first and foremost.
“Why I say it wasn’t hard [to cut down] is that I quickly realized putting this movie together that, unlike the book, this movie was about Alex and Henry first,” the filmmaker told Us Weekly in August 2023. “And first, middle, and last, everything, every decision that I made as the director of this film had to flow into, is it right for Alex and is it right for Henry? And is it right for them as a couple?”
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