I picked up a copy of Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue at my local library, opened it up on the way home and wound up devouring the entire thing over the course of 24 intense hours. It’s honestly that good.

Why? Well, because it ticks so many boxes. It’s achingly romantic, for starters, and unexpectedly steamy – yet still grounded in reality (despite, y’know, the literal Prince Charming storyline) thanks to its frank chat about condoms and travel-sized lube bottles. It features fictional yet somehow suspiciously familiar-feeling British royals. It piles on bucketloads of political intrigue and tabloid scandals. It includes real-life love letters from some of history’s greatest men and women, including none other than Alexander Hamilton himself. It references both Star Wars and The Great British Bake Off. And, on top of all that, Red, White & Royal Blue is a gorgeous and empowering celebration of identity, too.

You can only imagine how delighted I was, then, to learn that this effervescent enemies-to-lovers story is being transformed into a Prime Video TV series that drops on 11 August.

Watch the trailer for Red, White & Royal Blue below:

Here’s what you need to know.

What’s Red, White & Royal Blue about?

The story centres on Alex Claremont-Diaz – the Mexican American son of the president of the United States – who is a) desperate to forge forward with his own political career as soon as possible, and b) considers the handsome and charming Prince Henry of England to be his archnemesis.

When news of their animosity hits the tabloids, Alex and Henry are forced to do some quick damage control: cue a weekend of scheduled opportunities for them to showcase their ‘friendship’ to the world. Except… well, except Henry isn’t anything like how Alex imagined him to be. At all.

You guessed it, everyone: love blossoms unexpectedly. And it’s not long before Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance that could derail his mother’s re-election campaign and upend two nations.

“Can love save the world after all?” asks the book’s official synopsis. “Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colours shine through?”

Who stars in Red, White And Royal Blue?

The Kissing Booth’s Taylor Zakhar Perez will take on the role of Alex, with Cinderella’s Nicholas Galitzine starring alongside him as Henry.

Promising big things from our leads, director Matthew López tells Deadline: “Meeting with and auditioning literally hundreds of actors over these past several months has been a painstaking labour of love that has brought us this diverse and extraordinary cast, led so fantastically by Nick and Taylor. 

“I cannot wait for the fans of the book (and indeed for the world) to find out how remarkably gifted and perfect these two actors are for bringing Henry and Alex to life.”

As if that weren’t enough star power to hook you in, though, know this: Uma Thurman herself will portray Ellen (yes, the POTUS). Stephen Fry stars in the series, too. And Sharon D Clarke, Thomas Flynn, Malcolm Atobrah, Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Ellie Bamber, Aneesh Sheth, Polo Morín, Ahmed Elhaj and Akshay Khanna have also been cast in the LGBTQ+ romance.

Phew!

What are people saying about Red, White & Royal Blue?

“It has been a thrill to hand this story over to Berlanti/Schechter, Amazon and our fearless leader Matthew López and watch them make so many smart, bold, thoughtful choices to bring it to life,” author Casey McQuiston tells Deadline.

“This casting is no exception. I absolutely can’t wait to see Taylor and Nicholas on screen as Alex and Henry.”

Us neither, quite frankly.

When can we watch Red, White And Royal Blue?

The Prime Video series is going to be a steamy summer hit, landing on 11 August.

As you might’ve guessed, we’re royally excited.

Images: Prime Video; Getty