Stephen Fry played King James III in Prime Video’s beloved LGBTQ+ romance Red, White, and Royal Blue. As a friend of Prince William, the esteemed actor also noted how the future Monarch and his younger brother, Prince Harry, feel about the community.
Prince William and Prince Harry have shown their open-mindedness several times and proved in their own ways that the British monarchy is slowly keeping up with the times (and Harry even left it when things weren’t moving fast enough). The two royals have also shown that they are LGBTQ+ allies numerous times.
The esteemed British actor Stephen Fry, who is also close to the royal family, and also openly gay, gave a detailed explanation as to why the two brothers are “part of their generation.”
Prince William and Prince Harry are very “gay-friendly”
Fry discussed a possible return in the upcoming Red, White, and Royal Blue sequel, and also replied whether he asked Prince William for advice for playing the king. The actor didn’t directly confirm his return in the sequel, nor reveal if he asked Prince William for advice. Instead, Fry went on to explain that William and Harry’s great-great-grandfather, George V, wasn’t very friendly to the LGBTQ+ community.
Fry recalled to Variety, “There was a member of the family of the Duke of Westminster who was arrested in some case gay scandal or was about to be arrested and he escaped to France.” Fry continued that when someone broke the news to George V, the king replied, “I thought men like that shot themselves.” Fry continued, “Isn’t it the coldest remark you’ve ever heard? And that was those boys’, William and Harry’s, great-great-grandfather.”
Fry highlighted that the British Royal Family doesn’t feel that way anymore. “Believe me, they are very gay-friendly and charming. They’re part of their generation. They grew up with it because of their father.” Stephen Fry went on to note that King Charles III led by example. “Their father was great friends with, for example, John Richardson, the Picasso biographer. He and his boyfriend used to stay with the king. And they were friendly with them both. They have absolutely no issues.”
Prince William and Prince Harry Have Shown Support to the LGBTQ+ community
The British Royal Family has shown their support for the LGBTQ+ community on numerous occasions, and even Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana were allies. Back in 2019, Prince William confirmed that he wouldn’t care if any of his three children, Prince George, Prince Charlotte, or Prince William came out as gay or lesbian. “I think you don’t really start thinking about that until you are a parent, and I think – obviously, absolutely fine by me,” the future Monarch said via The Guardian during a visit at Albert Kennedy Trust, an LGBT charity in London.
The prince added: “The one thing I’d be worried about is how, particularly the roles my children fill, how that is going to be interpreted and seen. So Catherine and I have been doing a lot of talking about it to make sure they were prepared.” He continued: “It worries me not because of them being gay; it worries me how everyone else will react and perceive it and the pressure is then on them.”
Prince Harry has also shown his support several times, including in 2019, when he invited the CEO of Mermaids, a charity for transgender teens, Susie Green, to a roundtable discussion. The same year, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, publicly voiced their support on Instagram, celebrating Pride Month. At least the two brothers are still aligned with some values.