Red, White & Royal Blue: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

Zahra, Alex’s mom’s deputy chief of staff, throws a pile of magazines on the table. They all feature headlines about “Cakegate” and show pictures of Alex and Henry in the cake. Alex isn’t really afraid of Zahra, but now that his mom, Ellen, is president, she’s less about feelings and more about international relations. His mom begins to read aloud about Alex and Henry’s feud. When Alex tries to make a joke or defend himself, Ellen points out that the press doesn’t care who started it. She’d like, she says, to fake his death and win reelection because people feel bad for her. Instead, he’s going to England this weekend to make it look like he and Henry are friends. She kisses him and leaves.

Zahra takes over. After a bunch of negotiating with “royal handlers,” she explains, the U.S. and England have come to an agreement: Alex and Henry have been friends for years, and in front of cameras, Alex has to sell it. Zahra doesn’t care how Alex feels about this. The goal is to not force Ellen to explain Alex’s behavior in debates next fall. She passes him fact sheets on Henry and requirements for the weekend, which include social media posts, photo ops, and an appearance on a British morning show. Henry will come here for a state dinner in a few months. Realizing he has no choice, Alex decides to make himself a list, a comforting habit he developed years ago. To himself, he lists reasons why this is a good idea. At least he gets a free trip to Europe.

Alex, June, and Nora are known publicly as the White House Trio. Ellen’s press team came up with the name and fed it to People. The three are genuinely friends, though, and they have been since the primary. Now, they’re hanging out in the music room, drinking while Alex studies the fact sheet on Henry. June complains to Nora about how despite having an internship with the Post, being the president’s daughter means she doesn’t get to write anything but fluff. Alex turns the conversation back to his predicament. June insists that Henry isn’t so bad, while Nora deems the damage control plan “Shakespearean.” Alex scoffs—hopefully that means he’ll be murdered dramatically. They come up with a drinking game and the girls quiz Alex on Henry. Alex maintains that Henry is “a cardboard cutout of a person.” After all, he reads Charles Dickens for fun.

To Alex’s surprise, Henry’s handler is a tall, handsome Indian man who introduces himself to Amy and Alex as Shaan Srivastava. Alex tries not to be impressed by how cool and handsome Shaan is—his entire job is managing Henry’s schedule, which is not cool. Shaan leads Alex into a waiting car and briefly goes over the schedule. First, they’re going to pick up Henry at the stables, and Alex must sign the extensive nondisclosure agreement in the seat pocket. Alex wonders what “wholesome” Henry could possibly have to hide, but he signs anyway. They reach the pristine stables, and right on cue, Henry gallops around the corner on a white horse. Henry looks shockingly dramatic and handsome, and when Alex shakes Henry’s hand, he suggests he might vomit. Smiling fake smiles for the waiting photographer, the young men insult each other and get in the car.

Alex’s guest rooms at Kensington Palace make him feel like he’s “wide awake at midnight in a strange place, duty-bound to make it work.” He video chats Nora from the kitchen and describes the NDA. Nora is intrigued—maybe Henry is gay or has a lovechild—but Alex is convinced they just want him to stay silent if they see anyone putting batteries in Henry. As Nora chatters on about statistics and data science grad programs she’s looking at, Henry enters the kitchen in rumpled pajamas. Alex hangs up, and Henry, clearly surprised, explains he’s an insomniac and came for the ice cream in Alex’s freezer. Henry asks if they need to rehearse for the interview tomorrow, but Alex posts a picture of the ice cream to Instagram and says it’s best not to overthink this.

On the way to the interview, Alex decides he’s nauseous because of the beans on toast for breakfast and not because of nerves. Shaan passes Henry a pill, which Alex doesn’t question. They reach the studio and the crowd of reporters and fans waiting outside. Grinning fake smiles, Alex and Henry get out, put their arms around each other, and enter the studio. The interview goes smoothly, though Alex briefly loses himself noticing how attractive Henry looks.

Alex wants to go into politics because he cares about people—sometimes too much. Now, he and Henry are in a cancer ward of a children’s hospital, handing out books and reading to kids while photographers snap pictures. Annoyed by how robotic Henry seems, Alex distances himself and later realizes Henry is speaking to the patient next door. Alex peeks in and sees Henry looking actually alive and warm as he and the little girl discuss Star Wars. Henry tells the girl his favorite character is Luke, because he’s proof that anyone can do great things if they stay true to themselves. A nurse appears and shoos Henry and Alex away, and Alex admits he’s impressed that Henry indeed has feelings.

Just then, several pops and shouts come from down the hallway, and Cash shoves Henry and Alex into a utility closet. The men fall over each other, cursing and sniping. There’s no room to sit without touching, and when Henry says sarcastically that he’s always wanted to be locked in a closet with Alex’s elbow in his ribs, Alex elbows him harder. Henry pins Alex down. Privately, Alex is fascinated—Henry, it turns out, is passionate, caring, smart, and a fighter. In an accusing tone, Alex asks about Star Wars. It seems, he says, as though Henry enjoys pop culture but pretends not to because it makes the royal family look bad, which is rich given he told the little girl it’s best to be yourself. Alex points out that they’ll have to pretend to be friends for a while to keep up the ruse, so what’s going on?

Henry asks why Alex hates him. Alex immediately flashes back to the Rio Olympics. He reminds Henry of how Alex approached to introduce himself—and Henry looked at him like he was disgusting and asked Shaan to “get rid of him.” Beyond that, Alex says, they have basically the same job, but Alex has to work harder than Henry ever will because Ellen is the first female president and he’s brown. Henry apologizes for his behavior at the Olympics. His dad had died 14 months earlier, and he was terrible to everyone. Suddenly, Alex understands. Arthur Fox died of cancer. This is why they came to a cancer ward. Alex can empathize with feeling like you’ll disappoint the “entire world,” and he didn’t realize Henry felt the same way. He blurts that it’s a good thing Henry isn’t perfect.

After a pause, Henry says his favorite Star Wars movie is Return of the Jedi. Alex is scandalized; Empire is better because it’s “thematically complex” and has tons of good stuff in it. Henry prefers Jedi because it has a happy ending and positive themes like love and hope. Cash finally opens the door; it was a false alarm. A bit later, as they part ways outside Kensington Palace, Alex snatches Henry’s phone and puts in his contact info. It’s silly, he says, to go through handlers. They can just text. Henry looks bewildered, but he laughs when Alex tells him “No booty calls.”