Back in 2004, I discovered Television Without Pity. I read recaps of ER religiously and especially enjoyed the snark and Luca Kovach lust from Heathen. A few years later, when doing a little digging on the site, I discovered that Heathen, really, Heather, had started a fashion blog with fellow TWoP recapper, Jessica, called Go Fug Yourself. That was in 2006. I scooted over to the site, and have been a fan ever since. While I don’t read The Fug Girls’ posts as religiously as I used to in college, I *always* make time for the figure skating recaps and the Royals recaps. Those are the best (well, besides Britney’s Letters of Truth, J-Lo’s invocations of “Hola, lovers!” and Kanye’s All-cap rants). I read their young adult novels, Spoiled and Messy, and I’ve been waiting to see how The Royal We would stack up.
As it turns out, The Royal We is glorified Kate Middleton fanfiction, and I am delighted by it. Since it is an unashamed nod to the Royals, there really is no spoiler to say that this chronicles the winding love story of the prince and his commoner bride. Rebecca (Bex) Porter is an average American college student who decides to enter the exchange program at Oxford. She accidentally winds up in the same house as Prince Nicholas and his group of friends and quickly becomes friends with the group. Of course, after a series of non-meet-cutes, she and Nick become friends and, of course, lovers. What follows is a long journey to deciding whether or not their relationship can actually work. It’s a funny, frothy, heartfelt story that makes you consider what it would *really* be like to date someone whose destiny has already been decided at birth.
I personally enjoyed this novel immensely. The cast of characters (minus Bex’s attention-grubbing sister, Lacey) was a delight all-around. My personal favorite was one Lady Beatrix Larcmont-Kent-Smyth (also known as Bollocks, for her initials). She was complex and mysterious and layered and so delightfully stuffy and proper that it felt like the best combination of the Dowager Countess and Carson from Downton Abbey. In the best way, of course.
This novel was fizzy and fun, but had real moments of heartbreak and family trouble that made the whole thing seem…human, I suppose. I hope there’s a sequel in the works. Or a spin-off with Prince Freddie. I mean, who else is going to give us some more of our favorite Ginger Gigolo?
