Alex and Henry’s next chapter has officially received an R rating — and Red, White & Royal Blue fans are understandably curious about just how steamy this royal return might get.
Someone polish the silverware and check the palace guest rooms.
Red, White & Royal Wedding has officially been rated R in the United States for “sexual content/nudity and language”, according to the Motion Picture Association.
Taylor Zakhar Perez returns as Alex Claremont-Diaz alongside Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry, continuing the queer romance that turned the original 2023 Prime Video film into a fan favourite.
And yes, the rating has already given fans something to talk about.
The first movie was also rated R, but for “language, some sexual content and partial nudity”.
This time, the descriptors simply read “sexual content/nudity and language”.
Before everyone gets too excited, that wording does not confirm full-frontal nudity, a specific sex scene or anything else particularly scandalous.
Ratings classifications are broad descriptions of a film’s content, not scene-by-scene spoilers.
But for a franchise already well known for Alex and Henry’s chemistry, fans are naturally reading between the lines.
The original film was already plenty steamy
The first Red, White & Royal Blue attracted plenty of attention for refusing to make Alex and Henry’s physical relationship particularly coy.
One sex scene even went viral in 2023 after some viewers expressed surprise at the mechanics of gay missionary sex — inadvertently turning a queer romcom into a brief online sex-education class.
Director Matthew López was amused by the reaction.
He also defended keeping sexual intimacy in the story, explaining at the time that it was a fundamental part of Alex and Henry’s relationship in Casey McQuiston’s novel.
The filmmakers were given the option of making cuts that could potentially have secured a PG-13 rating, but ultimately accepted the R classification instead.
That decision allowed the romance to retain a level of physical intimacy rarely afforded to queer couples in mainstream romantic comedies.
So whose royal wedding is it?
Despite the sequel’s title, Alex and Henry are not necessarily the ones getting married.
Perez and Galitzine have said the wedding in question belongs to Princess Beatrice, Henry’s younger sister.
So anyone already preparing themselves for Alex in white tie and Henry at an altar might want to lower those expectations.
Slightly.
The film’s official plot is still largely being kept under wraps by Amazon MGM Studios.
What we do know is that the sequel will continue Alex and Henry’s story after the events of the first film — and apparently give them enough adult material to earn another R.
Jamie Babbit takes over directing
There is also a significant change behind the camera.
Jamie Babbit, the filmmaker behind queer cult classic But I’m a Cheerleader, is directing the sequel.
López, who directed the original film, remains heavily involved as a producer and co-writer.
The screenplay is credited to Gemma Burgess, Matthew López and Casey McQuiston, whose novel inspired the original film.
Babbit has described the project as an opportunity to continue telling a story built around queer optimism and romance.
Her involvement is particularly appealing for LGBTQ+ audiences given her long history of telling queer stories on screen.
Plenty of familiar faces are coming back
Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed a substantial returning cast.
Alongside Perez and Galitzine, Uma Thurman, Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Ellie Bamber, Clifton Collins Jr., Stephen Fry, Thomas Flynn, Aneesh Sheth and Malcolm Atobrah are returning.
New cast members include Henry Ashton and Alex Høgh Andersen, while additional casting announced during production included Lena Headey and Chloe Fineman.
Filming began in January and wrapped in March 2026.
The film is now in post-production.
When will Red, White & Royal Wedding come out?
That remains the frustrating part.
Prime Video has not yet announced an official release date.
There is also no full trailer yet.
For now, fans know that Alex and Henry are returning, the wedding bells belong to Beatrice, Jamie Babbit is behind the camera — and the MPA has confirmed there will be enough sex, nudity and language to keep the sequel firmly in R-rated territory.
What exactly that means for Alex and Henry?
We’ll apparently have to wait for our royal invitation.
