The Trailer for 'The Prince,' an Animated Satirical Comedy About the Royal Family, Has Landed
Most royal watchers know Gary Janetti for his Instagram account, which—largely thanks to his memes, which position Prince George as a sassy commentator on the rest of the royals' exploits—has racked up 916,000 followers and counting. Before that, though, Janetti had already made his name in television, writing and producing for shows like Family Guy and Will & Grace.
With The Prince, a new animated series in the works at HBO Max, Janetti will combine his interest in the royals with his TV expertise. Here's what we know about the forthcoming show.
The first preview was Halloween themed.
In a Halloween-themed teaser, fans can get a first look at what Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis will be like in the show. Janetti posted the clip on Instagram, revealing the latest cast member to sign on: Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner as Princess Charlotte. Check it out below.
The first trailer (above) offers a fuller picture of how all the royals, including the Queen, the Cambridges, Prince Charles, and the Sussexes will be depicted in the series.
Like Janetti's Instagram, The Prince positions Prince George at its center.
An official description for the show explains that the story will be told from George's "own point of view," as he learns what it means to be a modern-day heir. Read it in full below.
Before George rules Britannia, he’ll be laying down his own laws in Janetti’s comedic take on the future King of England’s childhood as seen from the prince’s own point of view. Because his succession isn’t coming any time soon, in each episode George will find his path in life as a young prince in modern times — from the 775 rooms of Buckingham Palace to his family’s sea of corgis to primary school with commoners.
The Prince also features notable characters in George’s life such as his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, his fourth-in-line-for-the-throne little sister Charlotte, his modern Aunt Meghan and Uncle Harry, his great-granddad Philip, and—who can forget—his Gan Gan Elizabeth.
Several big names have already signed on to the series.
Janetti himself will play George, and none other than Orlando Bloom is set to voice Prince Harry. They'll be joined by Condola Rashad as Meghan Markle, Lucy Punch as Kate Middleton, Iwan Rheon as Prince William, Alan Cumming as a royal butler, and Frances De La Tour as Queen Elizabeth. (Yes, you read that right: another Game of Thrones alum—the one who portrayed Ramsay Bolton—is playing Prince William.)
The show is a bit controversial.
Following the release of the trailer, several people have spoken out on Twitter against the series, criticizing the show's parody of children. See a few of those tweets below:
Royals have been parodied on dozens of shows over the years (Spitting Image, The Windsors, SNL etc) but this is the first time I can recall children being targeted. It may be “comedy” but it comes across as creepy and borderline-bullying. Seems like many of you feel the same… pic.twitter.com/1nKTrSFGsd
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) July 28, 2021
i truly can’t get over how gross it is to make a satirical show about a real 8 year old child. do better, @hbomax https://t.co/T6wJyHM9nE
— Diana Pearl (@dianapearl_) July 29, 2021
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