Prince George may be only 6 years old. Still, he's got a much tougher life than his fellow students at Thomas's Battersea. For one, most of his classmates probably don't have an HBO show coming out regarding their immediate family. And they're also not the focal point of that show.
It all started when Gary Janetti started featuring Prince George on his Instagram account. In his eyes, George was a little spoiled with somewhat of a mean heart — characteristics that are unlike the real Prince George. While you might feel like it's cruel to use a 6-year-old as the focus of a parody, his followers seem to understand that it's not a reflection on the real royal family. It's just what Gary imagines. In fact, that's where the humor comes in.
Gary has written for shows like Will & Grace and Family Guy before, so he knows what people find to be entertaining. Those creds may be why he was offered a television deal for his idea. The show is called The Prince, and it's set to stream on HBO Max.
"I'm thrilled to be working at HBO Max and bringing them yet another series about a family ruthlessly fighting for the throne," Gary said in a statement, according to E! He'll be the person who's voicing Prince George. But there are plenty of other talented actors and actresses who have signed on to play members of the royal family.
The biggest name is Orlando Bloom, who'll be voicing Prince Harry. Prince William will be voiced by Iwan Rheon, Kate Middleton will be portrayed by Lucy Punch, and Condola Rashad will take on the role of Meghan Markle. It'll be interesting to see how Meghan and Harry are portrayed after stepping down from their royal titles.
In the series, Gary made Prince George nothing but friendly toward Meghan. In fact, it seemed like he liked Meghan the most. "The way I see it, in my world, she is family, they are family, and George rallies around family," he said to People. "Now he sees that people and the press have piled on her, he doesn’t like it, and he’s rallying around the family. As of now, Meghan — he wants to take her under his wing. Now we’re seeing George might secretly like her. You know, he does not like to kick somebody when they’re down."
He also said that by refusing to pile on Meghan, that makes his portrayal of Prince George look even more heroic in regard to his personal story. "The turn, right now, is that he wants to be her champion," he said. "It’s not fun to pile on. George can afford to be generous, and where that goes, we will see."
HBO Max is excited to bring the show to life. "We're so excited to bring the world Gary's created on Instagram over to HBO Max, where our viewers can discover what his Instagram fans already know – that George can be hilarious, shocking, and surprisingly sweet," Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, said in a statement, per E! "We can't wait to see what Gary does with a bigger canvas to paint on than just a 1:1 square."
Unfamiliar with Gary's account? Unlike the show, he uses actual pictures of the royal family. Based on some of Prince George's candids, things can end up looking pretty funny. While he's kindhearted in person, he's also very expressive — which gives Gary a lot that he can work with.
It's also funny based on the language. Fictional George often uses F-bombs and other language you wouldn't think a 6-year-old would use. Especially if that 6-year-old was in line to become the king someday. But that's all part of the parody — and hopefully, the show can make sure to separate the two.
While the royal family is likely used to parodies, sometimes they can get a little dicey when it comes to kids. While Prince George probably won't buy his own HBO Max account, he'll have to live with the fact that he's a character in someone else's creation — and that can be a hard concept to grasp for a 6-year-old.
Much like Gary changed up fictional Prince George's stance on Meghan Markle to afford her a win, hopefully he'll also be easy on Prince George himself. While his cattiness has made the Instagram series so successful, it might be a little harder to rein it in when it's a full television show and not just a stand-alone Instagram post.
That said, Prince George is likely used to the spotlight. Even prior to his birth, fans were speculating what he'd be named and which parent he'd resemble most. While Kate Middleton has tried hard to make sure her children get to experience a normal childhood, people will always have an interest in Prince George's life — and he's likely been prepped for that.
There's a good chance that Gary — like the rest of the world — didn't expect the bombshell news from Meghan and Harry. It's unclear how soon into the production they are, but it'll be interesting to see how he chooses to address what royal fans are calling the "Megxit." If Meghan and Prince George are still close in the show, it'd be another nod of goodwill toward Meghan.
Out of everyone, she definitely needs it. While it's a shame for any of these characters to have negative undertones, Meghan's cruel treatment in the media was one of the reasons why she and Harry wanted to live more of a private life. Plenty of headlines, especially in the United Kingdom, weren't kind when it came to reporting news about her.
That may make Gary rethink a lot of the show altogether. "Megxit" is a good reminder that even people in the public eye have feelings, and a lot of bullying through the media can lead to depression and self-doubt. In today's world, we should focus more on lifting people up, even if they're more privileged.
There's still room for satire in the world, but things are only truly funny when the butt of the joke has the strength to laugh at it, too. The good news about Gary's series is that we know it's not true. Gary seems to be a fan of the royal family (or at least, he follows their updates), but he's not a royal family informer. That means that you need to go into it remembering that it's completely fictional.
