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a thousand histories

Summary:

“Good job,” Alex said once they were alone, his voice dripping with boredom. “They’re really starting to believe it.”
“The instagram post was a stroke of genius,” Henry replied, and Alex couldn’t tell for the life of him whether the Prince was being sarcastic or not. He shrugged and turned on his phone, swiping to reply to Nora.

The story of Alex and Henry through the spotlight: trashy tabloids, exclusive interviews, painfully cringey articles and the odd chaotic text chain.

Notes:

hey guys!!
this is my first time publishing red white and royal blue fanfic but OH MY GOD these gay bitches are ruining my life. i hope you enjoy! btw it took me forever to figure out the chronological order and dates for all this so pls hype me up *cries.* a couple of articles and lines are lifted straight from the book, and i do not claim those as my own work.
comments, kudos, anything, all very much appreciated. thank you so much. x

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

[Excerpt from People dated 7th August 2016]

 

[PICTURED: 17 year old son of Presidential Candidate Ellen Claremot, Alex Claremont-Diaz and England’s Prince Henry Windsor share a short interaction at the Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games ]

 

FIRST SON AND THE PRINCE - FAST FRIENDSHIP

 

Those charmed by the Royal Family and Ellen Claremont’s campaign experienced a thrilling moment as the potential future First Son Alexander and England’s Prince Henry shared a brief interaction during yesterday’s Olympic events. Though quick and unheard, pictures show the two speaking, sparking a range of excited reactions from followers of both spotlit lives. 

Tweets from fans included speculations of a new friendship blossoming between the widely beloved young men, however sources state the interaction was nothing to be excited over. 

“Oh, they hardly talked,” one source states. “More like Prince Henry stared down his nose at Alex and brushed him off, quick as anything. That’s the Royals for you.” 

 

Despite the rumor of a quick, harsh interaction, fans are not deterred, excited to see where the international relationship may lead. CONT. pg3  →

 

Alex scoffed and threw the magazine back at June from where he sat on his bed. She caught it easily and raised her eyebrows at him. 

“What?” He snapped. “That source was right. He was a poncy dickhead and we barely spoke. Nothing for the-” he raised his hands in air quotes - “‘fans’ to get excited over.” 

“Okay,” she drawled, giving him an infuriatingly calm smirk. “Whatever you say, baby bro.” She left the room, closing the door, still clutching the magazine and grinning. 

“Don’t call me that!” Alex yelled after her. He turned back to the text books in front of him and tried to push the memory of the bitter rejection from the Prince he’d previously thought the world of from his brain. 

 

__

 

[Excerpt from The Sun dated 15th October 2019]

 

CAKEGATE: ALEX CALREMONT-DIAZ SPARKS SECOND ENGLISH AMERICAN WAR

 

[PICTURED: First Son of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry destroy newlywed Prince Philip and Martha’s $75,000 cake at Royal Wedding during physical altercation ]

 

[ ] .... sources inside the royal reception report the two were seen arguing minutes before the ‘cake-tastrophe,’ but Royal Family insiders report the First Son’s feud with Henry has raged for years. A source tells The Sun that the two have been at odds ever since their first meeting at the Rio Olympics, and the animosity has only grown- these days, they can’t be in the same room with each other. It was only a matter of time before Alex took the American approach: a violent altercation. One can’t help but wonder if the bitterness between these two powerful sons has contributed to what many have called an icy and distant relationship between President Ellen Claremont’s administration and the monarchy in recent years. 

 

Nora let out a low whistle. 

“It sounded worse when mom read it,” Alex said, swinging backwards on his chair. 

“And now you have to spend a whole weekend with him? Ouch. I cannot wait for this.” 

“Thanks so much,” Alex replied sarcastically. “You’ve always been so nice to me.” 

“It’s two days,” June said, not looking up from her phone. “You’re gonna go, argue, do a bunch of interviews, argue. It’ll be over before you know it.” 

“Easy for you to say,” Alex grumbled. “You’re not the one spending the two days with his Royal Highness Prince Dickhead.” 

“I think he’s nice,” June replied, off-hand. 

“And hot,” Nora concluded, and Alex threw a book at her. 

 

__

 

[Excerpt from Daily Express dated 20th October 2019]

 

[PICTURED: Prince Henry and First Son Alex Claremont sharing a friendly handshake and a laugh near the Kensington Palace stables ]

 

ALEX’S WEEKEND IN LONDON

 

Sources that impressed upon the public the details of the Prince and First Son’s so called feud seem to be becoming less reputable by the day. Not only were the sons seen laughing and joking as Alex greeted the Prince after polo practice (pictured) but their social media presence has also taken a turn to spotlight their quiet relationship. “Nothing cures jet lag like midnight ice cream with @princehenry,’ the First Son posted to his instagram in the early hours of this morning. The two are also due to appear later today on talk show This Morning. Whether the friendship is real or simply a cover up for the Royal Wedding incident, followers of the sons are thrilled. One twitter user CONT. pg 14  →

 

The ride to the studio was mercifully quick. Before they entered, Shaan passed the tabloid back to Henry, who skimmed it, shrugged, and passed it to Alex. 

“Good job,” Alex said once they were alone, his voice dripping with boredom. “They’re really starting to believe it.” 

“The instagram post was a stroke of genius,” Henry replied, and Alex couldn’t tell for the life of him whether the Prince was being sarcastic or not. He shrugged and turned on his phone, swiping to reply to Nora. 

hrh prince dickhead still a prick but maybe a little less than usual. 

After a second’s thought, he adds another message. 

don’t tell june

Nora replied a second later. 

too late! She messaged back. june says told you so. 

 

__

 

[Excerpt from People dated October 23rd 2019]

 

FROM AMERICA, WITH LOVE: ALEX AND HENRY FLAUNT FRIENDSHIP

 

[PICTURED: Prince Henry and First Son Alex on their way back from visiting the Cancer ward at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust]

 

“It’s been such a lovely weekend,” Prince Henry told People’s reporter outside the hospital earlier this afternoon. “Obviously with our schedules it’s difficult to see each other often, but I was so glad Alex could make it over here these last couple of days.” 

“It’s been great,” Claremont-Diaz agreed, flashing his friend a smile as they spoke to our reporters. “I love this country, and it’s always great to see this guy right here.”

__

 

[GIF: His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and First Son of the United States share a friendly fist bump on This Morning]

 

Nora: cute pic ;)

Alex: go to hell

 

__



Among the Star Wars ribs, articles titled things like Is Alex Claremont-Diaz going to be a father? And Henry’s texts that followed: But we were ever so careful, dear , fabricated interviews from tabloids trashier than trash and fanfiction were exchanged alongside sarcastic remarks between Alex and Henry for well over a month. What began as a chance to continue to poke fun at each other and argue childishly quickly transpired into an easy rhythm of constant conversation that meant Alex learnt far more about Henry than the fact sheet ever emitted. It also surprised more laughs out of him than he thought Henry, especially the bitter, cruel Henry he’d met in 2016 was capable of getting. 

 

3:01 am

 

[ATTACHED: Are Prince Henry and Alex Claremont releasing an album together? ]

 

Henry: Reminder: We have a meeting with Taylor Swift this weekend about a collaboration. 

Alex: god buzzfeed always hits the nail on the head don’t they

 

__

 

[Excerpt from People dated January 2nd 2020]

 

[PICTURED: The Whitehouse Trio enjoying their night at the Young American Gala on New Years, joined by Prince Henry and best friend, Percy Okonjo ]

 

YOUNG AMERICAN GALA: PRINCE HENRY PARTIES IN THE USA

 

[ ]... further fun for fans of the recently spotlit bromance between First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince of Wales Henry Fox-Windsor were thrilled with the pictures uploaded to instagram by the Prince’s close friend Percy on New Years Eve. Pictures included the best friends, plus First Daughter June and granddaughter of VP Mike Holleran, Nora, partying the night away. 

 

It’d become a game after months of late night phone calls and in jokes to send every article about themselves to each other, but after New Years, the image of the kiss unable to be scrubbed from his brain, no message from Henry and a sexuality crisis, Alex didn’t bother sending this one. 

 

He had to force himself to not send the next one either. 

 

[Excerpt from People dated January 15th 2020]

 

WHO IS PRINCE HENRY'S MYSTERY BLONDE?

 

[PICTURED: Prince Henry of Wales spotted smooching new blonde beau, Emily Carter ]

 

If pictures of him dancing and grinning on New Year’s spent in the USA weren’t enough for fans of Prince Henry, they’re well and truly in luck. The Prince was spotted out at the Daisy Green collection cafe in central London yesterday afternoon with the beautiful Emily Carter, who recently made her acting debut in Netflix’s ‘New Royalty.’ (pg 36) Coincidence or fate? We like to think the latter! The two were spotted smooching not long after their date, and smiling and laughing as they walked back towards Kensington later in the evening. Has the Queen met her? Are the two official? No doubt many young girl’s hearts will be shattered to know their Prince Charming may have met his match, but most of us are truly thrilled. 

 

Alex had typed out and deleted at least a hundred messages to Henry since June had shown the article to him. They ranged from grounded things like ‘hey, can we talk?’ to anger fulled sentences like ‘fuck you, you piece of shit, what the fuck’ all the way to anxiety filled emotions leaking out into messages like ‘please reply. I miss you. Please reply,’ but God forbid he send any of them. 

 

God fucking forbid Henry replies. 

 

__



“Hmm,” Henry hums, the tip of his nose catching on Alex’s. “If I had known this was all it took to shut you up, I would have done it ages ago.”

 

__

 

2:47am

 

[ATTACHED: Prince Henry of Wales and First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz discuss international relations at the White House state dinner - dated January 29th 2020]

 

Alex: do you think we should tell them that you taught me how to suck dick after this?

Henry: Go to sleep, Alex. 

 

__



[Excerpt from Daily Express dated 13th February 2020]

 

[PICTURED: Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry meet by the stables after the Connecticut polo match ]

 

PRINCE HENRY TAKES THE POLO CROWN

 

Hundreds gathered in Greenwich to watch Prince Henry in what was bound to be a winning match this weekend. We’ve all seen the Prince play before and phew - can he ride! Sources tell us the Prince has been playing since he was just seven years old. 

 

Among the gathered - including Queen Mary, Princess Catherine, Princess Bea and newlyweds Prince Philip and Princess Martha - First Son of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz, close friends with the Prince, had a front row seat to the action. 

 

Prince Henry welcomed the win at the Connecticut match, speaking to our reporter CONT. pg 24 →

 

Alex stopped reading as Henry let out a laugh down the line.

“What?” he asked. “What is it?”

“I have a filthy mind, Alex,” he replied, with an air of wise self awareness. “I was just thinking about how if anyone had a front row seat to the action, it was me.”

Alex grinned at the screen that told him they’d been speaking for over three hours. “You’re only making my ego bigger.”

“Maybe I like your ego big.”

 

__

 

[ATTACHED: BEST BROMANCE EVER dated 20th February 2020]

 

[PICTURED: Alex Claremont and Prince Henry share a bottle of wine at Café Oberkampf in central Paris ]

 

1:07 pm

 

Zhara: Good work, you little shit. 

 

1:08 pm 

 

Alex: zhara stans the bromance

Henry: You were right about Buzzfeed always hitting the nail on the head. The definition of ‘bromance’ is fucking each other until we can’t breathe, right? Asking for a friend. 

Alex: is your friend hot? 

Henry: You tell me. 

Alex: he better facetime me so i can decide

Henry: Give him ten minutes. 

 

__

 

[Excerpt from New York Post dated March 28th 2020]

 

ALEX AND HENRY’S BIRTHDAY BASH

 

[PICTURED: First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry meet outside The Met ]

 

The famous best friends are back and spent the weekend in New York for Claremont-Diaz’s 22nd birthday after his voter registration drive on March 26. The two greeted each other with wide smiles for the cameras outside The Met Yesterday morning and looked happy as ever to see each other. The last time we saw these two together was early February, and fans' reaction to seeing even quick pictures like these ones were full of excitement as always. For more on the famous friendship, check out our story on page 23 about their weekend in Paris. 

 

“They’re fast, aren’t they?” Henry said as Alex finished reading the article Cash had slipped under the door of his hotel room the morning after Alex’s birthday. Hungover and pleased, Henry was carding his hands through Alex’s hair slowly and finishing off a cupcake left in a greasy box on the nightstand. 

“Mmm,” Alex hummed in reply. “A little too fast. We better be careful this afternoon.” 

“Always are, aren’t we?” Henry sighed, a slight sad cadence to his tone, and Alex, not sure how to reply, repositioned his head on Henry’s bare chest and kissed it gently. 

 

__

 

[Excerpt from People dated May 31st 2020]

 

WEST HOLLYWOOD’S ROYAL NIGHT

 

[PICTURED: Prince Henry and Princess Beatrice, close friend Percy Okonjo, First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz, First Daughter June and granddaughter of VP Mike Hollaren Nora leaving Shine! Karaoke bar after fund-rasier ]

 

Everybody calm down! Nobody panic!

Okay, who are we kidding? We’re panicking and drooling with excitement over sources that have reported what went down in West Hollywood last night! Prince Henry, Princess Beatrice, philanthropist friend Percy ‘Pez’ Okonjo, First Son and Daughter Alex and June and granddaughter of Vice President Mike Hollaren, Nora, (or the ‘Super Six’ as we’re now calling them) had a night of partying hard after the fund-raiser for Percy Okonjo’s LA based LGBTQ+ youth shelter. Though customers at the Karaoke bar Shine! were warned not to take pictures, this one snap of the group leaving the bar drunk and giggly with each other before getting into their car wormed its way into our hearts and left us all feeling a little overwhelmed! The group reportedly had a wonderful night singing their way into bar guest’s hearts and blowing the roof off the place after the success of their fund-rasier. 

 

JUNE AND PEZ: DATING OR JUST FRIENDS? CONT on pg 34 →

 

11:47 am

 

Alex: [ATTACHED: WEST HOLLYWOOD’S ROYAL NIGHT]

Alex changed the group chat name to Super Six

Alex: pez u look absolutely fucked in this pic

Pez: excuse you alexander have you seen your face in this

Henry: Pez has a point. You look like you have an entire bottle of champagne on you, and your hair does not look good soggy.

Alex: and who’s fault is that *coughs* nora

Nora: [ FirstSonandPrinceFistBump.gif ]

Bea: that - that right there is my favorite image of all time

Henry: Sod off, you two. 

June: So British. Bless your heart Henry. 

Alex: im begging y’all to stop using that gif. i’ll literally pay u 

Pez: [ FirstSonandPrinceFistBump.gif ]

Pez: not a chance, sweetie pie

Henry: I will also assist in the payment if you stop using that gif. It’s mortifying. 

Nora: henry i will pay YOU and june to stop using auto capitalization its 2020 grammar is a social construct

Alex: true

Pez: true queen

Bea: lower case is so much more pleasing aesthetically

June: I’ll stop using grammar when hell freezes over. 

Henry: I’ll stop using grammar when you stop using that gif. 

Alex: hell freezing over is more likely :(

Bea: [ FirstSonandPrinceFistBump.gif ]

 

__



[Excerpt from Morning Star dated July 7th 2020]

 

WHEN IN WIMBLEDON...

 

[PICTURED: First Son of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz accompanies close friends Prince Henry and Princess Bea in the Royal Box at Wimbledon on July 6 ]

 

Prince Henry and First Son Alex are back at it again warming our hearts. This weekend, the two appeared in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, accompanied by Princess Beatrice and couple Prince Philip and Princess Martha. Though the two only attended the tennis for a short time, as always, their interaction caused fans of the friendship to theorise and tweet until they had nothing left to say. 

 

“Alex,” Henry whispered softly, his breath tickling Alex’s neck. “Alex, wake up.” 

“Hnnghh,” Alex mumbled groggily against Henry’s chest. “Time's it?” 

“Nearly nine,” he replied, reaching over to the bedside table to pass Alex his phone. “Amy called you.” 

“Ugh,” Alex said, taking the phone from Henry and hissing at the screen brightness in the room where the curtains were still shut. “Kidnap me and don’t let me leave.” 

“I refuse to fight Amy. She would probably kill me.” Henry kissed Alex’s forehead and nestled back into his naked body. “When do you have to leave?” 

“Half an hour,” he said. “Distract me.” 

“No. You have to get up and shower.” 

Alex pouted. “Pleeeease?” He whined. Henry snorted. 

“You’re a brat.” 

“And you love it.” 

Alex turned back to his phone screen again, flicked through a few emails and suddenly let out a cackle.

“Oh God,” Henry said. “That sounded evil.” 

“Nora sent me more fanfiction,” Alex said, smirking and rolling off the bed, throwing Henry his phone. “She makes it her regular task to go through it all now.” 

“She’s a menace.” 

“It’s there if you want it,” Alex winked as he wandered into the bathroom naked. Henry watched him leave and shook his head, smiling to himself. 

 

__

 

[Excerpt from Weekly World News dated August 15th]

 

PRINCE HENRY: TEXAS DAYDREAM

 

[PICTURED: Prince Henry arrives on his private jet in Texas, greeting the Whitehouse Trio enthusiastically ]

 

Prince Henry greeted his close friends, granddaughter of VP Mike Hollaren, Nora, and First Son and Daughter Alex and June Claremont Diaz in their hometown, Texas, for a weekend away from his Royal duties. One source reported the group spent the weekend with President Ellen Claremont’s ex husband, Oscar Diaz. Fans were thrilled by pictures posted on the groups’ social media, and enjoyed the thought of their Prince Charming kicking back by the pool and tanning in the hot Austin sun. 

 

Now that he and Henry were finally speaking again, talking, in fucking love, Alex could share his stock pile of articles he’d been saving up to share with his boyfriend. 

“Oh, this one’s good,” Alex claimed over facetime, late, a night after he’d left Kensington. “Apparently a few girls were storming all over Texas trying to find us.” 

“Wouldn’t that’ve been lovely,” Henry yawns sarcastically over the phone. “Mid kiss in the pool and a bunch of screaming sixteen year old girls start crying hysterically because the Prince they want to marry is gay as a lark.” 

“They still have a chance with me,” Alex grinned, and Henry chuckled. 

“Not if I have anything to do with it.” 

 

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__




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BREAKING: PHOTOS REVEAL ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRINCE HENRY AND ALEX CLAREMONT-DIAZ 

 

OMFG: FSOTUS AND PRINCE HENRY - TOTALLY DOING IT 

 

THE ORAL OFFICE: READ FSTOTUS’S STEAMY EMAILS TO PRINCE HENRY

 

ROYAL FAMILY DECLINES TO COMMENT ON REPORTS OF PRINCE HENRY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH FIRST SON

 

25 GIFS THAT PERFECTLY DESCRIBE OUR REACTION WHEN WE HEARD ABOUT PRINCE HENRY & FSOTUS

 

DON’T LET THE FIRST SON GO DOWN ON ME 

 

Alex had never been any good at tearing himself away from the headlines. When he and Henry had started sending them to each other all those months ago - pre New year’s kiss, pre fuck, pre ‘I love you’ - it had become less of something to add to a growing list of insecurities and anxieties and more of a game. 

 

Even if Alex could speak to Henry right now - it had been three agonosing hours since Zhara had woken him up - he wouldn’t have sent these ones to Henry. He knew he’d seen them. The press no longer felt like a game of manipulation he and Henry were playing to perfection - now they felt like they were tearing through his heart. 

 

__



[ The Washington Post , dated September 27th, 2020]

 

AS DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT ALEX CLAREMONT-DIAZ’S AFFAIR WITH PRINCE HENRY, WHITE HOUSE GOES SILENT

 

“Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess,” First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz writes in one of the many emails to Prince Henry published by the Daily Mail this morning. “And you too.”

 

It seems the answer to that question may have come sooner than any anticipated with the sudden exposure of the First Son’s romantic relationship with Prince Henry, an arrangement with major repercussions for two of the world’s most powerful nations, less than two months before the United States casts its vote on President Claremont’s second term.

 

As security experts within the FBI and the Claremont administration scramble to find the sources that provided the British tabloid with evidence of the affair, the usually high-profile First Family has shuttered, with no official statement from the First Son.

“The First Family has always and continues to keep their personal lives separate from the political and diplomatic dealings of the presidency,” White House Press Secretary Davis Sutherland said in a brief prepared statement this morning. “They ask for patience and understanding from the American people as they handle this very private matter.”

 

The Daily Mail ’s report this morning revealed that First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz has been involved romantically and sexually with Prince Henry since at least February of this year, according to emails and photographs obtained by the paper.

 

The full email transcripts have been uploaded to WikiLeaks under the moniker “The Waterloo Letters,” seemingly named for a reference to the Waterloo Vase in the Buckingham Palace Gardens in one email composed by Prince Henry. The correspondence continues regularly up to Sunday night and appears to have been lifted from a private email server used by residents of the White House.

 

“Setting aside the ramifications of what this means for President Claremont’s ability to be impartial on issues of both international relations and homosexuality,” Republican presidential candidate Senator Jeffrey Richards said at a press conference earlier today, “I’m extremely concerned about this private email server. What kind of information was being disseminated on this server?”

Richards added that he believes the American voters have a right to know everything else for which President Claremont’s server may have been used.

 

Sources close to the Claremont administration insist the private server is similar to the one set up during President George W. Bush’s administration and used only for communication within the White House about day-to-day operations and personal correspondence for the First Family and core White House personnel.

 

First rounds of examination of “The Waterloo Letters” by experts have yet to reveal any evidence of classified information or otherwise compromising content outside of the nature of the First Son’s relationship with Prince Henry.

 

__

 

With Henry’s head in his lap, fast asleep for the first time in days, and Alex’s fingers running through his thick blonde hair gently after tear soaked, half cried, half laughed “I love yous” have been exchanged and their decision about what they want to do has been made, Alex thinks he can probably do anything. Anything, if Henry, his forever, is by his side. 

 

__

 

[FIRST SON ALEXANDER CLAREMONT-DIAZ’S ADDRESS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, OCTOBER 2ND 2020]

Good morning.

I am, and always have been—first, last, and always—a child of America.

You raised me. I grew up in the pastures and hills of Texas, but I had been to thirty-four states before I learned how to drive. When I caught the stomach flu in the fifth grade, my mother sent a note to school written on the back of a holiday memo from Vice President Biden. Sorry, sir—we were in a rush, and it was the only paper she had on hand.

 

I spoke to you for the first time when I was eighteen, on the stage of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, when I introduced my mother as the nominee for president. You cheered for me. I was young and full of hope, and you let me embody the American dream: that a boy who grew up speaking two languages, whose family was blended and beautiful and enduring, could make a home for himself in the White House. You pinned the flag to my lapel and said, “We’re rooting for you.” As I stand before you today, my hope is that I have not let you down.

 

Years ago, I met a prince. And though I didn’t realize it at the time, his country had raised him too. The truth is, Henry and I have been together since the beginning of this year. The truth is, as many of you have read, we have both struggled every day with what this means for our families, our countries, and our futures. The truth is, we have both had to make compromises that cost us sleep at night in order to afford us enough time to share our relationship with the world on our own terms.

 

We were not afforded that liberty.

 

But the truth is, also, simply this: love is indomitable. America has always believed this. And so, I am not ashamed to stand here today where presidents have stood and say that I love him, the same as Jack loved Jackie, the same as Lyndon loved Lady Bird. Every person who bears a legacy makes the choice of a partner with whom they will share it, whom the American people will hold beside them in hearts and memories and history books. America: He is my choice.

 

Like countless other Americans, I was afraid to say this out loud because of what the consequences might be. To you, specifically, I say: I see you. I am one of you. As long as I have a place in this White House, so will you. I am the First Son of the United States, and I’m bisexual. History will remember us.

 

If I can ask only one thing of the American people, it’s this: Please, do not let my actions influence your decision in November. The decision you will make this year is so much bigger than anything I could ever say or do, and it will determine the fate of this country for years to come. My mother, your president, is the warrior and the champion that each and every American deserves for four more years of growth, progress, and prosperity. Please, don’t let my actions send us backward. I ask the media not to focus on me or on Henry, but on the campaign, on policy, on the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans at stake in this election.

 

And finally, I hope America will remember that I am still the son you raised. My blood still runs from Lometa, Texas, and San Diego, California, and Mexico City. I still remember the sound of your voices from that stage in Philadelphia. I wake up every morning thinking of your hometowns, of the families I’ve met at rallies in Idaho and Oregon and South Carolina. I have never hoped to be anything other than what I was to you then, and what I am to you now—the First Son, yours in actions and words. And I hope when Inauguration Day comes again in January, I will continue to be.

 

Henry has never kissed him harder.

 

__

 

[PICTURED: Crowds of thousands gather outside The Whitehouse in support of Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz ]

 

[PICTURED: Senator Jeffery Richards talking about his grave concern for President Claremont’s ability to remain impartial on matters of traditional family values due to the acts her son engages in on the sacred grounds of the house our forefathers built ]

 

[PICTURED: Senator Oscar Diaz, responding via satellite, that President Claremont’s primary value is upholding the Constitution, and that the White House was built by slaves, not our forefathers ]

 

Henry, Alex, June and Nora, with Pez and Bea on facetime watching the stream, whoop so loudly Zhara thinks someone’s having a heart attack.

 

__

 

9:33 am

 

Pez: [ATTACHED: Prince Henry Windosr and Alexander Claremont Diaz’s first royal portraits ]

Pez: you both look like wankers

Pez: jk. you both look hot as shit. im a proud mum

June: They did come out really well guys. I have to say I was expecting something a lot worse. 

Alex: thanks?? i think??

Bea: they’re lovely. i’m glad they chose the ones they did

Henry: Thanks everyone. I’m pleased too. 

Nora: [ FirstSonandPrinceFistBump.gif ]

Alex: FOR FUCKS SAKE

 

__

 

[Excerpt from The Washington Post dated 4th November 2020]

 

ELLEN CLAREMONT RE-ELECTED FOR SECOND TERM AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

 

[PICTURED: Ellen Claremont celebrating her re-election alongside her family ]

 

After a surprising turn of events that involved her son’s sex scandal, experts believed Ellen Claremont’s chances of a second term as President of the United States were limited. Despite these predictions, Texas changed the game when, for the first time since 1976 during President Jimmy Carter’s campaign, the state voted predominantly blue. 

 

Alex paused reading out the article to Henry, who lay on his front beside him in bed, shirtless, covers up to his hips and hands under his chin, watching Alex intently. 

“What?” He asked, when Alex continued staring at him. 

“Nothing,” Alex replied, leaning down to kiss Henry on the head. “You’re beautiful and I’m happy. That’s all.” 

Henry grinned at him. “You’ve turned into a sap, Alexander.” 

 

__

 

SIX MONTHS LATER

 

“Look at this one,” Alex shoved a page of People across the table in the dining room of their brownstone in Brooklyn as they ate their breakfast. “Apparently we got married in secret and everyone’s mad.” 

“Oh that’s nothing,” Henry replied, taking the tabloid from Alex and throwing him a cut out article from another. “Amy put this one under the door this morning. Says we own fourteen cats.” 

Alex laughed out loud. “They get more insane by the week.” His phone dinged, and he looked down as he sipped his coffee. 

 

8:36 am

 

Bea: I know you two like a laugh, but this one’s genuine. Have a read xx

Bea: [ATTACHED: HISTORY, HUH? ALEX AND HENRY HAVE CHANGED QUEER LIVES FOREVER] 

 

[Posted on Tumblr, dated May 31st, 2021]

 

HISTORY, HUH? ALEX AND HENRY HAVE CHANGED QUEER LIVES FOREVER.

By a queer girl just trying to find her place in history. 

 

“Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too,” First son of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz wrote to his boyfriend, Prince Henry of Wales, on the 10th of August 2020 at 1:04 am. Alex planted a seed of thought in my brain with that piece of text: Where will I fit into history? Chances are I’ll be a no name for the rest of my life; just a girl in Manchester that’ll go on to be an English teacher, marry the woman of her dreams and own a few cats before I die, hopefully proud of who I am and the choices I’ve made. That’s what I like to think, at least. But until Alex and Henry, I never thought of myself as someone who could make history. 

 

There’s no doubt that the two have changed the game for LGBTQ+ people growing up in this world run by social media and the press. Henry: the first out and proud gay royal, brave enough to challenge the monarchy’s traditional colonial bullshit. Alex: A young, bi-racial bisexual man in the spotlight, and God knows we don’t have enough representation of them. Even by existing they’ve already spun the media into a web of confusion and given queer people and youth a place to look to, teaching them that whatever their position may be, they’re allowed to defy society’s norms be proud of who they are. Take away their spotlight, and between them behind the scenes alongside their close friend Percy ‘Pez’ Okonjo, they’ve single-handedly donated millions to LGBTQ+ youth around the world and set up hundreds of shelters and centres all over the states. Not only that, but they’ve made it their mission to make these donations and creations as inclusive as possible: hiring queer people of all ethinitices, genders, sexualties, classes and ablilties to advocate for those who are less likely to be heard, aware of their privilege and making sure it does not affect their work. 

 

As an early 2000’s baby, growing up, my first queer icons were characters from Glee and the odd celebrity here and there like Neil Patrick Harris and Adam Lambert. And though these people had different impacts on my journey to self acceptance, it was the exposure of Henry and Alex’s relationship and Alex’s speech at the White House on October 2nd that pushed me to take the first step and come out to my friends and family. Though some of these interactions didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, I’ve been able to give myself and my girlfriend the satisfaction and pride of holding her hand in public for the first time, and that right there is worth any negative reaction I may have received from certain family members. (Go fuck yourself, dad.)

 

Henry and Alex’s mere confirmation of their relationship and spotlit lives have meant the media have no choice but to shine a light on a queer relationship between a white man and a bisexual man of color, both in high positions of power who refuse to let hundreds of years worth of republicans and monarchs dictate their pride. They refuse to let a cruel history of hatred dictate who they can love. 

 

Instead, Alex and Henry have chosen to make their own history, and they’re teaching generations of LGBTQ+ people to come that they can choose theirs, too. I may not grow up to be a name people remember for hundreds of years to come, but because of the First Son and the Prince, I know this much: I will write my own history. One that I can look back on when I’m old and have lived my life and go ‘hey, I did that. I made that.’ 

 

“History, huh?” Alex wrote to Henry. “I bet we could make some.” 

Well, Alex and Henry, if you haven’t heard it a hundred times over already, allow me to be the one to tell you: you haven’t just made some history. You’ve taught us to make ours. 

You’ve made thousands of histories, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

 

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Notes:

thank you so much for reading! i am on twitter @romannroys and tumblr as @dog-metaphor - come and say hi!