The Great Man Down

"**The Great Man Down**" is the eighth episode of the first season of *The Royals*, and the eighth episode overall in the series.

## Synopsis

The royal family is secured following the attack on the King. Eleanor falls apart while Helena prepares Liam to assume the role of Prince Regent, acting King of England. Cyrus, however, has other ideas.

## Plot

King Simon had been attacked outside the palace gates. In episode 8, he is revealed to be alive but in critical condition. Prince Liam immediately becomes the Prince Regent and is forced to assume the role of acting King of England. The security team rounds up the members of The Royal Family after the attack on King Simon. They all gather in a safe house under the palace where they are briefed about what happened. Liam is stunned and as expected, Princess Eleanor is distraught. Queen Helena remains calm and tries to prepare Liam for his role as the Prince Regent. Meanwhile, Cyrus is also in the room including Ophelia. As the Prince’s significant other, she is also part of the group that needs to be secured due to the protocols.

While in the safe room, the whole family is looking for answers. All they know is that the King has been stabbed. They are told that he is alive but in surgery. Eleanor and Liam both start to accuse their uncle Cyrus] when they think of people who might wish to harm their father. Ophelia backs them up by saying that she saw Cyrus sneaking out of the palace shortly before the King was stabbed. Things escalate but the Queen stops the argument. Ted, the head of security and Ophelia’s dad, whips out his gun and things nearly get violent. Helena tells her children that they need to be a source of inspiration for the English people at this time of tragedy. "The life you’ve known is gone, you have a bigger responsibility now." she tells Prince Liam.The Queen helps him prepare for his role as the Prince Regent. Liam plays along but he tells Eleanor that he plans to push through with the referendum to abolish the monarchy.

Meanwhile, Cyrus meets up with his lover James Holloway and blackmails him into becoming his alibi on the night in question. At this point, it is still unclear if Cyrus actually stabbed the King or not. One thing is clear however, the attack on the King certainly plays in his favour. While the crisis is going on, Jasper feels sorry for Princess Eleanor and he helps her sneak out to see the King. He tries to get back in her good graces but she reveals that she found his cuff link in the Queen’s bed. She gets him arrested and she lashes out at her mother for sleeping with her former bodyguard and lover.

The day of Liam’s oath-taking as the Prince Regent arrives. Everything goes smoothly until Cyrus barges in right before the end. He reveals that both Liam and Eleanor are Helena’s kids with her lover and not with the King. She slaps him but gets caught off-guard when Liam asks her to say that Cyrus is lying. The ceremony is cut short and left unfinished as the kids get blood tests to check their eligibility to the throne. Meanwhile, Queen Helena and Cyrus celebrate their victory with a toast. The whole thing was a farce and they planned to remove Liam from the line of succession all along because he thinks the same way as his father. Helena and Cyrus have gone to desperate measures to preserve the Royalty and the way of life that they know and love.

## Cast

Starring
William Moseley as **Prince Liam**
Alexandra Park as **Princess Eleanor**
Merritt Patterson as **Ophelia Pryce**
Jake Maskall as **Prince Cyrus**
Tom Austen as **Jasper Frost**
Oliver Milburn as **Ted Pryce**
**with** Vincent Regan as **King Simon**
**and** Elizabeth Hurley as **Queen Helena**
Recurring cast
* Ukweli Roach as **Marcus Jeffries**
* Andrew Bicknell as **Lucius**
* Victoria Ekanoye as **Rachel**

Guest starring
* Scott Maslen as **James Holloway**

Co-Starring
* Peter Vollebregt as **Dr. Cohen**
* Tom Christian as **Brandon Boone**