Stand and Unfold Yourself

*Royal family in mourning*

"**Stand and Unfold Yourself**" is the first episode of the first season of *The Royals*, and the first episode overall in the series.

## Synopsis

After the sudden death of their older brother and heir to the throne, Prince Liam and a Princess Eleanor have a hard time with their new roles. Queen Helena tries to maintain the family's image and King Simon questions the monarchy's future.

## Plot

We open on a walk-and-talk as Helena Henstridge, Queen of England, no-nonsense her staff before heading out to greet her adoring fans. In a bar where Liam Henstridge is playing darts, to the delight of an adoring crowd. He wins the game and a girl named Ophelia Pryce who is heckling him and later head to bed. Eleanor Henstridge is partying in a club with one of her friends while doing drugs. Being drunk, Eleanor begins to dance on a table where she takes a fall when someone snaps a picture of her falling and we see the indecent photo of her vagina end up on a tabloid cover. A helicopter later brings Eleanor home. Simon Henstridge, the King of England looks very distraught when a butler informs King Simon that his son Robert Henstridge is dead. Liam and Ophelia are called back to the palace by Marcus, Liam's bodyguard. Helena awaits for the arrival of her daughter, Eleanor, after the photos of her are everywhere on the tabloids, When Helena asks Eleanor to explain herself she tells her, "Robert's dead mum." Liam rushes in, grief-stricken and now, heir to the throne of England.

Ophelia goes to see her dad, Ted Pryce, who is the king’s head of security. Eleanor tells Liam she feels bad because she meant to call Robert, but didn’t. She hugs her brother. They hear dogs barking and know their annoying cousins have arrived Maribel Henstridge and Penelope Henstridge. They give their condolences on hearing of Robert's death. Liam is brooding until Ophelia comes to have tea with him. She offers her condolences. He didn't know she was Ted’s daughter the previous night. Helena and Simon sit at their son’s casket and weep. However, she doesn't want to grieve in front of the help. On the day of Robert’s funeral. Cyrus Henstridge, Simon's brother and the father of Maribel and Penelope speaks with Eleanor who accuses him of being happy that Roberts dead meaning that only three more people are in line for the throne before him. Liam and Ophelia talk, he asks her out. Helena pounces and calls him out for being totally inappropriate.

The family heads outside to face the masses where Liam goes off-script on what to tell the public but is very charming while doing so. Helena is very upset at Liam for not saying what he was suppose to say. The twins (Liam and Eleanor) want to know how Robert died but Helena will only say that it was a military accident. The king greets his public and embraces a small boy, looking gutted. Helena, who seems to be dealing with Robert’s death differently, retouches her lipstick inside the car . After the funeral the family dine together and Liam invites Ophelia. One of the cousins slips Eleanor a pill, and Cyrus checks out the maid, Prudence. Ophelia exposes that she has an American mom and was born in England but raised in the states — because it was safer, the king interjects. Simon announces that he’s considering abolishing the monarchy. After his brother Cyrus taunts Simon for knowing nothing of his people, the king disguises himself as the butler and sneak out, to check out the London streets on his own. Ophelia goes to see her father where they get into an argument he wants her to stay away from Liam, because being close to the royals is what got Ophelia’s mom killed. Ophelia tells her father that she worries about his safety, too and that every night she counts the steps he makes to his bedroom or office so that she'll know he's safe. She wants him to visit her mom’s grave.

The cousins peek in on Eleanor before they begin to get high in the castle. Cyrus comes onto the maid by threatening her job if she doesn't perform a certain sexual act. A stoned Eleanor is eating pie when her dad sneaks back in. She tells him they should disband the monarchy, and that he’s a good king and dad. He tells her to be better, because she’s great. Simon goes to bed, but Helena’s waiting up for him. She tries to convince him not to abolish the monarchy but he is unconvinced and still plans to. The next day, Penelope and Maribel head back home. Helena walks and talks with Ophelia. The queen tells Ophelia to discourage the relationship with Liam, threatens her father’s job and talks bad about her mother. Ophelia stands up for herself and walks past the queen. Eleanor’s drunk and walking on the balcony edge. Ophelia happens by and they drink together. Eleanor tells Ophelia she used to see her father, Ted, grieving over the loss of his wife. Helena ordered him to stop it, but Ted told her "Sack me or deal with it, My wife deserves a lifetime of tears and not even the Queen will tell me when enough is enough". Ophelia begins to feels bad not knowing any of this and thinking that her father did not care for her mother she finds her dad and hugs him. The next day Ophelia tells her dad about Helena being terrible. He agrees that Ophelia shouldn't see Liam — unless she really wants to. Liam shows up and asks her to coffee and she reluctantly agrees.

Eleanor’s weeping outside the palace gates, where piles of flowers have been left in memory of Robert. Then she takes her hot bodyguard Jasper Frost to Paris to go clubbing. Liam’s worried that his dad is abolishing the monarchy because he's not up to the task. The king tells him it’s the opposite, he wants his son to have "a life lived and not destined." They talk about Ophelia’s mom, and how Ted chose duty over love, and it killed his wife. Eleanor wakes Jasper up after her gal pal leaves the bed post-ménage. She tells him to leave and "you're welcome". However, before he leaves he tells her he drugged her and videoed all the sordid things she did and plans to blackmail her and leaves the room. In the morning the King Simon is hunting with his brother as he tells he’s really going to give it all up. Cyrus takes aim at Simon as his back is turned and shoots but is shown to intentionally miss. In the final moments of the episode Liam and Ophelia head out for coffee through the hoard of paparazzi while the queen looks on disapprovingly from above.

## 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**
* Hatty Preston as **Princess Maribel**
* Lydia Rose Bewley as **Princess Penelope**
* Poppy Corby-Tuech as **Prudence**
* Andrew Bicknell as **Lucius**
* Victoria Ekanoye as **Rachel**

Guest starring
* Miranda Hennessy as **Fiona Templeton**