Kelly asked Katharine McGee:

What was the inspiration behind the dynamics of Jeff and Nina's relationship?

Katharine McGee When I was first developing the concept for American Royals, I knew right away that I wanted an “everygirl” character who fell in love with the prince. Even better, she should have known the prince since childhood and have a history with him (like Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina!) And since I wanted the prince to have a twin sister, it made sense to have Nina also be Samantha’s best friend.

I was already working on American Royals when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement in 2017. But as I kept going on my draft, I couldn’t help working pieces of Harry and Meghan’s relationship into the pages: particularly since Nina, like Meghan, is a person of color. The negative publicity and brutal tabloid treatment that Nina endures in the book is very much inspired by what Meghan went through—but I also tried to give Nina some of Meghan’s strength, poise, and self-awareness, too.

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