Fans Spotted An Iconic Taylor Swift Outfit In Red, White & Royal Blue

Now that Red, White & Royal Blue is finally available to stream, viewers are dissecting the film adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s beloved 2019 romance novel. There’s plenty of conversation about the book’s plot compared to the Amazon Prime Video movie’s, and viewers are also digging into even smaller details. One intriguing element they picked up on is the reappearance of a dress that once appeared in Taylor Swift’s 2014 “Blank Space” music video.

Red, White & Royal Blue tells the love story of Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the first son of the United States, and Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), a beloved British prince. Their romance kicks off after a disastrous cake incident at a royal wedding reception, which just happens to be where fans spotted the “Blank Space” dress. It’s worn by Henry’s younger sister, Princess Beatrice (Ellie Bamber), and it can first be seen as the two siblings greet their guests, one of whom is Alex.

Bea’s blue floral embellished Jenny Packham gown was instantly recognized by some Swifties as they watched the movie following its Aug. 11 debut. Many fans tweeted about the outfit after noticing it, including one who wrote, “pressed play on red white & royal blue and immediately recognized the dress a character is wearing from the blank space mv…”

In the “Blank Space” music video, the gown is just one in a series of stunning dresses that Swift dons as she adds another name to her long list of ex-lovers. The look only gets about five total seconds of screen time as she dines with her love interest, but the gown made an impression nonetheless. Not only is it still recognizable now, a Bustle ranking of Swift’s 20 “Blank Space” outfits put it in sixth place when the music video debuted in 2014.

Though Princess Bea’s dress sparked conversation, the character’s movie role wasn’t as prominent as it was in the books. Director Matthew López recently explained to People that he had to cut some subplots to be able to fit Alex and Henry’s love story into a two-hour movie. “Anything that wasn’t about Alex and Henry didn’t belong in the film,” he said. “Anything that didn’t feed into that story had to go. It’s just the logic of movie storytelling.”

McQuiston, the book’s author, supported López’s work a month before the movie premiered. In an Instagram post, she thanked him for “taking such wonderful care of [her] book baby.” McQuiston also noted that “adapting a 420-page novel into a snappy romcom-length movie is a huge undertaking that requires a lot of skill, tough calls, and tender care” and applauded the creative team for making it “their top priority to stay true to the heart of A&H’s story.”

Bea didn’t get much of the spotlight on screen, but at least she got to wear an iconic gown.