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EXCLUSIVE: Blood, Sex and Royalty's Max Parker shares big difference between show and The Crown – and teases playing Prince Harry

The star is fronting a racy new Netflix show


max parker blood sex royalty© Photo: Netflix
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
November 25, 2022
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Blood, Sex and Royalty is the racy new Netflix show that is full of drama, steamy scenes, and fascinating history. So, if you're a fan of the likes of Bridgerton and The Crown, this could be your next watch.

EXCLUSIVE: First clip of new royal drama Blood, Sex and Royalty – and it looks brilliant

The leading man of the show, Max Parker, takes on the role of Henry VIII. In an interview with HELLO!, the actor explained how the show differed from the likes of The Crown and whether he'd ever take on the role of a modern royal like Prince Harry.

WATCH: An exclusive clip of Netflix's new show, Blood, Sex and Royalty

"I actually auditioned three times, this is my third time auditioning for Henry VIII, randomly, I think being a ginger it's quite an iconic part to play!," he began, adding: "I was super happy when I got it."

Max, who is also known for his role as Luke Posner in Emmerdale, continued: "Although it's modernised – there's quite modern lingo – it's really factual. Pretty much everything in there is factual and the scenes actually happened."

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henry viii and anne boleyn kiss in blood, sex and royalty© Photo: Netflix

Max Parker as Henry VIII and Amy James-Kelly as Anne Boleyn

Speaking about Netflix's other royal drama, the 30-year-old said: "Obviously The Crown is pretty much the same concept. A lot of people have seen dramas before and documentaries, I think where this differs is it's a docu-drama.

"A lot of people don't know how to take that if they see that, but once you get into the series, the setup really works. It's really educational and the drama is juicy as well."

The Henry VIII actor also revealed whether he would be tempted to take on the part of a modern royal, in particular Prince Harry, and it seems the idea has crossed his mind in the past! 

"The most interesting part of playing [Henry VIII] was that he was so well-known but no one knew him. I think it's hard to play someone who people know so well as a person. So I don't think I'd want to play someone who's alive right now, for example, I think that's a tough gig.

max parker as henry viii© Photo: Netflix

The actor talked whether he would play Prince Harry

"But I do love the royal theme, I know a lot of people were tagging me [on social media] when The Crown was looking for a Prince Harry, but I think in the next season he'll be like 16 so [it's] way too young, but I mean, who knows. Maybe there'll be an older Harry in The Crown!"

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Blood, Sex and Royalty tells is a trailblazing new series "that explores Anne Boleyn's remarkable story from her own perspective in a modern and contemporary way. Rooted in historical fact, it reveals the sexy, action-packed, high-stakes story of an extraordinary woman who rewrote the rules in every sense."

Blood, Sex & Royalty is available to stream on Netflix now.

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