The Royals Season 1 revealed what happened to Ophelia Pryce (Merritt Patterson). The Royals follows the story of a fictional royal family as they navigate the ups and downs of handling power, tradition, and reputation in modern-day London. One of the prominent characters in the story is Ophelia, the daughter of the King's Royal Head of Security, who was involved in a romantic relationship with Liam (aka the Prince of England).
The hit romance drama series first premiered on the E! network on March 15, 2015, and ran for four seasons before being recently added to Netflix. The Royals has a strong cast which includes the likes of Elizabeth Hurley, Vincent Regan, William Moseley, Alexandra Park, and Merritt Patterson.
What Happened to Ophelia In The Royals TV Show, Explained
Ophelia Pryce endured several challenges in The Royals Season 1, mostly because of her romantic feelings with Prince Liam. As she explores the complexities of being directly tied to the royal world, Ophelia has to balance everything with her passion for art, considering that she was still a college student studying art history when the series began. However, her world started to crumble after her father, Ted Pryce, was killed in Episode 10.
Losing her father was too much for Ophelia because he had served as her mentor since she was younger. Ted's death helped Ophelia see that the royal world is far from perfect, so she decided to slowly veer away from it (as well as with Prince Liam).
Still, there were moments in The Royals Season 1 when Ophelia's feelings for Prince Liam became stronger due to their strong bond and instant chemistry whenever they were together. Despite that, there was a sheer opposition behind their romance because Queen Helena didn't want them to be together. She saw Ophelia as someone who was not a suitable romantic partner for Liam because she was only the daughter of one of their servants.
Amid her romance with Prince Liam in The Royals Season 1, Ophelia's passion for dancing was a constant fixture in her journey in the series. The Season 1 finale revealed that she was offered a coveted spot in a prestigious dance company in New York. However, Prince Liam wanted her to run away with him and live out their days elsewhere. As an independent woman, Ophelia chose herself and left for New York to chase her dream, leaving Prince Liam alone to face the harsh realities of the royal world.
Ophelia's choice in the end also meant that she honored her father because he didn't want her to be involved in the dark and manipulative nature of the royals in the first place (read more about Netflix's much-talked-about royal drama, Bridgerton Season 4).
Who Does Ophelia End Up With?
While The Royals Season 1 highlighted the strong bond between Ophelia and Prince Liam, a multitude of factors prevented them from being together in the end.
For starters, Prince Liam's mother, Queen Helena, did not want them to be together and did everything she could to ensure their relationship's downfall. Not only that, but the presence of Liam's ex-girlfriend, Gemma, made matters worse since her persistence had dampened the chances of a happy ending for the pair.
Although they clearly had their moments throughout Season 1, Ophelia's choice of leaving for New York to pursue her dream instead of choosing to run away with Prince Liam cemented the idea that the pair were not meant to be together.
The Royals Season 2 revealed that Ophelia got back together with her ex-boyfriend, Nick Roane, further slashing any chances of a reunion with Prince Liam. It was evident that Ophelia was happy with Nick because she was free of the toxic and chaotic nature of the royal world.
Does Ophelia Come Back In The Royals?
Ophelia Pryce returned in The Royals Season 2, but she only had a minor presence. The character only made a comeback in Season 2, Episode 3 after Prince Liam visited her in New York to check up on her and potentially win her back.
Unfortunately, Prince Liam's efforts to win Ophelia back did not come to fruition after learning that she had already moved on from him. It turned out that Ophelia was happy and stable with her ex-boyfriend, Nick. During their final confrontation, Ophelia blatantly told Prince Liam that she doesn't want to get entangled anymore with the "evils of the royal world."
The character's lone appearance in Season 2, Episode 3 marked the end of Ophelia's time in the show as The Royals decided to shift to new stories and characters in London.
As for the actress, it remains to be seen why Merritt Patterson departed The Royals, but it's possible that it has something to do with the controversy surrounding showrunner Mark Schwahn after female cast members and crew signed a letter accusing him of sexual harassment in 2017. Patterson was one of the prominent cast members who signed the statement sent to Deadline.
After her appearance in Season 2, Patterson's Ophelia did not show up in The Royals Seasons 3 and 4, indicating that her journey ended in New York as she continued to pursue her dancing career.
