Aahana Swrup
In Netflix’s ‘The Royals,’ a unique love story unravels against the backdrop of modern Indian royalty. The romantic dramedy show revolves around Aviraaj Singh, the Prince of Morpur, who finds himself next in line for the throne in the wake of his father’s death. However, the party prince isn’t prepared at all to face the reality of running a royal estate, especially after a disastrous will-reading leaves his entire family more or less penniless. As a result, he’s forced to work with Sophia Shekhar, a tech startup CEO, who has big plans of turning the Morpur Palace, Motibagh, into a luxurious B&B experience.
The only problem is, Aviraaj and Sophia can’t seem to agree on anything, constantly butting heads and hearts, creating a complicated will-they-won’t-they dynamic. The duo’s romance progresses full steam ahead in Morpur, the to-be king’s beloved kingdom. However, is there any real-life resonance behind this colorful, heritage-rich city?
Morpur is a Fictional Town That Draws Inspiration From Rajasthani Cities
Morpur, the town in ‘The Royals’ which falls under Aviraaj Singh’s reign, is a work of fiction created in service of the show. In real life, there are no Indian cities of the same name in Rajasthan, or any other state. As such, the on-screen town simply exists as a background setting for the benefit of the Prince’s characterization and storyline. Even so, despite lacking a base in reality, the scenic city retains tangible off-screen inspirations that shape its cultural and visual aesthetics. Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan, is one of the most prominent examples of the same.
While many different locations in Rajasthan served to create the on-screen look and feel of Morpur, significant places from Jaipur define some of the most relevant aspects of the fictional town. Notably, the Rambagh Palace, which was once the official place of residence for the Maharaja of Jaipur, and the Jaipur City Palace, the current home to the local royal family, inform most of Morpur’s on-screen appearance. Both of these palaces were equipped as the filming location for the central Motibagh Palace in the show. Thus, the signature architectural styles of these crucial landmarks of the Pink City, steeped in Rajasthani culture, remain the biggest contributors to the inception of Morpur.
For the same reason, Jaipur seems to be the closest unofficial counterpart to the on-screen town of Morpur. Furthermore, the on-screen city also remains reminiscent of Jaipur and other cities from Rajasthan in terms of the local cuisine, fashion, traditions, and geographical landscape. Consequently, this underlying visual and cultural connection between the fictional town and real-life cities that continues to shape India’s world of modern royalty creates a firm link between the show and real life. Therefore, even though Morpur lacks a cemented basis in an actual city, it maintains a relevant sense of authentic realism.
Read More: Is The Royals a True Story? Is Aviraaj Singh Based on a Real Prince?
