The series was written by Grieves, Chris Lang, Charlotte Jones and Toby Whitehouse. Grieves was influenced in his writing by "Hamlet"; he explored how Richard deals with the "ancient, ritualistic institution" that he inherits after James dies. The writers deliberately avoided making comparisons to the real royal family, despite the links made by media between Richard and George to Princes William and Harry. Patrick Jephson, the former private secretary to Diana, Princess of Wales, was consulted extensively during production, working with the writing team for over a year. The series was greenlit by ITV in January 2007.