CHAOS IN THE KING'S COURT: E!'S FIRST SCRIPTED DRAMA SERIES "THE ROYALS" TO MAKE ITS DEBUT MARCH 2015

Newly Released Photos Highlight the Decadent Debaucheries That Take Place Behind The Royal Gilded Gates

LOS ANGELES - October 2, 2014 - Sex, drugs, power and the crown jewels. E! gives viewers an all access pass behind the velvet rope of the original celebrity family when "The Royals" premieres in March 2015. The ten-episode season of E!'s inaugural venture into the world of scripted television will follow the upstairs and downstairs lives of a fictional Royal family set in modern day London. The series, shot entirely in the UK, will feature myriad multidimensional characters that are as devious and calculating as they are cunning and dangerous. The internationally respected cast includes Elizabeth Hurley, Vincent Regan, William Moseley, Alexandra Park, Merritt Patterson, Jake Maskall, Ukweli Roach, Tom Austen, Sophie Colquhoun, and Oliver Milburn. "The Royals" is produced by Lionsgate, executive produced, written and directed by Mark Schwahn ("One Tree Hill"), and executive produced by Brian Robbins and Joe Davola ("One Tree Hill," "Smallville").

The price of power has never been higher especially when your family is under a perpetual media microscope. Welcome to the life of a Royal - a family the world adores but a lifestyle that is forced upon few. From the outside, the pristine and regal family has it all, but behind the grand castle walls lie scandalous secrets, dangerous liaisons and tainted politics, with deadly games playing throughout the grandiose hallways. For a family in the public eye, the best kept secrets are just a paparazzi flash, a corrupt bodyguard or a jealous ex-lover away from bringing anarchy to the monarchy.

The Royal family is helmed by the noble and ethical King Simon (Regan) who struggles to keep peace amongst his family while having the weight of the world on his shoulders. Standing statuesque and elegantly by his side is Queen Helena (Hurley) who has her own motives and intentions when it comes to the power she has married into. Simon and Helena have three children including the beloved Prince Robert, the free-spirited Prince Liam (Moseley), and the controversial and rebellious Princess Eleanor (Park). The cynical and mischievous Cyrus (Maskall), brother of King Simon, lurks throughout the illustrious palace awaiting a chance to take a seat on the throne.

Entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the family's safety and secrets, but sometimes adding to them, are Eleanor's new bodyguard Jasper (Austen), Prince Liam's bodyguard Marcus (Roach), and Ted (Milburn), who is head of the Royal security detail. Ted has attempted to maneuver his career to keep his professional and personal life separate, however when Liam falls for Ted's daughter Ophelia (Patterson), the lines between love and duty get blurred. Relationships become even more complicated when a blast from the past saunters through the Beefeaters' posts in the form of the sexy and snobbish socialite Gemma (Colquhoun), Liam's ex-lover. In a world of opulence driven by power, your next of kin may be your next worst enemy. All is fair in love and royalty.

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About E! Entertainment

E! is the only global, multiplatform brand for all things pop culture. The network is currently available to 98 million cable and satellite subscribers in the U.S. Eonline delivers breaking entertainment news and in-depth coverage on television, movies, music, celebrities, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. One of the fastest-growing, most influential digital properties, Eonline is a leader in online video and mobile and a leading entertainment brand across social. Popular E! programming includes core franchises, "E! News," "The Soup," "Fashion Police" and "True Hollywood Story," as well as the network's popular series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," "Total Divas," "#RichKids of Beverly Hills" and "Botched." Additionally, E!'s "Live from the Red Carpet" signature events keep fans connected to their favorite stars on pop culture's biggest nights. E! is a network of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company currently has over 30 television shows on more than 20 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, the network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show and the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black.