Netflix’s glossy royal drama The Royals is already going through a major shake-up before cameras properly roll for its second season. While the streaming platform recently renewed the series after the buzz around season one, fresh reports now claim that Bhumi Pednekar will no longer return to the show. The unexpected update has surprised fans because the first season heavily revolved around her chemistry with Ishaan Khatter. But it looks like the makers are planning to take the story in a completely different direction this time.
According to a Mid-Day report, the creators no longer want The Royals to function mainly as a romantic comedy-drama. Instead, the focus is reportedly shifting toward the larger royal family dynamics, political tensions inside the palace, and the complicated relationships between the core family members. That means the emotional spotlight may now fall more on Ishaan’s character and his equation with characters played by Zeenat Aman and Sakshi Tanwar rather than the love story that drove season one.
Interestingly, insiders quoted in the report suggested there was absolutely no fallout between Bhumi and the production team. The decision apparently came from the story evolving in another direction after the audience reaction to the first season. While the romance angle received mixed reactions online, viewers seemed far more invested in the strange, dramatic, and often chaotic world of the royal household itself. That response may have convinced Netflix and the creators to rebuild the series identity around the family instead of the romance.
Season one ended with unresolved tension between the lead pair, so many viewers expected the second season to continue that emotional arc. However, reports suggest the makers never fully committed to carrying that relationship forward. The idea now is said to be making the show more ensemble-driven and less dependent on a single romantic track. In many ways, it feels like Netflix is trying to reposition The Royals closer to a family saga than a breezy palace rom-com.
For Bhumi, though, the timing may actually work in her favour. The actor has reportedly been leaning toward darker and emotionally layered roles recently, especially after experimenting with multiple commercial projects over the last few years. She is expected to return for season two of Daldal, where she plays a troubled police officer, and insiders also claim she has signed a new Netflix film opposite Imran Khan. The project is still under wraps, but industry chatter around Imran’s comeback has already generated strong curiosity online.
What makes this development more interesting is how divided the response to The Royals season one actually was. The show became one of Netflix India’s most-watched originals of 2025, but the reviews were all over the place. Some viewers enjoyed the lavish palace setting, the fashion, and the escapist tone, while others criticised the writing and performances. Bhumi herself had spoken openly after release about how the criticism affected her mentally and made her question her choices for some time.
The first season followed a modern startup founder partnering with a royal prince to transform a palace into a luxury hospitality venture. The concept mixed royalty, business drama, romance, and social media-era glamour, which helped it attract attention even when the storytelling received criticism. Despite that mixed reception, Netflix moved quickly with the renewal announcement, showing that the platform still saw franchise potential in the world of The Royals.
Right now, there is still no official confirmation from Netflix regarding the returning cast lineup or the release timeline for season two. But if these reports turn out to be accurate, fans should probably expect a noticeably different version of The Royals when it returns — one that swaps palace romance for heavier family drama and internal royal conflicts.
