Aahana Swrup
The Netflix Swedish show ‘Young Royals’ delves into the love story between a Prince and a commoner as they face the various modern complications that come with their whirlwind romance. The show centers around Prince Wilhelm, a young spare Prince who is abruptly thrust into the limelight after the death of his older brother. However, as he’s transferred to the prestigious Hillerska boarding school, his paths cross with someone charmingly unexpected. Simon Eriksson is a young boy with musical talent and a working-class background. Although sparks of romance fly between the two boys early on, a sex tape scandal sets them up for a daunting future.
In season 3, the final installment in the series, Wilhelm and Simon both find themselves dealing with the reality of their class differences and what it means for their increasingly public love story. Simultaneously, as some dark secrets emerge about Hillerska’s infamous initiation rituals and secret societies, the student body deals with the possibility of a permanent closure for the establishment. Fortunately, things end on a conclusive note, bringing the boys’ story to a positive and heartwarming end. However, the season finale also rounds out the overarching story at large, leaving no chance for another future season.
Young Royals Was Always Meant to be a Three-Part Series
Early on, when Lisa Ambjörn was pitched the story idea that went on to become ‘Young Royals,’ the creator had a specific future in mind for the story. As such, from the get-go, she has imagined the series with a narrative that spans three seasons in total. The different seasonal installments in Wilhelm and Simon’s love story explore distinctive aspects of their relationship as well as individual journeys. In season 1, the duo experience the rush of young love, falling for each other hard and fast. Although the complications of their differences remain, the boys find an opportunity to experience the genuine truth of their shared feelings. However, by the end of that season, the leaked sex tape almost uproots their entire world.
Season 2 goes deeper into the key differences between Wilhelm and Simon’s social standings and what impact that has on their real but fleeting connection. It also explores the former’s tense relationship with his royal title, which has been brewing ever since the death of his brother, Erik. That storyline ends with Simon embracing the Prince for all his princely responsibilities, and Wilhelm responding in kind by publicly coming out about his relationship. Finally, season 3 finds the pair facing the brunt of their previous decisions. Although circumstances almost tear the couple apart, they manage to find their happy endings in each other. Thus, across this three-part storyline, ‘Young Royals’ finds its ideal ending, one that had been in the works since the show’s early inception.
Creator Lisa Ambjörn Got Her Desired Ending with Young Royals Season 3
The dedicated fanbase that ‘Young Royals’ managed to cultivate in its first season ultimately helped the show arrive at its intended ending with season 3. As such, the show got to explore all the nuanced facets of Simon and Wilhelm’s characters and their romantic relationship. Furthermore, the three seasons also paved the way for attentive worldbuilding. Across its three seasons, the narrative got ot carve out the storylines for the most complicated of secondary characters from Felice, August, and Sara, whose influence on the storyline remains crucial, to Erik, who only influences the tale through his posthumous presence.
Ultimately, even though the show ends on a hopeful open-ended conclusion with Wilhelm, Simon, and their friends riding off into the proverbial sunset, no glaring plot threads are left unresolved. Thus, at the end of season 3, ‘Young Royals’ finds its natural and satisfying conclusion. In a conversation with The Queer Review, lead actor Omar Rudberg shared his own feelings on the show’s end. He said, “It’s a little sad because it has been such a fun time with the whole ‘Young Royals’ thing, but everything good has to end. So instead of thinking, oh, it’s going (to) end, f**k my life! We should probably think, thank you for making it happen, and that it even existed. That’s what we should be really thankful for.”
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