REVIEW: ‘Young Royals’ Season 3 Juggles Teenage Angst

Young Royals Season 3 refreshingly never loses its sense of self, even at its most frustrating. This is pure teen drama soap, and it embraces the mess. That said, while there’s no denying the addictive nature of the series, it loses its footing in its third and final season in a big way. So much so that it begins to undermine parts of its previous two seasons. While we’ve invested in the individual journeys of these characters, the season begs the question of why we’re rooting for the central couple and if we should be.

What should be the strongest component of the series quickly becomes its weakest. Following the events of Season 2, Prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) and Simon Eriksson (Omar Rudberg) are now openly dating. In the finale of season two, Wilhelm announced in front of his parents, the media, and classmates that he was in the leaked video with Simon. This has caused a media frenzy, which is only amplified due to Simon’s sister, Sara (Frida Argento), having gone to the police to report the video as being taken by August (Malte Gårdinger). Young Royals Season 3 picks up with the Royal family working through collateral damage as August must remain the spare to Wilhelm’s Crown Prince.

All of this drama is well and good and sets its four main characters — Wilhelm, Simon, Sarah, and August — on their primary storylines for the season. Wilhelm must grapple with the crippling loneliness of royalty. Loneliness worsened as the second-borne son who wasn’t meant to inherit the throne.

Simon deals with the fallout of dating royalty without the privilege that comes from Wilhelm’s heritage. He’s hounded by press and onlookers alike. Sara struggles with understanding how she might’ve been led astray. Meanwhile, with one of the most interesting and layered storylines, August has to reckon with what it means to be the villain of someone else’s story while still being someone worthy of compassion and second chances.

Individually, these stories work. In addition, Felice’s (Nikita Uggla) ongoing struggles with the inherent racism at the Hillerska boarding school and the series are ripe with engaging drama with something meaningful to say. It’s when they all converge — mainly the romance — where it falters. Despite their best efforts and the chemistry between Ryding and Rudberg, the romance between Wilhelm and Simon falls flat. Yes, we believe they love each other. But Wilhelm is only turning 17 in season three. There’s no amount of convincing at this point in time that they are the only two people for the other.

Instead, Young Royals Season 3 actively argues that Wilhelm is toxic to Simon. The series has previously balanced Wilhelm’s selfishness with his isolation, making his impulsivity more relatable. We feel for him as he lives on a plane of existence he never chose nor wanted. Simon, in seasons one and two, was his lifeline. Now, he expects Simon to adapt to his world because he owns up to his part of the leaked tape.

The result is that Simon becomes a victim of dual circumstances. August’s actions hurt him. He is wronged greater still because of the weight put on him for dating Wilhelm. Without his boyfriend’s support, who is also buckling under expectations, it makes sense why his confidence would crumble.

Sara is nursing her self-inflicted wounds after having betrayed her brother. She is distancing herself from Hillserka, Simon, and Felice. She still isn’t the most likable character. That said, she gets strong moments in five of the six episodes provided to the press. But it’s August — shockingly and annoyingly even — who becomes the most exciting character. This, in part, is due to Gårdinger being the strongest actor in the cast. But it’s also due to the intricacies woven into the character by the writing.

Yes, he messed up, and he doesn’t deserve forgiveness. And yes, he’s perpetuated stigmas and wrongs that the monarchy and elite have established. He isn’t a good person but a good character. But he’s flawed, terribly human, and endlessly watchable. It’s less that we’re rooting for him and more hoping he proves us wrong. We want him to show us someone worthy of redemption.

Regardless, August is still the most exciting screen presence. Quietly built throughout the series, Young Royals Season 3 deals with his self-image and disordered eating without making too fine a point about either. Instead, here is a young man who has grappled with his lacking attributes but taken them in stride, believing in a perfect image necessary to amount to something more than the sum of his parts. It’s a terrifically written character.

This puts an even greater strain on Wilhelm and Simon. There’s no reason why we should be more invested in August’s story. And yet Wilhelm becomes so frequently detestable despite our empathy that it’s hard to wish for a happy ending between the two—at least romantically speaking. Both deserve their own happiness, but nothing about season three proves that Wilhelm is anything but a red flag that Simon should speed away from.

Young Royals Season 3 remains a gripping, engaging series about young love and identity. But we need more time with Simon and his struggles or with his and Wilhem’s love story to make us believe in their romance. While there’s plenty to enjoy about the series, from the electric direction to the personality-driven costume design, the heart is the issue here. We care about these characters and their dynamics, but by the end, we’re rooting for a breakup.

Young Royals Season 3 Episodes 1–5 are available now on Netflix. The sixth and final episode premieres on March 18.