The Swedish Netflix original series will wrap with its third and final season in 2024…
SPOILER WARNING: This post contains plot points from the first two seasons of Young Royals.
Since its premiere in 2021 we’ve been on quite the journey with Crown Prince Wilhelm and his classmate Simon. With Netflix sharing a short scene of the two on their socials on October 17, fans are more excited than ever to see how their story will continue to unfold. The upcoming season will mark the third and final one for the Swedish show and although we haven’t been given a solid release date, we know it’ll be sometime in 2024. Three seasons is not nearly as long as we would personally like for a show as good as Young Royals, but a solid conclusion to a queer story instead of it getting prematurely cancelled is something fans are grateful for. If you’ve never heard of Young Royals, the show is kind of like if Heartstopper and Red, White, and Royal Blue were blended together. And If you haven’t watched it yet, here’s our pitch to get you to binge the first two seasons before the 2024 release of season three, and also what we think might happen in the final season.
In the first season we met Prince Wilhelm, played by Edvin Ryding (who was the second-born prince of Sweden) right after he had gotten himself into some trouble following a night out. The crown decides it would be best for him to attend a prestigious boarding school his older brother attended as a teen. The school is full of high-profile teens, and a couple of students there on scholarships, like Simon, played by Omar Rudberg. Simon and Wilhelm meet in class and Wilhelm is immediately impressed with Simon’s vocal dislike of the Swedish royal family. The two form a friendship, which quickly evolves into a romantic relationship neither of them are really ready for. Wilhelm’s older brother dies in a tragic accident and he must take over as the heir to the throne. Without giving too much away, all of the regular teen drama ensues, and a video of Simon and Wilhelm being intimate being posted online. The season ends with the two on rocky terms, hurt feelings, and both with a lot of growth ahead of them.
By the time the boys return from winter break in season two Wilhelm is in full “get him back” mode, but Simon has started dating someone else. The two lock eyes at a party in slow motion, and with the knowledge of who took and posted that video of them, they begin to reconnect through deep conversations, secret moments in dark hallways, and lavish parties with their classmates. Wilhelm’s anxiety and panic attacks intensify, which he has to learn to live with. There are some heavy moments, too, which showcases the depth that both these characters (and the talent the actors) have. Season two ends with a very public declaration of love, with the two finally on the same page with where their feelings lie and their relationship with each other stands. Where does this leave us for season three? Since there’s no original source material to pull the script from (like Heartstopper), not only are the possibilities of where the final season could go literally endless, but everything right now is purely speculation based on itty-bitty teasers the cast has given over the last six months from the actors or Netflix themselves.
Wilhelm takes Simon back to the palace
In the teaser posted to the Netflix Nordic instagram on October 17, we see Simon and Wilhelm sharing a cheeky moment in a room in the palace. It looks like following Wilhelm’s public declaration of love, he’s taken Simon home to meet the parents, or more likely for a full briefing from palace staff and maybe also to be reprimanded for breaking protocol. Some fans on the show’s subreddit believe they are holding hands out of frame in the clip which has them thinking Wilhelm becomes more comfortable with taking their relationship public. From past seasons we know the royal family doesn’t really care about Prince Wilhelm’s feelings and personal life, so it’s safe to say they’ll probably have a rocky road ahead of them this season.
The lead actors have both said the third season would give us all the feelings
In a recent interview, Omar Rudberg said the upcoming season would make audiences cry, which has fans guessing on how sad the final season could get. Are we in for even more tragedy? Or perhaps we’ll be presented with a happy ending for Simon and Wilhelm and the tears will be from joy. Some fans are speculating that due to the international success of Heartstopper and the desire to consume joyful queer stories that the show’s writer might take it in a different direction to appease fans. Edvin Ryding called this season “beautiful” in an interview shortly after filming wrapped. Young Royals has never shied away from digging deeper than typical teen dramas, so we can assume this upcoming season won’t be much different from the past two.
What about the side characters?
Aside from the relationship status of our main characters, a lot of the story lies within the exchanges between supporting characters, too. Their complicated relationships with each other bleed into Simon and Wilhelm’s story, especially the romantic entanglement between Simon’s sister Sara and Wilhelm’s cousin August. Sara and August have been the main antagonists for the past two seasons. Will they be served some karma on a silver platter for their betrayal in the past? Or could they undergo some positive character development before the series finale? Other characters like Wilhelm’s friend Felice, have helped drive the plot of the series and fans are hoping their stories get a bit more attention this season. All in all, it looks like the majority of fans are hoping for Wilhelm and Simon to be officially endgame and for the series to wrap on a happy note (please, it’s all we’re asking for).
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