Young Royals Season 3: Farewell and Goodbye With Our Full-Season Review

The bittersweet ending is here, folks. We’ve all been waiting for episode 6 of Young Royals Season 3 to drop, but now that it has, there’s an emptiness forming deep within. This is the last time we’ll see Simon (Omar Rudberg) and Wilhelm (Edvin Rydin) at school, the last time we’ll get to watch them make moon eyes at each other, and the last time we’ll get to squee when they do something that makes us swoon. We’re not ready to say goodbye, but as the great adage goes, all good things come to an end. 

Like the two that came before it, Young Royals season 3 is filled with pain and angst, but there is quite a lot of sweetness woven in as well. There is plenty of Wilmon love to go around for all! However, it’s not a bed of roses, and anyone thinking we were in for six whole episodes of cupcakes and ice cream clearly hasn’t been paying attention. There is so much to resolve in this season that it’s astounding everything is tied up so neatly in the end. 

Fans are treated to some heated Wilmon loving in this season but these six episodes are about far more than their Big Adolescent Love. Simon learns that the most important relationship in his life is his one with himself, while Wilhelm – finally – learns how to advocate for his future. Sara (Frida Argento) makes true amends in all her spaces, and in a weird twist of fate, August (Malte Gardinger) gets what he wants, but not actually what he needs. 

Journey with us as we wipe our eyes and place a thorny hand over our hearts for one final time. Here are our thoughts on Young Royals Season 3. 

Freedom For Wille

While no formal abdication is included in episode 6, as the show comes to a close, it’s obvious that Wilhelm is walking away from his royal responsibilities as Crown Prince. Wilhelm was never meant for this life. He loves his family, but he was always just supposed to be the spare. From the moment the role of Crown Prince was thrust upon him, Wilhelm has struggled with the idea that his life belongs to the people of Sweden, instead of himself. 

Some may think that Wilhelm is walking away from royal duties because of Simon, that, as he watches Simon drive away from Hillerska one final time, he chooses his boyfriend instead of his family and his duty. Consider for a moment though, that Wilhelm chooses himself in that moment, chooses freedom for himself, and Simon is just the icing on the cake.

Wilhelm has spent the last two seasons completely motivated by retribution, and understandably so. He’s been all consumed with making sure August feels excluded from his family because acceptance from the Crown is the one thing August seeks the most, that he couldn’t see that August was his ticket to freedom all along. 

Wilhelm’s own anxiety, his conflict with his parents, his conflicts with Simon, and his ability to just live his life all cycle back to the title of king hanging over his head. The joy on his face, the relief that floods through the screen as Wilhelm drives off with his friends, away from Hillerska and royal responsibilities really is the perfect ending for this guy. Even if Simon and Wille aren’t together in ten years time, Wilhelm will be able to look back on this moment and be proud that he made a choice for himself and interrupted the antiquated and oppressive hold the monarchy has held over his family and his future. Wille is free… to do whatever he wants now. 

Farewell Wilhelm, we hope you never stop your quest for inner peace. 

Justice For Simon

Simon has never been one to shy away from doing what he thinks is right, but in this season, he is forced to sacrifice himself in ways that just feel wrong. The crown tries desperately to muzzle him, to take away the parts of Simon that make him so dynamic and relatable. And he lets them – for a while – because he loves Wilhelm and he really wants to make it work. 

But in the same way that this season was Wilhelm’s yellow brick road of self-discovery, the same can be said for Simon’s journey. Simon realizes that it doesn’t matter how much he loves Wilhelm, Simon can’t fix Wilhelm’s problems or love him into mental health. Only Wilhelm can do that for himself, and the sacrifices Simon is required to make, while understandable, aren’t sustainable. Not if he is going to remain a whole person.

This season, Simon shows incredible maturity and learns how to put himself first before the world around him makes him disappear completely. When he breaks up with Wilhelm, he says that love shouldn’t be this hard. Yet, Simon isn’t giving up on his relationship with Wilhelm, he’s preserving what’s left of himself. If he continues to pursue a royal connection, the connection he has with himself will disappear. 

There are so many teen dramas that have depictions of unhealthy expectations and toxic representations of young relationships. Young Royals Season 3 should be commended for providing their teen viewers with a mature outcome that encourages young people to act rationally and look at the big picture. Simon loves Wilhelm, but at the end of the day, he has to love himself more.  And so he does. 

Farewell Simon, we hope you never stop fighting for yourself and for those you love. 

All The Other Bits and Pieces  

With so much needing to be resolved with our two main protagonists, many of the other storylines that were teased in the previous two seasons take a back seat in Young Royals season 3. However, the lesbians finally share a kiss, Nils (Samuel Astor) comes out to the boys, Vincent (Nils Wetterholm) is still very much an asshole, and Madison (Nathalie Varli) remains completely true to her character till the end. What a queen!

Sara’s story arc is nicely rounded out. She’s the source of so much conflict in this series, but in Young Royals Season 3, she gets a pass. She’s clearly deep in the throws of self-discovery and trying to come to terms with all the garbage things she’s done. She doesn’t like herself very much, but she’s trying very hard to be a better person. And that’s what growing up is all about, right? Sara’s character is the epitome of growth and her story does an excellent job of highlighting just how hellish adolescence can be. We wish her well and hope she finds peace in herself soon. 

As Wilhelm runs off with Simon and his friends, shedding all his royal responsibilities, August gets a taste of his own medicine. All he’s ever wanted is the Crown, to be important and the one in control. But now that he’s next in the line of succession, he’s not in control anymore. His life doesn’t belong to him anymore, and as the reality of this sets in, it’s obvious August considers that he’s bitten off far more than he ever wanted to chew. Karma is a bitch, August, and her title is Crown Prince. 

And finally, the entire point of Felice’s (Nikita Uggla) story arc is revealed in this season. It was always obvious she was never meant to be a love interest for any of the boys in the show, but it was never really clear what her purpose was. In Young Royals Season 3, Felice’s storyline highlights just how heartbreaking it can be to lose a friend. Teen dramas often depict the downfalls of losing romantic love, but rarely responsibly portray how heartbreaking and devastating it can be to lose a friend, a true companion. Felice’s confidence and her comfort within herself are completely disrupted until she’s able to reconcile her feelings about Sara. 

It’s artistic and beautifully done, but most importantly, it’s realistic. 

It is with great reverence, a heavy heart, and nostalgia in the air that we say goodbye to these characters, to this world, and most importantly to this dynamic cast and crew. Wilhelm and Simon taught us so much, but mostly they taught us that if you don’t love yourself first, you can’t wholly love another. As the curtain falls on this wonderful story, there’s just one thing left to say – Wilmon forever!

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The completed series of Young Royals is available to stream on Netflix now. Follow us on X and Instagram for all queer stuff!

Featured image: Image Courtesy of Netflix