Netflix has the hit series The Crown (2016), which explored the world's obsession with the British royal family. Peter Morgan's Emmy-winning program touched upon various issues, surrounding the contemporary concept of royalty and its effect on culture and society, as well as the family's internal machinations and struggles beyond the media headlines, which is the most that the public gets. One thing that Morgan's show never explored or into which he never delved was the issue of homosexuality.
Over the past year, there have been several projects attempting to rectify this oversight. Amazon Prime had Red, White & Royal Blue (2023). This spring, Starz has Mary & George (2024). Mary & George focuses on the real-life George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, one of the male lovers of King James I back in the 1600s. It supposes that King James' homosexuality was an open secret. King James I did have a wife and mistress. He also had several children, which means that his homosexuality never interfered with the idea of succession. Red, White & Royal Blue focused on the fictional Prince Henry, the spare or eldest sibling to the heir to the British throne. That TV movie reveals that Henry is gay but his homosexuality is never a threat to the idea of succession, which is often a dominant theme in stories about any royal family.
Young Royals is a Swedish teen drama that finally crafts a story line where the homosexuality does threaten the idea of succession. This third and final season seemed like it was going to follow through with that threat or take it to its logical conclusion, but even this series, which perfectly sets it up, doesn't follow through or take it to its end. Edvin Ryding plays Prince Wilhelm aka "Wille," pronounced VIL-LAY. Wille is the next in line to Sweden's throne after his elder brother, Erik, dies.
We follow Wille, as he attends an elite boarding school called Hillerska. At first, Wille tried to keep his homosexuality secret, but his orientation is exposed when a video of him in bed with his boyfriend, Simon, pronounced SEE-MOAN, played by Omar Rudberg, gets posted online. Simon is a Latino student at Hillerska who comes from an impoverished background. Simon makes a name for himself as a singer-songwriter. His reputation is tarnished and he gets all kinds of backlash on social media after the video goes viral. This final season though is Wille and Simon trying to have a relationship out in the open, instead of having to sneak around.
A large chunk of the season is the various pitfalls that Simon has to navigate as being a person dating a member of the royal family. Because he's a teenager in the current day, a lot of it revolves around social media and being able to post what he wants on his phone. If this series did not take place in the Internet era or the smartphone era, the majority of the problems experienced here wouldn't exist. As such, this series feels more like a commentary on the Internet era rather than one on the royal family. Actual homophobia isn't even an issue. Classism and racism do pop up in subtle doses, but again this series feels more like teens complaining about not having their phones than it is anything else.
Malte Gårdinger (Triangle of Sadness) co-stars as August Horn of Ǻrnäs, the cousin to Wille. He's a member of the royal family and if anything happens to Wille, then August would be the next in line to the Swedish throne. He's older than Wille. August is a third-year student, whereas Wille is a first-year student. August is also probably the tallest student at the boarding school and likely the best athlete, being the captain of the rowing team. He's also the best-looking of all the male students, even more so than Wille who has noticeable acne. It's not due to these superficial reasons, but August does rise as the most interesting character. Obviously, he contrasts with Wille because August supports the monarchy and would love to be on the throne. Wille is literally next in line but yet, Wille doesn't want to be. Wille is like Simon and rejects the monarchy.
As a result, it becomes obvious where this series is going and as such, this series side-steps the question of succession. Yes, this is a series that focuses on Wille as a teenager. It's not like The Crown, which jumps forward in time to show how the monarchy changes or rather doesn't change over the decades. It's not as if the show needed to jump forward. There are conversations that could have been discussed. For example, if Wille becomes king, would the church allow him to marry a man like Simon? If Wille and Simon adopt a child through surrogacy where Simon was the donor, would that child be considered an heir to the throne because that child would not be biologically related?
Instead of those questions, which follow this show's premise, the show really dwells on the grief that affects Wille and his parents over Erik's death. Obviously, it's logical that dealing with that loss would be a big deal and a huge factor in their lives. Yet, grief over a close death is an extremely common theme and common narrative in films and television. This series had a new theme and narrative it could've explored but again side-steps it.
There's an interesting angle of what Wille and Simon will sacrifice for each other and for the royal family. This becomes the push-and-pull of the season. It seems lopsided as Simon has to sacrifice more, but there's a literal standoff about students wanting their phones that feels so inconsequential. If not having a cell phone is the biggest sacrifice for these characters, then it doesn't feel like much of a sacrifice. The video of Wille and Simon in bed having sex and the violation of privacy felt like the biggest sacrifice. The fallout from that is handled in a compelling way. The performances from the supporting cast is also incredibly strong. It's therefore a very watchable show.
Rated TV-MA for sexual references, brief nudity and language.
Running Time: 1 hr. / 6 eps.
Available on Netflix.
