Major Young Royals finale spoilers follow.
Netflix has a habit of cancelling shows too soon, especially LGBTQ+ projects like First Kill, Uncoupled, Warrior Nun, Q-Force, and The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, to name just a few. But when it comes to the end of Young Royals, Sweden's extremely gay royal affair, fans shouldn't get too mad at Netflix.
After the streamer announced season three would be the final chapter, Young Royals head writer and co-creator Lisa Ambjörn confirmed to Gay Times that the story was always imagined in three parts, adding: "Because of the fans' dedication to our story, we get to tell the last one."
An emotional post by Ambjörn on Instagram expanded on this further, explaining that the show was "beyond anything any of us could have ever dreamed or hoped for."
She also said that she's known all along how the series would end, ever since production began in 2019. And now we get to find out for ourselves finally too. But is it the ending that fans have been hoping for? Let's take a look and see.
Young Royals season 3 ending explained
The finale picks up immediately after Simon and Wilhelm's breakup from the previous episode because the Crown Prince is just as devastated as we are. It's all he — and we — can think about.
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Wil turns to his bestie, Felice, in this moment, as gays often do, and she's holding out hope for them still.
"It feels like you two are never truly over," she says to Wil, but is Felice right? With only one episode left to go, the odds sure are stacked against #Wilmon.
It's not just their relationship that might be over. Hillerska itself, the boarding school, has been shut down by inspectors following all the controversial debacles these hedonistic rich kids have gotten themselves into over the years. The students panic as they empty their dorm rooms, realising that this might be their last day ever at the school, but hey, at least they're gonna go out with a bang.
The planned party to end all parties doesn't appeal much to August at first, because he's in line for the Royal Succession and doesn't want to risk that with more debauchery. But he's a teenager, so it's not long before that sweet siren call lures him in anyway.
Wilhelm and Simon also consider skipping the party given recent events, but Felice gives Wil some booze, so that problem is taken care of. Simon also agrees to go after his friends remind him that this might be the last chance he ever gets to see Wil again with the school closing, not to mention him being a prince and all.
At the party, Wilhelm and Simon are all googly eyes at each other because of hormones and alcohol and most importantly of all, love. They still want to be with each other, clearly, yet Wil ends up reconciling with August at first instead. Not in a sexual way though.
When the pair accidentally wind up alone in a room together, Wil apologises to August for the way his brother Erik treated him back when he was still alive. August reminds Wil that the former Crown Prince loved Wil and would have had no issue with him being gay, an idea which has tormented him since Erik's homophobic hazing videos came to light.
And just like that, the pair are no longer enemies. Or at least a truce has been called, temporarily, and this newfound mutual respect seems to ensure that they will get along much better in the future.
It's a rather abrupt end to a rivalry and hate that's sustained the better part of 18 episodes, but Young Royals has always been good at humanising its "villain" and this feels like the right end for them both.
The same can also be said for August's connection to Sara, which is severed for good, finally, when she explains that August only loves her because he likes the person he is when he's with her. Sara might come to regret that though if she fancies living in a palace for the rest of her life — more on that later — although, of course, she's made the right decision for herself in the moment. And what do we call that? Growth.
Meanwhile, Wilhelm and Simon agree to forget about everything that's happened just for one more night together. Is it a smart idea? Absolutely not. Are they horny teenagers who are madly in love and can't bear the idea of being apart, even if that might be the right thing for them? Absolutely. And so they head to the lake together, reminiscing on when they visited that same place before during a happier time.
Simon also shares one last birthday gift with Wil, a song that's pretty on the nose with lyrics like, "It has been the two of us, I don't want to forget it". But that's actually very cute and believable. Who hasn't written a terrible love song or poem at some point in their young lives?
The next day, Hillerska holds a graduation, and then the acting principal announces that the decision to close the show is going to be appealed. It's a bittersweet day heightened by the arrival of Wil's mother, the Queen, who apologises to her son for not being the mother he needed when his brother died. Wil forgives her in a very touching moment which brings everything full circle from the grief of season one to the resentment he's held for his family and the crown throughout season three.
Wil runs after Simon to say goodbye, and no, we're not crying. YOU'RE crying. They thank each other for the love they shared and wish each other luck in the future. It's devastating and awful to see and we want no part of it!
But what we do like to see is the conversation that takes place back in the car between Wil and his mother, where the Crown Prince points out that maybe he won't be "an amazing king" and that they've never really had a "serious conversation" about him taking over. In the past, it's just been resentful outbursts and shouting matches that never really got the family anywhere.
Now though, Wilhelm calmly points out that him wanting to reject the crown has nothing to do with his love for Simon. It's just that he himself doesn't want this life. August is ready and willing to take on the role of Crown Prince, and now, with their hatred for each other abated, Wil gives August his blessing to replace him. The Queen is silent, signalling that she has accepted her son's wishes, even if she doesn't like what she's heard. The King is also silent, but isn't he always?
With that, Wilhelm runs out of the car, finally free of the responsibility that he never wanted in the first place. Seeing Simon drive off, Wil chases him down, and for a moment, it looks like Simon isn't going to stop, even when he realises that his ex is running after him.
You couldn't resist one more cruel pull at our hearts, could you Young Royals? But we forgive you, because Simon's car does stop then.
Wil tells Simon that he's given up on the crown, but for himself, not just for Simon. And then they kiss, passionately, as flashbacks from their entire relationship bring this gorgeous moment to a close. "I love you," they say to each other, and with that, the pair get in the car with Felice and Sara, driving off into the happy ending they've always deserved.
Why it needed to end that way for Wilhelm and Simon
Wilhelm and Simon were always going to have a happy ending. Too much was riding on their happiness not to. It's a hallmark of this genre, true, but more importantly than that, the love Wil and Simon share actually means a great deal to a huge amount of people.
The fandom who have been rooting for them all this time would have been devastated by any other outcome, and while storytelling shouldn't necessarily bend to the whims of people watching back home, there's a wider social impact to consider in this case.
Despite the success of shows like Young Royals and Heartstopper, there are still far too few queer love stories that end happily, especially when it comes to teen fare like this. Straight audiences have been able to see their happiness reflected on screen for their entire lives, yet cheesy, cute endings like this have been largely absent in a genre characterised by queer trauma and misery.
Young Royals has been very smart to balance all this out though by forcing Wilhelm and Simon to break up, even if just briefly. Had everything been smooth sailing, that wouldn't have felt realistic, and it wouldn't have felt earned either. By putting #Wilmon through the wringer, but still having them come out on top, the show has managed to have its cake and eat it too.
Crucially, everything that's happened here also makes sense for their characters. Simon stuck to his integrity and anti-royalist views, despite the deep love he feels for Wilhelm, and the former Crown Prince gave up on his title for himself, something which rings true given how this was all thrust on him back in season one following Erik's demise.
A breakup at the end of the series would have been less predictable, sure, but it wouldn't have made sense for the characters in the long run, and it would have just been cruel for viewers watching back home as well.
Unlike other queer shows that have been cancelled far too soon, Young Royals has ended on its own terms with hope and optimism, something which queer people of all ages deserve and also need now more than ever. Any other outcome would have just been royally messed up.
Young Royals seasons 1-3 are now available to stream on Netflix.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
