Tears rolled down her cheeks as a montage of her favorite scenes played. She hid her tears and muffled her sniffles, as she did not want other students in the library to hear her crying. She could not believe that her favorite show was over, gone forever; Three years of waiting time and time again to see her favorite characters on the screen concluded in less than six hours.

   Young Royals (YR) is a Swedish teen drama. Wilhelm, the Crown Prince of Sweden, goes to Hillerska, a boarding school, as punishment for initiating a fight. There, he meets Simon, an outcast and non-resident who stands out from the snobby, wealthy students. The two opposites eventually become friends and fall in love. The series portrays very raw emotions and hits hard on how being gay is still a stigma today. 

   Although the production of LGBTQIA+ series and movies has increased, none compare to YR. This series is more than a show. 

Cast and Crew

    Lisa Almbjörn, the writer of YR, created the series to connect to the LGBTQIA+ community with raw, yet realistic, emotion. Since season 1, Almbjörn has told fans that she would not drag the series out. She promised that Wilhelm and Simon’s story would conclude when the time felt right. Despite the fans’ protests, she ended the series after three emotion-filled seasons. 

   To make up for the shortness of YR, Almbjörn listened to the audience and their expectations when writing seasons 2 and 3. She paid attention to their opinions and used them as inspiration to create a series for everyone: the fans, the cast, and herself.

   “I really enjoyed seeing teenage characters that actually acted like real teenagers. With some shows, it’s so obvious that the writers are adults who don’t understand teenagers at all. I think the writers and the cast did an amazing job with that…” Jr. Lorelei Robbert said. Throughout the series, each character has a realistic high school struggle. In season 3 when Hillerska is shut down, all August and his friends care about is graduation; they beg the staff to put on their 3rd (or senior) year celebrations. Wilhelm has visible acne and looks like an average teenager. Simon goes against his morals and sells drugs to fit in. Relatable characters and emotional connections are key to gaining support and attention. Almbjörn and the many directors realized that component early on and executed their understanding perfectly. 

    Apart from the writers and crew, YR’s legacy would not have been possible without the cast. The actors engulfed themselves in their assigned roles by becoming their characters. Edvin Ryding, who plays Wilhelm, made three playlists for Wilhelm, all of which represented his mindset and emotions each season. The effort Ryding made to create a seemingly unimportant playlist showed fans that he was serious about the impact of his role; he wanted viewers to understand and relate to the anxious teenager who learned to live for himself. 

Themes and Messages

   YR is a simmering pot of teenage angst, complex romance, betrayal, and high standards. “I love a show with good characters. Seeing each person have their own fully fleshed-out personalities and issues is so nice to see. I feel like lots of shows can struggle with that but they [the story writers] managed to give everyone reasons for being the way they are,” Robbert said. In this series, the main themes revolve around everyone, not just the main characters.

   Wilhelm’s best friend, Felice, experiences angst every time she fails to meet her mother’s expectations. Wilhelm’s cousin, August, and Simon’s sister, Sarah, have a romance that most people cannot wrap their heads around. August faces betrayal when the members of Forest Ridge go behind his back and make Vincent the team captain. Wilhelm and Simon are both held to a high standard to be a good example for the people of Sweden, even if that means hiding their love. 

   YR taught young teens to be themselves, stand up for what they believe, and the importance of respect. “Self-acceptance and learning to put yourself first is something I feel like I struggle a lot with, so seeing Wilhelm stand up for himself made me very emotional,” Robbert said. These lessons are taught by observing everything the characters fail to do and seeing the consequences (good and bad) of their actions. Viewers take the time to recognize what the characters did wrong, and how that connects to different aspects of their own lives. They pull the good and the bad from each character and put it on display as a reminder of something to learn from. 

Let’s Start a Revolution 

   YR is a work of art, a life-changing masterpiece. Many fans feared losing the series forever as the production ended. In reality, the themes, cast, and crew have created an empowering and long-lasting series. Their motivation to keep YR alive is evident and will continue to show. The lessons learned will stick with people for the rest of their lives. 

“YR was a beautiful show. I’ve rewatched several times because you can tell how much work was put into this show. It left me feeling so connected to the show and the characters because of how beautifully they [the cast and crew] pulled it off. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about YR. It’s left such a huge impact on me, I could never forget about it,” Robbert said. 

   Every season of Young Royals can be viewed on Netflix.