Gotta love the Young Royals superstars!
The third and final season of Young Royals is upon us, and it’s bringing up bittersweet feelings for fans of the hit Netflix series.
In an interview with Out, Edvin Ryding, who plays Prince Wilhelm, talks about his character feeling conflicted between his love for Simon (played by Omar Rudberg) and his royal duties.
“Throughout the previous two seasons, it’s been that dilemma,” Ryding tells Out. “Is it possible to combine the two: his love for Simon and who he actually is, and the expectations and traditions of the royal court? That dilemma has always been the most fun to portray because he’s so torn.”
He continues:
“The emotions we see him go through during this last season is stuff that’s always been there for him. It’s always been bubbling, he hasn’t really realized it. But then, this season, he goes through different trigger points, which makes those emotions surface. It’s been such a joy to play him this season.”
On Young Royals season 3, Simon is finally experiencing a public relationship with Wilhelm, but realizes all the responsibilities attached to dating a royal. Though this balancing act may seem challenging for an actor, Rudberg found the whole experience to be fun.
“He was going through this journey of trying not to lose himself just to be with Wilhelm,” Rudberg explains. “Even his best friends told him, ‘We are very scared of you deleting yourself. Simon, you have to exist. You cannot stop existing just because you have a boyfriend.’ That’s what was very fun [for me] to play. He just realized that he’s hurting because he sees that Wilhelm is hurting and his whole family’s hurting… and that makes Simon’s family hurt as well because Simon is hurting. So everyone’ hurting.”
“He just realized that we have to heal, and we have to think about ourselves and our families, and this is literally not working,” he adds. “He had to take responsibility for both of them, kind of.”
It’s no secret that Young Royals has an extremely vocal and passionate fanbase on social media, and many of those fans consider themselves part of the LGBTQ+ community. In our interview, Ryding sends a strong message of love and support to queer fans who have been through this entire journey with them:
“It’s beautiful to see this audience being so engaged and so connected to each other and to the show. I guess what I’d like to say to them is… just the fact that it’s such a strong movement, and that they are so engaged and connected, it’s a testimony to how powerful the power of love is.”
“The fact that this show has been a success in countries where LGBTQ+ rights are compromised is also evidence that love always wins,” he continues. “This show’s message is, ‘You got to be who you are.’ It’s your full right to be that, and we’re going to defend it till the day we die, and I hope you do it, too.”
Watch Out’s interview with Edvin Ryding and Omar Rudberg below — and tune in to watch the third and final season of Young Royals now streaming on Netflix.
