‘Young Royals’ stars are headed back to boarding school for a steamy second season

Hear ye, hear ye! By Royal Decree, we are pleased to report that the return of Netflix’s steamy gay drama, Young Royals, is just around the corner. And we can barely stand the wait!

The series—which has been described as The Crown meets Gossip Girl—concerns itself with Swedish prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) who is enrolled at a prestigious boarding school after he brings some bad press to the family name. There, he’s able to assert his individuality for the first time in his life, and winds up falling for a fellow student named Simon (Omar Rudberg). Things get heated between them rather quickly.

Related: Finally, a royal romance that’s a different kind of fairy tale…

The first season ended, like so many binge-able shows do, with a lot of unanswered questions, making the year-plus wait for new episodes especially grueling for the series’ large, vocal fan base. But with season two set to launch on Netflix on November 1, the press blitz is ramping up, and the stans are being fed.

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For one, the latest edition of Gay Times features Ryding and Rudberg as its cover stars, which already has the Whilem-Simon ‘shippers (“Wilmon,” as they refer to the pair), screaming with glee.

As the story points out, the success of Young Royals has turned the two Swedish actors into proper global stars, with a combined Instagram following of 4 million. All of the attention has the pair even more nervous about season two, especially because of the apparent “outrageous” places their characters are headed.

 

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For Ryding, the anxiousness stems from trying to reconcile with his character Wilhelm’s actions in the first finale: “I thought, ‘How will I be able to defend this, as an actor?’ But then I realized I shouldn’t defend this. This is Wilhelm, he’s coming from this place and this is the way he reacts to it. Once I figured that out, it was super fun.”

But, in Rudberg’s case, he is living for the drama ahead, sharing that he “f*cking screamed with happiness” while reading the new scripts. “I just love when stuff happens and this season never gets boring because there’s a lot going on.”

 

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With a wedge between them, where does “Wilmon” stand as we enter season two? “I think Simon has been very lonely and heartbroken too because neither of them wanted it to end like that,” Ryding shares. “I think the difference is maybe one of them still has hope, or maybe both, but it’s very different because Wilhelm is motivated by revenge or desperation.”

Elsewhere, the actors were joined by series writer/creator Lisa Ambjörn for a special virtual discussion as part of Newfest, NYC’s premier LGBTQ film festival. While the trio remained coy about any plot specifics, they did offer up plenty of teases that sent viewers into a tizzy.

At one point in the conversation, Ryding let us into Wilhelm’s headspace this upcoming season, admitting, “Obviously he loves Simon. He wants to be with Simon; is that possible? Is he prepared to give up the crown, or not?” Now, we’re no royal experts, but “giving up the crown” isn’t just something someone does on a whim—we have a feeling that question will play a big part in this season’s dramatic themes.

Related: Daddies, mama’s boys, and a couple of rare birds: 10 must-see movies from New York’s Newfest 2022

As for Simon, well, Ambjörn reveals he’ll be doing some “exploring” of his own, recalling the old adage that, sometimes, you have to lose yourself in order to find yourself. So, sorry “Wilmon” ‘shippers, but if that couple really is the series’ endgame, it sounds like we’re going to have watch them go their separate ways before they can wind up together.

Time will tell! And, thank goodness, that time is soon. New episodes of Young Royals hit Netflix on November 1. You can watch the “dreamy” first 4 minutes of season two below: