WISE Score
Avg. Tomatometer
A raw, Swedish boarding school drama where the prince is awkward, the skin has actual acne, and the stakes feel painfully real.
100%
100%View →If Heartstopper is the sunny, optimistic version of a queer teen romance, Young Royals is its moody, realistic Swedish cousin. It’s beautifully shot, incredibly acted, and avoids the glossy, over-sanitized feel of American teen soaps.
It’s a 'must-watch' for older teens who are tired of the Euphoria level of extremity but still want something that feels 'adult.' It’s heavy, it’s emotional, and it actually has something to say about privacy in the digital age.
This is firmly for the 14+ crowd. It deals with mature themes—sex, drugs, and the crushing pressure of monarchy—in a way that requires a level of emotional maturity younger kids just won't have yet.
The core romance is deeply tender and emotionally honest, but it is surrounded by a toxic boarding school culture, drug use, and significant betrayal.
It takes the tired 'royal at boarding school' trope and makes it feel visceral and new through grounded performances and a specific Swedish cultural lens.
Rated TV-MA for sex scenes, drug use (cocaine, pills), and a plot centered on a non-consensually filmed sex tape. Definitely not for the younger set.
Excellent for exploring the weight of social class, the cost of institutional duty, and the nuances of digital privacy and consent.
When you first hear the premise—a rebellious prince sent to a prestigious boarding school—you expect a certain level of camp. You expect Gossip Girl headbands and Elite levels of murder-mystery nonsense. Young Royals rejects all of that. Instead, it gives us Prince Wilhelm, a kid who looks like he’s actually going through puberty and feels the physical weight of his lineage in every scene.
One of the most striking things about this show is the production design and casting. The actors look like teenagers. They have visible acne, they wear the same clothes twice, and they aren't constantly lit like they're in a perfume commercial. This groundedness makes the high-stakes drama—like the leaking of a private video—feel much more devastating because the characters feel like people you might actually know.
The show isn't just a romance; it's a tragedy about the loss of autonomy. Wilhelm's struggle isn't just about being gay; it's about being a royal who is gay in an institution that values tradition over human happiness. It’s a great entry point for talking to teens about the 'gilded cage' and the ethics of institutions that demand you sacrifice your identity for a brand. If your kid liked Heartstopper, this is the natural next step for when they're ready for something with more teeth.
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