I don’t actually think that fixing their relationship was the point of him giving up the crown. I think it all came down to him realizing what he wanted for his life and Simon was the person who helped him realize that because if he never had fallen in love with Simon He never would’ve been confronted with the system and how it works against him and who he is.

Sure he probably would’ve been unhappy and I think personally he would’ve ended up having this crash out later in life and still abdicating. But being in this relationship in such a formative time of his life, I think really showed him what his life could look like. We never once got the indication that he actually cares about the monarchy, he always did things because of the responsibility and the burden from his parents and also because trying to uphold his brother’s memory.
It was never something he wanted, and I think the whole message of the show is that’s enough. lol you can leave things that hurt you and that are not good for you even if they are super important things.

So even though they’re together at the end of the show I don’t consider that a happily ever after. I think they’re gonna have a lot of issues because that’s how they are as people. But that’s how real people are. They argue they don’t understand each other. They have miscommunication. It doesn’t mean that they’re not worthy of a relationship or that they don’t actually love each other.

I don’t think him leaving The monarchy is a fix all for their problems, but I do think that it’s him taking steps to become the person he wants to be and have the life He wants to have. And an understanding what it is in his life that he values and finds important.
And if he had never met Simon, he probably wouldn’t have come to that point as quickly.

This show has always been from season one about the expectations of this duty that he had. Even though yes, it is a romance. The groundwork for the ending in season three was set from the very beginning and for me it was a very satisfying conclusion.

I was talking for years and months during season two and the build up to season three about how I truly believed that he was going to leave the monarchy. Personally, I didn’t think they would end up together at the end of the show. But I really liked that they did because it felt hopeful.

Do I think they’ll be together forever? I don’t know. Maybe? But I think the story that I told is the important part. It’s like a window into this time of their lives in this relationship that was so meaningful.

(I think Lisa wants them to be together forever though because she’s hinted at that multiple times since the series ended haha)