Summary
A young woman struggles between normalcy and pleasing her royal family’s public persona.
We review the 2023 Netflix film Royalteen: Princess Margrethe, which does not contain spoilers.
Princess Margrethe is trying to live everyday life, but the royal family drama and her status get in the way of her doing just that.
The first film Royalteen focused on Margrethe’s brother falling in love with someone who wasn’t in the royal family. It still was from the female perspective with the young girl, but Margrethe’s brother had to deal with people treating him differently.
This follow-up shows the vast difference in how men and women are treated in all aspects of life. It’s sad to see the differences in treatment, but the one focus is on their mental health, which many audiences can relate to.
Royalteen: Princess Margrethe Review and Plot Summary
In the wake of her prom scandal, Princess Margrethe longs for normalcy as she struggles to maintain her perfect facade while dealing with family drama.
Throughout the film, Margrethe struggles with her mental health, and she turns to alcohol to help her cope. In doing so, she also makes other poor decisions that don’t make the original situation go away. While Margrethe processes that one night, whatever she does after that reminds her of how she handled it.
She has people by her side to help her through it, but no one can still understand what she is going through. Women may be able to speak to others about their issues, but it’s hard for others to fully understand their perspective. It’s almost natural for women to overthink everything because they’ve been conditioned.
Is Royalteen: Princess Margrethe good or bad?
The reason why Royalteen: Princess Margrethe is good is because it shows how women can be perceived. Margrethe wanted to live her life and do what every other teenager would be doing on prom night.
She makes those drunken mistakes, and it ends up spiraling out of control for her. She remembers what happened to her that night in fragments, which is very difficult to process. And as a woman, the men treat her differently.
They believe that what she chose to do while under the influence wasn’t a big deal, but her connection to the royal family causes the problems.
Margrethe wants to explore her life outside of being a royal because she feels caged. Even the normal experiences of a woman are under a microscope which can be uncomfortable.
Is Royalteen: Princess Margrethe worth watching?
If you enjoyed the first film and didn’t like Karl Johan’s sister, you will gain a new appreciation for the character in this sequel.
Understanding both sides of the royal family and the issues they face is important. Director Ingvild Søderlind explores mental health through the aftermath of that one night for Margrethe, which can be helpful for viewers.
It’s hard to always feel the need to be composed and proper for the family in order to keep the facade that everything is okay. Margrethe finds comfort in unlikely people because they see her for who she is. And they end up wanting to protect her.
The way that Margrethe continuously replays what happened that night and beats herself up is heartbreaking. Women aren’t allowed to be sexual without public scrutiny, let alone be a royal and make one “mistake.”
What did you think of the 2023 Netflix film Royalteen: Princess Margrethe? Comment below.
