Long live King Robert Liam!
Prince Liam's (William Moseley) ongoing suspicions about Robert's (Max Brown) manipulative behavior were finally confirmed as a whole bunch of secrets and revelations came to light ahead of his coronation in Sunday's jaw-dropping season three finale of The Royals.
It turns out Robert definitely isn't the perfect picture of honor and integrity he's been praised as, and that could spell a lot more trouble in the monarchy, especially for Queen Helena (Elizabeth Hurley) and Princess Eleanor (Alexandra Park), now that he's seated in the most powerful position on the throne.
In fact, we'd even go so far as to say he's a complete and total monster. Too much? Well, let us count the ways:
1. Liam learned he had been hiding on the island.
After Jasper (Tom Austen) gave him Brandon Boone's (Thomas Christian) privileged information, Liam traveled to the deserted island where Robert had been stranded and returned with proof he had been hiding out there instead of returning home as soon as possible. "I did a little research and that boat came right past you several times," Liam accused Robert.
Robert immediately went into defense mode and turned the blame on his brother. "While you were here doing whatever you were doing to whoever you were doing it to, I was trying to survive," he retorted. He then accused Liam of wanting him dead before unfairly pointing the finger for their father's murder. Yikes!
2. He fired Spencer Hoenigsberg.
Robert was obviously unimpressed after witnessing the queen's extra-friendly relationship with her Lord Chamberlain (Jules Knight) on several occasions. But he finally gave Spencer the axe once he caught him comforting his mother with an embrace following Jack Parker's unexpected plane crash. Helena was in disbelief after learning Robert had dismissed her right-hand man without any warning or concern for her happiness. "You had no right," she told her son. However, he quickly shot that down with a frightful response. "I have every right," he said. "I'm the king of England."
3. He ruined Eleanor and Jasper's relationship.
Now, this one is completely unforgivable. Not only did Robert personally invite Prince Sebastian (Toby Sandeman) to the People's Gala benefit to court his sister, but he orchestrated her breakup with Jasper!
Jasper never received Eleanor's love letter on Christmas because Robert intercepted it from the palace library and then burned it. Furthermore, he was the one who called Jasper's father and bribed him to sell out his son to the reporter Harper (Margo Stilley). But Robert's scheming may have all been in vain because Jasper still wasn't ready to give up on their fairy tale ending—even though she decided to take that trip with Seb.
"I love you," Jasper professed to Eleanor. "I want to be with you for the rest of time, and that's exactly what I intend to do because happily ever after, it's real, and we are going to find it together."
4. Simon never thought he was fit to rule.
In a series of flashbacks, the late King Simon (Vincent Regan) was shown teaching a young Robert how to master the game of chess. "You can learn a lot about a man's character by how he plays chess," he told his son. After years of meticulous practice and losing to his father, Robert finally conquered the skill, but it wasn't enough. "You have absorbed everything we've taught you," Simon said. "Your brother, on the other hand, is all heart, which isn't a terrible thing."
Robert replied that Liam still lacked discipline. "But he makes up for it by sheer will and determination," Simon responded. "You could learn a lot from him." Robert was insulted. "He could learn a lot from me," he snapped back. It was then revealed that Simon disclosed his drastic plans for England to his eldest son first.
"Your hubris, Robert, it will be your downfall one day," he said. "I have decided to disband the monarchy, my son. It's not your fault. You've done nothing wrong. It's just who you are. You have all the gifts that can be taught and none of the gifts that can't. You will never make a great king, and I'm sorry."
Is your mind racing yet with all the conspiracy theories?!
5. He dumped Kathryn in the worst way possible.
On the night before his coronation, Robert arrived at Kathryn's (Christina Wolfe) doorstep unannounced after days and days of radio silence. As he prepared to leave her apartment after having sex, he made a confession about his visions of her from the island. "You were wearing white like you are now," he explained. "You whispered a question to me. You're the reason that I came back." Romantic, right? Well, hold that thought.
"It's going to be difficult never seeing you again," he added before walking toward the door. When she chased him down and confronted him, Robert revealed he had known about her relationship with Liam the whole time. "There may have been a way [to make it work]," he began. "But that was lost the moment you slept with my brother and every time you lied about it to my face."
Kathryn was still confused as to why Robert would keep seeing her after the fact, so he curbed her curiousity with the cruelest answer ever. "Let's face it, you're quite the whore in bed," he said. "I think it's that common blood in you, but you'll have to ask Liam." Damn!
If that wasn't surprising enough, earlier that day Robert had given Willow (Genevieve Gaunt) an updated list of potential candidates for his future bride, in order of preferance. When she opened it, she realized Kathryn's name had been scratched out and hers had been added to the top!
Well, Cyrus practically looks like a saint after all of Robert's debauchery. So, how will he and Liam plot their revenge? Stay tuned for what's to come in season four!