#august horn
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What’s even better about Augusts fate is that Wille didn’t give him the title out of spite, as a final fuck you of some sorts. No. He’s forgiven August as much as he can. He thinks he’s doing him a favor.
#yr spoilers#yr season 3#yr s3 spoilers#young royals#young royals analysis#talking shit for the hell of it#prince wilhelm#august horn
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Oh my fucking god.
#august being the victim to being the cycle breaker is insane#young royals#young royals season 3#yr#yr s3#yr s3 spoilers#prince wilhelm#august horn#nils young royals#malte gardinger#edvin ryding
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det är august augusti hörni
#i watched this while recovering from surgery so awesome#young royals#yr#august horn#sara eriksson#myart#tillsammans visade de världen. vad en hästtjej och en pojkhäst kan åstadkomma<3 autism win
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from dawning realization to absolute fear in his eyes.. (props to malte he is such a good actor)
something something you made your bed now you gotta lie in it
#i have SO MANY THOUGHTS about the way his character arc was handled but it’s all a jumbled mess for now#hooooly shit it was so good though#young royals#august horn#august young royals#august yr#yr s3 spoilers#yr spoilers
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Young Royals is anti-monarchist propaganda (always has been)
I think it’s fair to say that most of the fandom was quite happy with the finale. However, I’ve seen a handful of posts by people who were unhappy, specifically those who were unhappy with Wille giving up his place in the line of succession. These criticisms range in everything from dismissing Wille’s choice (Wilhelm has made a harsh decision without thinking of the consequences, this won’t actually make the media circus around him go away), to those disappointed in how the monarchy in general was represented (Wille could have modernized the institution, no one in the show attempted to consider how the monarchy could be good, actually). I don’t want to invalidate anyone’s feelings about the finale. If you didn't like it, that’s more than ok and I don’t want to argue with anyone about their taste.
But when it comes to criticism about Wilhelm giving up the throne, I do find myself frustrated at what I see as a fundamental misunderstanding of what this show was trying to communicate. Young Royals, plain and simple, is a story that denounces the incompatibility of antiquated and hierarchical institutions (Hillerska, the monarchy) with equality and justice.
If you’ve had the displeasure of being my fandom friend you’ll know that I’ve spent the last 3 years yelling about how this show is about abolishing the monarchy. I even wrote a lengthy fanfic with the sole excuse of having Wilhelm arrive at this conclusion. Still, I knew that whatever statement the show wanted to arrive at, we’d only really be getting to it at the end of the show.
Seasons one and two were setting up all the characters on the chessboard for the end: Wilhelm is the Crown Prince, although he does not want to be. He and Simon are in love, but Wilhelm’s role drives a wedge between them. Erik’s legacy and August's spot next in line are keeping Wilhelm in his place.
From episode one, I think the show was telling us about the many things that are wrong with the monarchy, but I don’t think it’s until season three that these discussions become more explicit. Is this why some people were disappointed by the ending? Maybe so. Still, I wanted to look at how season three in particular answers some of the questions or issues people are bringing up regarding both the monarchy and the Wilhelm’s choice.
What do you like about the monarchy?
Season 3 Episode 4 is the first time we hear an explicit discussion about why the monarchy could potentially be a good institution. I’ve seen some people complain that the show didn’t give this idea enough thought.
I completely disagree with this take: the short conversation Wille and Simon have in this episode is succinct, but still effective at presenting both arguments in this debate. A longer and more drawn out conversation would have been a bit unrealistic and probably boring to watch. These are not academics having a debate, but two teenagers who are talking about what for them is emotionally charged.
There’s also no need for a longer, more detailed discussion. Wilhelm does provide a very good answer to the question: The monarchy is there to unite the people. To be a neutral party in situations when the government cannot or will not interfere.
A quick civics lesson: In parliamentary democracies, the monarch serves as the Head of State.
This role is predominantly representative, although in many places the government is formed in the name of the monarch. This could, theoretically, grant them some political power-- since they could technically reject the winning party from forming a government. However, in most parliamentary monarchies, the King or Queen simply has to accept whatever decision is made based on election results.
However, the value of the Head of State is precisely in its apolitical nature. Regardless of who’s in power, the head of state is a neutral ambassador of the nation, both in and outside of their country. Their job is diplomatic and representative, and one that is thoroughly divorced from politics. This is what Wilhelm meant when he said that the monarchy was there to ‘unite the people’. Whenever I’ve spoken to pro-monarchy folks about their beliefs, they cite this as the reason why they like it.
It’s easy to see why Wilhlem would latch on this as his main argument to defend the institution. I don’t think there is anything inherently bad about having a separate head of state that represents the country. I don’t think the major grip with this issue is the having a head of state, but the fact that the head of state is a hereditary position. Simon says this himself twice in this episode: the issue is not that the head of state exists, but that the head of state is not an elected position. Furthemore, the head of state is a role that is imposed on a person not by their talent as a public speaker or negotiator, but by a simple accident of birth.
The job’s legitimacy or importance should not be above any individual’s right to autonomy and self-determination. Furthermore, considering that taxpayers are the ones who finance this position, shouldn’t they be able to elect who it is?
Let’s imagine a scenario where a friend tells you they’ve gone into a career because everyone in their family works in that industry, and they simply had no choice in the matter. It wouldn’t even matter if they were good or bad, they had a job in this career guaranteed from birth.
Would you not be concerned that maybe your friend is unhappy for a rather unnecessary reason? Would you not think that perhaps someone who actually wanted the job would be better suited for it? Would you think it right for a company to hire someone simply because of their family history? Would you consider any of this fair? And what is so special about monarchy that makes us have a different answer for it than we would if the question was about law or medicine?
You’ll always be famous.
Another common criticism I’ve seen is that Wilhelm will inevitably regret his decision, especially once he realizes that public scrutiny will not be going away. This is true, Wilhelm will likely always be a figure of public interest. But to me, this has always been a negative consequence of the monarchy, and I have a hard time seeing this is a valid reason why he should stay in it.
From the second we meet him, we know Wilhelm is uncomfortable with both the public attention and the scrutiny placed on him. However, this goes a bit further than that. I’d argue than more than the scrutiny itself, Wilhelm is weighed down by having to keep a public image. Because, remember folks, Wilhelm is not merely an awkward teenage boy with acne and a crush. No, no, Wilhelm is the State. Wilhelm is going to be a publicly-funded representative of the nation . This means, of course, that there’s a narrative, as he mentions himsef, that needs to be put forward. One that’s generic, serious, and unproblematic:
From the get go, Wilhelm is uncomfortable with the inauthentic and performative aspect of his role.This is a constant we see with Wilhelm in seasons one and two: every ‘performance’ he has to do fills him with nausea, anxiety, or some sort of discomfort.
In season three, Wilhelm begins acquiescing to this performance. Uncomfortable as he may be, for most of season 3 he’s accepted that this is his role. However, the attention this season shifts from Wilhelm to Simon, who’s now the one facing public scrutiny. The difference is that, unlike Wille, there’s no role for Simon to play. Nothing about who he is or what he believes is compatible with the public image the monarchy is putting forward. The only thing he can do in this situation is disappear, and Wilhelm is tasked with having to ask that of him.
I know a lot of people were exasperated at Simon’s very bad and clumsy social media presence. I’m not gonna argue that my boy wasn’t being a bit cringey, because he absolutely was. But I think the larger commentary here has more to do with the expectation that these two teenagers have to censor and edit themselves to comply with a particular PR image.
Ultimately, the criticism that Wilhelm will always be famous leads us straight back to the institution. Why does an underage boy have the same PR expectations as a politician? Why is a teenager dating his classmate + being cringe online justification for doxxing him? Unfortunately, no abdication is really going to undo any of this, and things are certainly going to be crazy once Wilhelm announces he’s stepping down .
However, this time around both he and Simon will at least have the agency to decide what they want to do with their public image, including the decision to disappear from the public completely if that’s what they want.
Queer representation
This a sentiment that has been in the fandom for some time now. This was the main argument why some people wanted Wille to stay in the monarchy. Sure, the institution has always been about bloodlines and tradition. But wouldn’t it be so nice to have Wilhelm as a symbol for the queer community? I’ve always found this idea a bit shallow. I’m not sure how much of a symbol of a queer and progressive country Wilhelm could be, when the whole idea is predicated on absolutely no one having a choice in the matter. Is it really impressive to accept the queerness of the guy you already had no choice in accepting?
There’s three scenes in season 3 where the potential Wilhelm -and by extension Simon- could have for the queer community come up. Farima brings it up in the first episode, but the framing here is reversed. Wilhelm isn’t serving the LGBTQ community by being a queer Prince, but the monarchy is using Wilhelm (and his queerness) to appear progressive.
The show, however, does humor this idea with the May 1st photo. We see what Simon and Wilhelm could potentially do for the community by simply existing as who they are: they’re inspirational. It gives Simon, briefly, hope that maybe something good could come out of this.
But this moment is quite literally framed by politics. It doesn't matter that Simon is not participating in that manifestation, anything that is slightly connected with politics is a challenge to neutrality of the monarchy. This same idea is stated more explicitly int the next episode, when Wilhelm is reviewing the options for his charity.
Ultimately, any action significant enough to be truly impactful, would be bordering the limits of what could be considered political. He's got to stick it out with these quite frankly boring and limited themes, all for the sake of staying on the very narrow lane of things that are not political.
The weight of the crown.
Stories about Kings and Queens usually carry the same fundamental tension of duty vs self.
In order to rule, our protagonist has to sacrifice themselves, usually for the sake of their country and people. The Crown is an excellent example of this type of story. Sacrifice in that series is framed as something noble and selfless.
Young Royals started out with this same fundamental tension, but the main difference is that Young Royals has framed this debate as a question:
Why should Wilhelm give himself up, his happiness, the love of his life, and his mental well-being? What’s so important and valuable about this institution that requires this sacrifice?
Wilhelm’s journey is about accepting and voicing his answer. He doesn’t want to be Crown Prince, he doesn’t want to be King.
But by virtue of taking part of this journey with him, we’re able to examine this question from a different perspective: Is this institution valuable enough to justify all of this? I think the show is inviting all of us to evaluate this situation and arrive at the conclusion that it isn’t.
Even someone like August, who wanted this, is weighed down by the realization of just how much the crown weighs. Of course, a big part of the fandom probably doesn’t live in countries with parliamentary monarchies. Still, considering the worldwide popularity of the British Royals, for example, I still think it’s a worthwhile exercise to question the validity of these institutions. Are they really worth sustaining? And if they’re not, why should we continue to drag them on into the present, citing tradition?
#young royals#prince wilhelm#Wilhelm#wilhelm yr#simon eriksson#Wilmon#Politics in Young Royals#august horn#yr meta#my and
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Malte appreciation post for how he delivered the scene after the announcement of closing Hillerska.
You can actually see how it grows in him, boils and boils and boils up until...
The way it just stopped me in shock of how August reacted - even more bc of the fact that he is a person who is perceived as a leader of the school and how very important for the other students it was to have somebody who will tell them what to do in this chaos.
And August still has that, we could see in that scene when no one was listening to Vincent asking for attention.
And August successfully stopped them.
So yeah, maybe it wasn't going from a place of "I need to say something to make them feel better" in August. But he was honest and he said it with good effect.
Also, it really made me hold my breath for this scene. I felt pretty similar to when I watched season 1 Wille screaming at August at the gym.
Oh Malte, the actor you are.
#i'm so greatfull for this man#malte gårdinger#young royals#young royals season 3#august horn#august of årnäs
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August getting the crown was a way to punish him for everything he's done
Since season 1 they have been repeating the same phrase "the crown is a privilege, not a punishment", Wille always felt the crown was a punishment while for August it was a privilege, when he still could not fully understand what it really meant to have it.
August had idealized the crown and Wille's life. Wille had his parents, he had Erik as a brother and he had the crown; In August's eyes, Wille had it all, but the reality was that Wille's life was much more complicated and stressful than August believed.
In his last conversation with Vincent and Nils, when August tells them that he is Wille's spare, his friends tell him something like "that's actually a bad thing, being just his cousin you enjoyed the privileges of being related to the royal family without the responsibilities, pressures, obligations, etc. This is going to be better for us because we are your friends and we can enjoy the privileges of being 'the friend of' but you are now going to have the entire burden of the title on your shoulders."
This is when the series shows us that that phrase that they had been telling us since season 1 was not true since the crown is a punishment.
Everything August believed the crown was was fantasy and idealization but the reality of what it means to be the crown prince is much more complex and harsh.
Wille managed to be free by leaving the crown and in a way imprisoning August. He could not report him to the police and have him go to jail for the crime he committed, but he could arrest him with that title and condemn him to an unhappy life.
Now Wille is free but August is not
#young royals#prince wilhelm#wilhelm young royals#crown prince wilhelm#young royals season 3#yr s3#young royals analysis#august young royals#august horn#August Horn of Årnäs#yr s3 spoilers#yr season 3#crown prince wilhelm abdicates#abdication#yr
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Gotta admit that this moment of August realisation is one of my top favourites.
He finally has what he wanted since season 1 plus a horse and knows that he is fucked because of that
The devil works hard, but Lisa works harder
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What I also love about the ending is that Wille escapes the cycle but the others haven’t. The Queen finally admits to how terrible the system has been for her. We see August grow apprehensive of the title he’s inherited. But unless he breaks out of it, it’ll continue forever. They all keep making the same mistakes for the sake of tradition. They insist on the importance of tradition and are miserable because of it. They perpetuate suffering. Wille grows and changes, questions tradition and the system upheld by it. And as a result he’s happy and free.
#young royals#young royals analysis#yr s3 spoilers#yr spoilers#young royals season 3#august horn#prince wilhelm#queen kristina#talking shit for the hell of it
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Wilhelm: goes off on August about Erik
August:
#young royals#young royals season 3#yr#yr s3#yr s3 spoilers#prince wilhelm#august horn#edvin ryding#malte gardinger
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The one thing I will say is Simon actually deserves an apology from way more people, not just Sara! Like homeboy dealt with the maximum amount of shit from people at that school. I am glad August gave a genuine apology to Wille, and that Wille let go of his resentment for his own sake. But August owes Simon one too, his face being in that video derailed Simon's whole life. And ALL of those awful kids at Hillerska, literally all of them bullied that boy on a daily basis. I am glad Simon got his happy ending though that alludes to Simon winning in the end, he has been through so much and deserves all the love and support from this point onwards. No more of him having to be strong for everyone and disregard his own emotions.
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Thinking about the family dynamics of Simon/Sara and Wille/August. How Wille and August were raised in a privilege where their mistakes are trivial in the long term and apologies do not hold much importance because the people around them won't take much time to conveniently sweep them under the rug. How Sara and Simon were raised knowing that anyone who makes mistakes has to earn their apology because a single mistake can shatter all the trust in relationships in the blink of an eye. How Micke still gets hostility in return from his children because he hasn't realized how deep Simon and Sara's hurt is. How Wilhelm was eager for a reconciliation with Simon in the beginning of S2 without understanding how much Simon was hurt by his actions. How it made Wilhelm realize that he can't just show up and ask Simon to take him back because Simon will never sweep Wilhelm's mistakes under the rug and he actually needs to do the work and realize what exactly Simon wants. How Sara will probably give August a hard time to make him realize what exactly he did wrong. How Simon will probably make Sara work up and earn her apology because Sara shattered his trust by doing exactly what Simon and Sara both hate the most. Thinking about how all of their different upbringings will clash for the last time in the final chapter.
#young royals#prince wilhelm#simon eriksson#august horn#sara eriksson#but seeing August's cockiness in the trailer i doubt he will get the memo#but then again not every character has to be redeemable
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if i had a nickel for every time i've audibly gasped upon hearing the words "it will pass" spoken during a breakup, i would have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice
#young royals#young royals season 3#yr s3 spoilers#yr season 3#sara eriksson#august horn of årnäs#august horn#fleabag#hot priest x fleabag
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I personally love what they did with August's storyline. Do I think he deserves prison for leaking the video? Yes. Do I think his prison would've been too comfortable? Also yes.
The way they chose to give him everything he wants is as close to a fair punishment that he could ever receive. People like him always gets what they want. Only this time, what he wants is only going to make him miserable. Enjoy your throne, August. You deserve it.
#I absolutely adore the way Malte plays him#I hate August#but good god if he isn't a well-made character#I don't think he deserves to be defended#he is a victim in the initiation case#but a victim can still be the villain in someone else's story#and that's him#young royals#yr s3 spoilers#august horn#august of årnäs
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i want to learn august's whole character and how the Swedish monarchy works just so I can write a fic about him hating it and ultimately being the one to end the monarchy
#shimmer's thoughts#young royals#august horn#break that cycle bitch#young royals season 3#young royals season 3 spoilers#yr s3#yr s3 spoilers
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Everything we learned about August in season 3 does nothing to diminish my distaste for him as a person. If anything, finding out what he went through as a first year only makes what he did 10 times worse because he knows what it felt like to be bullied, pushed around and made to feel small, and yet he did it to Simon and Alexander and even Wille while getting some sick sense of power from it.
August is a piss person. And all the "nice" things he says and does for or in defense of Sara is because it serves what he wants, which is to get her back. We have never once seen him do something selfless or remotely nice that wasn't motivated by self interest or to ease his own guilt.
So no! Your villian origin story means absolutely nothing, and understanding where you came from doesn't excuse your shitty behaviour August.
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