‘Young Royals’: a Netflix Masterpiece.
The new Swedish Netflix show ‘Young Royals’ features a young prince, Wilhelm, who is sent to boarding school as punishment for getting involved in a fight at a club. There, Wilhelm meets Simon, an outcast, non-boarding student who doesn’t fit in with the snobby, wealthy students at Hillerska boarding school. I watched all 6 episodes of Young Royals back to back and I regret nothing. In fact- the next day, I did it again.
When a trailer for the show appeared on my Twitter timeline, I’m not ashamed to admit I only pressed play because it said the show was in Swedish and I’ve always thought the language was beautiful. I didn’t expect to be greeted by themes straight out of a fanfiction handbook: we get friends-to-lovers, royalty, mutual pining, and a narrative that handles these themes so greatly we fall in love with the two main characters almost immediately and root for their relationship throughout.
Wilhelm and Simon’s first interaction is in a choir hall, where the school’s choir- which Simon is a major part of- perform a stunning cover of ‘It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane’ by The Ark. Up to this point, Wilhelm has been quiet and resigned to the thought of leaving his city life and older brother, the crown prince Erik, behind for boarding school, but he starts to pay attention when he hears Simon singing. On the lyrics “if you don’t give me the chance to bring down the walls of attitude” Wilhelm sits up straighter and we see his eyes focus on Simon, who is looking straight ahead and singing powerfully. At “the picture never drops, it’s like a multicoloured snapshot”, Simon is smiling proudly, clearly knowing in an honest-but-not-boastful way that everyone in the hall is enraptured by his voice. Whether consciously or subconsciously, Wilhelm mirrors this- a small smile in his face that grows as Simon continues singing- and this is the first time the viewers start to get hints that something is different here from the usual “prince falls for girl who isn’t royal”.
Their relationship blossoms from a dubious friendship to romantic partners in an organic, albeit secret, manner. Wilhelm attempts to deny his feelings for Simon after the first kiss in the second episode, but eventually asks Simon to spend the weekend with him. “What happened to forget about it?” Simon asks him, to which Wilhelm sheepishly replies, “I take it back”. The cinematography has a special focus on the physical comfort they find in each other, from intertwining fingers whilst watching a horror film to a close up shot of their faces when Wilhelm grieves his brother. The joy and safety they find with each other highlights the stupidity of those condemning a member of the royal family being gay: these shots serve as a reminder that this is what Wilhelm and Simon would both miss out on if they were forced apart.
During an intimate moment in the prince’s bedroom, with the curtains unfortunately not drawn, antagonist August (Wilhelm’s cousin) records them- thinking Wilhelm is with a girl and he can embarrass his cousin later- before realising it’s Simon that he’s with. In the penultimate episode, August leaks the footage and Wilhelm is told to deny it’s him with Simon in the video. The prince meets up with Simon, after the video goes viral, in the locker room to discuss their options, with Simon suggesting that Wilhelm shouldn’t deny that it’s him. One of the most beautifully simple pieces of dialogue stems from this scene, with Simon saying, “we haven’t done anything wrong”. Wilhelm replies, easily matching the breathtaking simplicity, “no,” before leaning his head on Simon’s shoulder like the weight of the world rests on his shoulders, “we haven’t. You’re right”.
The characters are well-developed, and every character has goals and motivations that are either explicitly shown or strongly implied. August also attends Hillerska and is ostensibly your typical posh-boy trust fund antagonist. Yet, even after we see him once again delay paying the money he owes Simon- especially since Simon urgently needs the money to pay his tuition fees- the heartbroken look on his face when Wilhelm exposes his family’s bankruptcy still manages to stir up a few drops of sympathy. The boarding school is August’s whole life, and maintaining his wealthy, influential reputation is always his primary concern, hence his obsession with being seen as close with Wilhelm and entering a relationship with “modern nobility” Felice. Wilhelm is picture perfect as the prince who knows what he wants despite it being disallowed as a member of the royal family, and Simon shines as the boy who is proud of who he is and refuses to be a secret, no matter how much he loves Wilhelm. The actors in this show are phenomenal, and, with just an exception or two, Young Royals has managed to skirt the (frustratingly) growing trend to have teens in school-setting shows looking 29 years old.
The musical score is also on point at every turn, with lyrics from the first choir song, the The Arks song Simon initially sings, including “oh, it takes a fool to remain sane, oh, in this world all covered up in shame”. Another prominent song used is ‘Revolution’ by Elias. This song is used halfway through the season after Wilhelm, high on drugs, calls Simon in the middle of the night and Simon frantically cycles across town to check he’s safe- it is then used again in the finale, after Wilhelm enters the car and drives away from Hillerska and Simon. The lyrics from ‘Revolution’ that were most poignant are “running with a crown on your head, a resolution written on your hands. And the lies, they will hurt you no more, human kindness desert you no more.” The “lies” referred to in the song is of course referencing Wilhelm’s announcement that it wasn’t him in the leaked video with Simon, and the “resolution written on your hands” is, I hope, an ode to the two rekindling their relationship in a possible second season.
Young Royals is an incredible show, and provides us with an LGBT story that is hopeful and heartfelt. However, even more than being an LGBT story- it’s a real story, regardless of royalty or the fictional characters, about the experience of first love and the discovery of who you are as a person. I highly, highly recommend this show and sincerely hope it’s a sign of the times about ongoing representation in mainstream media.
