#Monarch of Sweden

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

Carl XVI Gustaf

Monarch of Sweden

[rabbitcruiser]

National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day

National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day celebrates these small, flying beings, and is for appreciating them, learning about them, spreading awareness about them, and viewing them in person.

There are about 20,000 species of butterflies—some sources say there are 17,500, while some say there are as many 24,000.  There are about 750 species found in the United States, where the white cabbage butterfly is the most prevalent. The life cycle of a butterfly begins when eggs are laid on leaves, which hatch into larvae known as caterpillars. They eat the leaves and flowers of the plant they are on, and grow in size while shedding their skin multiple times. They then turn into a pupa, or chrysalis, and then into a butterfly.

When they come out of their cocoon to a new world as a butterfly, they have to pump fluid into the veins in their wings in order to expand them.  They then have to rest for a few hours before taking flight for the first time. Butterflies are cold blooded, and the air around them affects their ability to function. If the air temperature gets below 55 degrees, their body temperature may drop too low to be able to fly. To remedy this, they may warm up their muscles by shivering or by lounging in the sun. They fly best in air temperatures between 82 and 100 degrees and are most comfortable when their body temperature is at about 85 degrees.

Their wings have thousands of scales that reflect light, giving them color. But underneath their scales, their wings are actually transparent. To protect themselves from predators, some butterflies fold their wings in to help camouflage themselves, or, conversely, some have bright colors that reveal to others their presence. Some predators are aware that many bright-colored insects are toxic when eaten, so they avoid these butterflies, even though, unbeknownst to them, they aren't poisonous. The common buckeye butterfly uses its colors to scare off birds.

Butterflies have receptors on their feet, which help them find host plants and food. Female butterflies tap on leaves until juices come out, and chemoreceptors on their legs tell them if the plants have the right type of chemicals to lay eggs on. Butterflies also step on their food to taste it. Adult butterflies only eat liquid, which is usually nectar, although they occasionally drink from mud puddles as well, to gain minerals and salts. They eat with a proboscis, which is like a straw; it is curled up under their chins and unfurls when they eat.

Butterflies generally have short lives, with most only living for two to four weeks, during which they mainly eat and mate. Some butterflies only live a few days, while some that migrate, like monarchs and morning cloaks, may live about nine months. Monarchs may travel over 2,500 miles to find warmth during the colder months.

The second flying creature celebrated today is the hummingbird.   There are about 325 species of hummingbirds, but only eight of them regularly breed in the United States. Although, up to two dozen species can be found there at various times. Most species of hummingbirds can be found in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and there are no hummingbirds outside of the Western Hemisphere. Many species can breed together, which creates hybrid species.

Hummingbirds are very small—many weigh less than the weight of a nickel. The calliope hummingbird is 3 inches long, and the bee hummingbird, native to Cuba, is the smallest bird species in the world, at 2.25 inches in length. Hummingbirds have such small feet that they can't walk or hop properly. They can shuffle a bit, though, but their feet are mainly used for preening. The small size of their feet also allows them to fly quicker. They can fly up to 30 miles per hour when going forward, and up to 60 miles per hour when diving.

Each species of hummingbird makes a different humming sound because the wings of each species beats at a different rate. Generally, a hummingbird's wings beat somewhere between 50 and 200 times a second. Wings aren't the only things that beat quickly when it comes to hummingbirds: their hearts beat more than 1,200 times a minute. They also take a breath about 250 times a minute, and that number is even higher when they are flying.

Like butterflies, hummingbirds may fly hundreds or even thousands of miles to migrate. They mainly eat nectar, but also eat small insects, spiders, tree sap, and juice from fruit. Their lifespan ranges from 3 to 12 years and is contingent on factors such as their species, habitat, and vulnerability due to predators and other threats. On National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day, we remember and celebrate both of these animals.

National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day is being observed today! It has always been observed annually on October 3rd.

Source

[toilets-n-tush]

Kinda off-topic: I've seen people use "quing" as a non-binary term when people say "queen" or "king" in slang. As a history buff, that pains me. I just want to point out that "monarch" is the literally gender-neutral term for a king or queen. That's why a lot of autocratic countries are called "monarchies", absolute or constitutional.

Additionally, not every monarch titled "king" was male. History records several women who assumed the title, like Tamar of Georgia and Jadwiga of Poland, primarily because the law did not specify that a king must be male. Fun fact, both of those women were canonized as saints in the Georgian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, respectively.

Other notable examples are Hatshepsut of Egypt, who even donned a fake beard and men's clothes to help with her appearance, and Kristina of Sweden, who was referred to as "Queen" but her official title was "King". There are even theories Kristina may have been intersex, but I ain't getting into that. We don't speculate the gender identities of people who've been dead for over three centuries.

Sorry for bugging y'all but that brought back Vietnam flashbacks or some shit.

One thing about the Euros is that the English still haven’t quite adjusted to the Queen dying so during the national anthem they keep singing “God Save The Quing” like there’s a non-binary monarch on the throne.

[royalty-nobility]

Charles XV of Sweden and Norway

Artist: W C Sondels

Charles XV or Carl (Carl Ludvig Eugen; Swedish and Norwegian officially: Karl; 3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden and Norway, there often referred to as Charles IV, from 8 July 1859 until his death in 1872. Charles was the third Swedish monarch from the House of Bernadotte. He was the first one to be born in Sweden, and the first to be raised from birth in the Lutheran faith.

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Constitutional Monarchy

As there are many breeds of government, there are equally as many species of monarchy. Today, we will be learning about the concept of constitutional monarchy and how we can write them within our WIPs.

What is a Constitutional Monarchy?

Constitutional Monarchy is a monarchy that is bound by a country's constitution, where the monarch doesn't rule but they reign. The government acts and runs in the monarch's name, at their pleasure and owes their allegiance to the Crown but they are the decision-makers.

The Power and the Glory

The monarch doesn't have the power to rule but as Head of State, they still retain certain powers and responsibilities.

The monarch has the right to:

Warn a Prime Minister/Chancellor against a decision.

Be consulted about all state matters, crisis and news.

Advise and encourage.

The monarch has the responsibility to:

Be impartial, no matter their true feelings

Support the Prime Minister/Chancellor in their efforts to lead the country

The monarch usually retains power in the form of the Head of the Armed Forces (though most can't declare war), has the power to dissolve a sitting government, has the power to sign bills and legislation into law, by the opening of Parliament and recieves diplomats and ambassadors.

Why a Constitutional Monarchy?

You might be asking, why would a monarch agree to all these rules and limits? They are the King/Queen, no? Shouldn't they have all the power? Easy answer, they want to maintain both their power and their heads. Most modern monarchies have ceded to be bound by constitution because autocracies come with as many dangers as they come with benefits. A constitutional monarchy is often chosen to protect the monarchy, ensure it's longevity, appease the public and modernise to fit with changing opinions. The monarchy that doesn't adapt, doesn't survive. If a monarch truly believes in the role of monarchy and their duty, they would do well to consider how much they are willing to sacrifice in its name. It also provides a unifying figure for the country to look up to without the divide of political opinion and creed.

Constitutional Monarchies Across the World

The UK: The monarch's role is ceremonial, they open Parliament, grant Royal approval to bills and meet with the Prime Minister to be informed of the government's doings.

Sweden: The Swedish monarchy is symbolic only.

Japan: The Emperor of Japan has no governing powers, he recieves foreign dignitaries, participates in traditional events and rituals.

Spain: The Spanish monarchy has the power to dissolve government, summon government and appoint the Prime Minister.

Norway: Norway's monarchy is heavily symbolic but the monarch resides over the Council of State, signs official documents and undertakes state visits.

Belgium: The Belgian monarchy is also ceremonial but has the power to appoint the formateur who leads coalition negotiations, signs laws but these acts must require the signature of a government minister.

The Netherlands: The Dutch monarch has a ceremonial role, with the Prime Minister and Parliament holding political power. The monarch’s duties include signing bills into law and representing the country at official events

Thailand: The Thai monarch has a cultural and ceremonial role but politics is the business of the elected government.

Monaco: The Principality of Monaco is an exceptional version of a constitutional monarchy. While the Prince is bound by the constitution, he had the power to appoint the Minister of State and the Government Council. These bodies are directly accountable to the Prince. The Prince has the right to propose laws to the National Council, veto laws and formally enacts the laws approved by the National Council.

Denmark: The monarch appoints the Prime Minister who leads Folketing, they sign all acts passed by the government which must be countersigned by a Cabinet Minister and participates in state ceremonies.

Lesotho: This monarchy is ceremonial too but the King has the power to appoint the Prime Minister and other officials (on governmental advice).

[holllandtrash]

the people's princess | charles leclerc social media au

pairing: charles leclerc x princess!reader (selin yagcioglu faceclaim)

everyone thought charles was the princess of monaco but when the real one comes out hiding and slowly inserts herself into the world of f1, suddenly 2 princesses don't seem so bad i know very little about royalty and monarchs so uhh dont come for me

princessyn.updates

liked by dailyceleb, monaco.daily and 25,91 others

princessyn.updates meet the 22-year-old Princess, who is set to be Monaco's first female monarch since the 17th century. Y/N has kept out of the spotlight for much of her youth as she focused on academics until recently where it is announced she attended Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Switzerland and Kings College of London

view all 612 comments

genzprincesses where the hell has she been hiding

userjanessa this is now a y/n fan account

perceval_lordsharl this is a lie, charles leclerc is the TRUE princess of monaco

monacomonarchynews

liked by monaco.daily, princessyn.updates and 18,103 others

monacomonarchynews The 23-year-old Princess, Y/N is the only child of Albert II, Prince of Monaco. Y/N has studied abroad in the United States, Sweden and in Dubai up until recently. She has now returned to Monaco and has shifted her studies to the Monarchy.

view all 412 comments

userjanessa this is conflicting information

ynismommy hello didn't another account say shes 22 and studied in switzerland and london?? what is the truth

allthefandoms so no one knows anything about her is what it seems like

fantasy_leagues_lewis kinda sus...charles would never

driverupdates

liked by carlossleclerc, paddocklewis and 17,204 others

driverupdates charles leclerc seen back in monaco following the australian grand prix!

view all 723 comments

hunnyseb he's calling fred and putting in his 2 weeks after the chaos that was sunday

sharls16 hes angry but he's pretty

pole.positions he needs this break more than any other driver lmaaao

yn.ofmonaco

liked by daily.celeb, ynfanclub and 19,182 others

yn.ofmonaco happy to be home

view all 2,104 comments

ynfanclub she is the moment

userjanessa i've been WAITING for her first post and the princess did not dissapoint

sharls16 maybe charles will be in a better mood once he meets the literal princess of monaco

happyhamilton ??? are they. .. supposed to meet? sharls16 i mean, why wouldn't they? he's f1 royalty and she's ROYALTY royalty both from monaco lestappen i would pay so much money to see them together r u kidding

princessyn.updates

liked by ynismommy, monaco.daily and 24,192 others

princessyn.updates Y/N has just arrived at the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco Gala ! This is the first public event she has attended but we hope to see more of her as she settles into life as a Royal in Monaco

view all 1,927 comments

ynismommy okay i luv her

yellowferrari wait didn't charles go to this thing last year?? what if he's here this year too 👀👀

charschumick ARE WE GONNA GET A ROYAL ON ROYAL MEET UP FINALLY

yn.ofmonaco

liked by lewishamilton, princessyn.updates and 46,102 others

yn.ofmonaco so happy to have been able to attend the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco gala tonight, as a girl i was always so inspired by my father and what he has given back to this country. I can't wait to have a bigger role in this organisation moving forward ♡

view all 2,501 comments

ynismommy oh shes smart kind AND charitable

user.schumacher if charles doesn't date her i will

ferrarisandmclarens lewis hamilton what are you doing here in her likes

gussellreorge im sorry but the fact that she doesnt even follow 8 time world champion lewis hamilton but he's still out here liking her pictures...like the drivers know shes a catch leclercswatch idc about her and lewis i care about the non-existent her and charles

princessyn.updates

liked by charles_leclerc, monaco.daily and 28,216 others

princessyn.updates Princess Y/N is back in Boston this week as she has been invited to be a keynote speaker at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

view all 1,793 comments

usermclaren ok so we all heard that charles liked this post and came here to see if it was true right

sharl16 he's making moves usermclaren is he?

bottasspls so is she a business bitch or a princess

ynismommy both

charles_leclerc added to their story

yn.ofmonaco

liked by lewishamilton, princessyn.updates and 59,827 others

yn.ofmonaco What a whirlwind couple of days! I will never take anything in life for granted, thank you mitsloan for inviting me back to speak to future graduates and thank you to the kind stranger at the train station who helped me figure out where I was going (also I just learned what a photo dumb was...did I do it right?)

view all 6,209 comments

ynismommy sweetheart its a photo DUMP

mclarenstractors my favorite thing about Y/N is that she understands social media about as much as my 45 year old mother does

pierregasly 8/10 on the boston dump

yn.ofmonaco That's a passing grade, I will take it!

francisca.cgomes

liked by pierregasly, joris__trouche and 32,765 othes

francisca.cgomes what's better than a last minute trip to nyc

view all 4,122 comments

pierregasly you almost said no

francisca.cgomes but i made it

camii_18 her and pierre are so cute 🥺🥺

bottastappen am i insane or is that the princess of monaco herself in that last picture

ynismommy Y/N was hanging out with kika AND pierre?? i need a 2000 word essay on how this came to be with citations

sharlandsainz but where is charles why isn't he in any photos or did he leave before the princess showed up 🥲

inthepits.podcast added to their story

yn.ofmonaco

liked by francisca.cgomes, charles_leclerc and 53,102 others

yn.ofmonaco Art has always been a passion of mind and to be able to accompany Establishment Preschool Des Carmes during their trip to the art gallery was so inspiring and I hope to do it again soon with other schools

view all 3,2100

ynfanclub she is quite literally an angel

formulafirstpls i have it in my head that she is genuinely the sweetest person to ever exist and honestly, i think i'm right

francisca.cgomes 🥹🥹

charles_leclerc Quelle expérience amusante! What a fun experience!

yn.ofmonaco Tu devrais nous rejoindre la prochaine fois! You should join us next time! liked by charles_leclerc

charles_leclerc

liked by yn.ofmonaco, pierregasly and 412,103 others

charles_leclerc miamiiiii 🌴☀️🏎 ready for the weekend

view all 16,192 comments

scuderiaferrari game face on

f1mia we're ready for the ferrari boys 🏎❤️

yn.ofmonaco Make Monaco proud!

charles_leclerc i will do my best 😊

yn.ofmonaco

liked by charles_leclerc, scuderiaferrari and 78,102 others

yn.ofmonaco It only makes sense that my first Grand Prix is Monaco❤️ While I'm thankful for the experiences I had as a child that led me to studying around the world, I must say it's an incredible feeling to be home and cheering on charles_leclerc and scuderaferrari 🏁

view all 5,300 comments

scuderiaferrari and we're so happy to have you here ❤️

ynismommy SHES CHEERING ON CHARLES

ynfanclub WHY WOULDN'T SHE BE HE'S LITERALLY FROM MONACO

sharl16 one princess cheering on another princess

charles_leclerc 😊😊😊😊

scuderiaferrari

liked by yn.ofmonaco, carlossainz55 and 513,443 others

tagged: charles_leclerc

scuderiaferrari And for the first time Charles Leclerc is a RACE WINNER at his home race, the pinnacle of Motorsport, THE MONACO GRAND PRIX🏁🏎😎 Well deserved win for our Monegasque driver❤️

view all 25,183 comments

charles_leclerc thank you thank you❤️

yn.ofmonaco Well deserved indeed! Well done charles_leclerc!

charles_leclerc thank you y/n😊 means even more that you and your family were there to watch today liked by yn.ofmonaco yellowferraris this is not a drill, the princess of monaco has FINALLY followed charles back and now they are being all cute and friendly in the comments hannah_notmontana she was waiting for him to actually make monaco proud before tossing the follow 💀💀

yn.ofmonaco

liked by charles_leclerc, scuderiaferrari and 155,283 others

yn.ofmonaco Had to go through the archives to find this one, but congratulations to my longtime friend charles_leclerc for his Monaco win today! Sundays are officially my new favourite day of the week❤️

view all 6,833 comments

charles_leclerc so much love for you, merci y/n

ynfanclub YA'LL THEY HAVE BEEN FRIENDS THIS WHOLE TIME ARE YOU KIDDING

ynismommy oh my good god we've been bamboozled

pierregasly now that the princess is out of hiding you have to give the crown back charles_leclerc

yn.ofmonaco What does this mean? pierregasly charles has been deemed monaco's princess since you have been gone🤣 charles_leclerc 😐😐😐 yn.ofmonaco Ohh, it's okay charles_leclerc you can keep the crown as long as I get the title haha charles_leclerc i am not a princess scuderiaferrari not with that attitude liked by yn.ofmonaco and pierregasly

aaaand im back with another long smau hehe this was fun, if you made it this far thank you and ily and check out my masterlist here

[the-words-we-sung]

I don't mind people disagreeing over Wille and Simon's future and if they can or cannot lead an 'ordinary' life but as the son of a Monarch, (so as a Prince) it's hard to call Wilhelm's life 'ordinary'. As op says, he will still live an incredibly privileged life and will still be linked to Royal life, because it'll still be his family (except if he decides to cut all ties with them but we have zero indication that he would ever wanna do that).

For my part, I don't believe they can live just a normal life anytime soon (also, not gonna lie, it's not something that I'm really interested in story-wise), if it ever happens, it will take them quite a while to get there because of the situation they're in at the end of season 3.

Even if we take into consideration that they are Swedish royals and not British royals (so have less of a following, less people interested in them as op and the addition both said), a lot of things still happened that made Wilhelm (and Simon) quite front and center in the public eye:

There was a sex tape uploaded of the Crown Prince and his boyfriend

The Crown Prince officially denied it was him in it

Then he made a speech to say it was actually him, and in the process came out as dating Simon, on television

These first points and their fallout in the show really highlight that people DO care about royals (or at least about the Crown Prince): lots of headlines in journals, lots and lots of online comments, people recognizing Simon in the street (supermarket scene for example or May Day), Simon's house getting attacked, etc. So they have a huge spotlight on them, the public is interested. And if we go on with the decision Wilhelm makes in the finale episode:

The Crown Prince is going to renounce his title

There is not official heir that people are aware of at that time

The Royal Court is gonna (try to) make August the next Crown Prince

Wilhelm's decision is gonna add even more of a spotlight on him and Simon! The whole country is gonna wonder what will happen to the monarchy, people are gonna wonder why Wilhelm is stepping down just after announcing to the world that he's in a relationship with another man. These things are not ordinary, they will be discussed everywhere. Sweden might not care about their royals the way Britain seems to, but these actions are unprecedented and are gonna have a lasting effect on the country.

So all of that to say that Wilhelm and Simon living an ordinary life might happen at some point, but clearly not before quite a long time. People will be interested. People will want to understand what happened. It'll take a lot of time before it all dies down.

(And them leaving to live and hide in another country is a nice idea but not what I would call ordinary. And would Simon really leave his whole family and his friends? I can see him not spending his entire life in his hometown of course, but leaving the country is still quite a big decision, and something they definitely won't do immediately since Simon is still 16 at the end of the show).

Thinking about ordinary.

Particularly in the context of 'Wille will never be able to lead an ordinary/normal life' (true) 'and therefore the ending doesn't work because abdicating doesn't actually solve his problems' (oof...I see where you're coming from but I've got to strongly disagree).

[Yes, I know it's not technically abdication, it's just a convenient shorthand!]

Wille will never be able to lead an ordinary life if by ordinary you mean a life like Simon would have led if they'd never met. He'll always be the son of a monarch, he'll always have been famous since birth, he'll always be ridiculously wealthy and privileged. But would he eventually be able to lead an 'ordinary' life by the standards of any privileged trust fund baby whose parent is a major public figure? Yeah, I think so.

There's a world of difference between being famous/wealthy/privileged but able to choose how to live your life - including the ability to choose a very private life if you want one - and being the literal head of state with absolutely no choice in the matter.

And yeah, I'm thinking about this because of all the footage of Harry and Meghan and their slightly odd pseudo-royal tour on the news. Which isn't a dig at H&M, I have no strong feelings about them one way or the other, but I've seen them used as a stick to beat the YR ending with ('it'll never work, look at Harry and Meghan'!). But Wille and Simon aren't Harry and Meghan.

And I don't just mean because they're fictional and H&M aren't, though actually you know what, that's important - it means that if I want to headcanon they can lead a fairly normal life once Wille's out of the line of succession then I can, nothing's stopping me. But also I cannot see Wilmon ever choosing to stay in the limelight by doing a tell-all Oprah interview, or a book or a podcast or a documentary, and I definitely can't see them doing a semi-royal tour where cameras follow them everywhere and where they sit in chairs(/thrones) and look awkward while people perform traditional dances for them. (Again, no shade! The circumstances and the people are very different, that's my point.)

I could see Wille going into academia or writing books about poetry, or maybe he owns a horse sanctuary and gets Sara to run it, or he co-owns a restaurant with Felice. Or all of the above, why not. He probably can't ever go and get a 'normal' job, but he won't need one - he'd have plenty of money to live on if he's living a fairly humble, non-extravagant lifestyle, and again, he's fictional, I can believe he'd happily do that with Simon if I want to.

Maybe they'd live abroad for a while to escape the attention - because with the best will in the world, the Scandinavian monarchies aren't worldwide famous in the way Diana and her children are, and Wille's video/speech/abdication would be a five minute wonder and probably quickly forgotten outside Sweden.

This is getting longer than I meant it to so I'll leave it there without going into Simon and how he fits into it all, because that's another three thousand words lol. Maybe I'll do a part 2. 😂

[kamotecue]

the untold truth ✬ m. leon

pairing: mapi leon x fem!reader

summary: the truth that’s never been told, why’d you leave without saying goodbye.

part two of here.

as the children rushed to their mother with the bodyguards following behind, frido took a glimpse at mapi, who looked out of breath, flabbergasted even. the spaniard’s eyes has never left the queen who looked like she was in a hurry.

“why did you bow, frido?” mapi’s voice brought frido out of the gaze she was holding, a sigh had escaped frido’s mouth knowing that she’d have to explain.

“you don’t know who that was, do you?” the swedish was calm, her eyes were set to where you were, as mapi tilted her head in confusion—clearly there was something that she was missing, something she didn’t know.

“the children earlier, you had bumped into prince andres of sweden. his sister, crown princess astrid the one who’s hand you shook.” the center-back’s eyes had widened at the realization, while the swedish analyzed her teammate.

it’s been a day or two since the accidental encounter had happened, no one had suspected it was important—until it was affecting the playing style of a certain center back, the training had came to an end. but to those who were there that day had stayed at their respective cubbies.

“when i was a child, there was this girl i met at school—claimed that she was an exchange student from sweden. her name was or is y/n l/n.” mapi had looked at frido, as the swedish’s eyes realized something,

“it was her mother’s name, l/n.” fridolina commented, as everyone who didn’t know looked in confusion, or had their eyebrows raised.

“i was the first one to approach her, she was shy and quiet. maybe, it was the language barrier, but she turned out to be fluent in spanish.” the center-back chuckled at the memory.

“we became friends, i taught her football and she played on my high school team. i ended up falling in love with her, i just kind of hoped maybe she felt the same way.” mapi continued, as ingrid intertwined her hand with mapi.

“then, after graduation she just left.” the spaniard stuttered at the end of the sentence, “no goodbye, then that day at the beach—i saw her again, and apparently she has children.”

“did you say after graduation?” frido softly asked, as mapi gave her a nod.

“have you ever heard of the tragedy of the swedish royal family?” the rest had shook their heads, as ingrid’s eyes widened.

“is that what i think it is?” ingrid spoke, as frido gave her a little nod. the rest were in confusion, as mapi waited for one of them to speak, to explain.

“the downfall of sweden’s monarch, or better known as the tragedy of the swedish royal family—where the king and queen had been assassinated, not to mention their five children.” ingrid continued, as frido closed her eyes—it was a bad day for sweden. some had flinched at the revelation, as mapi sat their star-strucked.

“there was a whole week of mourning, but it was also the preparation for y/n—her highness to ascend the throne. she held her head high, listened to the people’s concerns, and did her duties without mourning her family.” frido finished, as everyone went quiet.

“i never knew.” was the sentence that broke everyone’s heart.

[skamenglishsubs]

Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 3, Episode 1

Season 3 picks up a short while after the jubilee speech by Wilhelm. Both Wilhelm and Sara have been absent from school for a noticeable amount of time, so maybe a week or two later? The show isn't very diligent in ensuring a perfect timeline, but this would put us in early March perhaps? Anyway, we're off to the castle for a meeting to deal with the fallout of Wilhelm's speech and Sara reporting the video to the police.

Subtext: The Queen is so pissed she's not even looking at her son, a reversal from the opening to season 2, when Wilhelm was pretty pissed at his mom.

Subtext: This is probably the first time that Wilhelm gets a hint that the Queen is seriously ill.

Cinematography: Same procedure as last season! Every season opens with a fourth wall break where Wilhelm stares in to the camera during the opening titles, defiant as ever.

Culture: For practical reasons the end of season 2 was filmed in April 2022, while the beginning of season 3 was filmed in February 2023. That said, the spring in Sweden can be pretty fickle, and it's not uncommon to have surprise snowfall as late as April. If you want a cinematographic interpretation of this scene, it's supposed to show how cold and unwelcome Simon feels arriving at the royal palace.

Cinematography: In reality, the monarch would be the last one entering a meeting after everyone else has arrived, but having Simon arrive like this makes it look more like he's entering a court of justice or some kind of disciplinary meeting. It's of course not a coincidence that the royal family represented by Jan-Olof is all on one side of the table, while everyone who has been causing them problems is on the other side.

Subtext: Jan-Olof is trying to minimize the video, by using "so-called", and by calling it an intimate video and not a porn video. However, for something to fall under the definition of "revenge porn", it's enough to depict people in an intimate situation, it doesn't have to meet the much higher threshold for when it's considered actual pornography, so he's at least admitting that it was an illegal video.

Culture: Nordiska Motståndsrörelsen is unfortunately a real organization of actual neo-nazi white supremacists in Sweden, with offshoots in neighbouring countries.

Lost in translation: The subtitles are struggling here, it's "piss person" in one, and "shitty person" in the other. The former is literally what they're saying in Swedish, but the latter is probably the better expression in English.

Also, we've been told that August's stepdad, Rickard, is one of Sweden's best lawyers. What that means is that he is probably a well-known criminal defence lawyer, and has probably been handling the defence in high-profile cases, and if you're defending obviously guilty criminals, you tend to get a lot of shit from the media and people in general, even though what you're doing is necessary for a fair justice system. This sounds like his way of dealing with that.

Culture: It's a pet peeve of mine that no-one seems to know that the name of the Swedish currency in English is kronor, not crowns. Simon is getting 1.2 million kronor, which amounts to about 105,000€ or $115,000.

Subtext: Linda isn't wrong, they're being strong-armed here. They have some sort of legal counsel, and they wouldn't have to pay any trial costs even if they don't win, but they can't afford to match the resources that August's stepdad can bring, and might get nothing in the end.

Culture: We don't know what Årnäs looks like or how large the estate is, but a quick check shows that you can buy a typical manor house and some farmland in Sweden for tens of millions of kronor. However, the amount of land that some of the other guys were boasting about at the Society party in season 1 would be worth several hundreds of millions of kronor, so it's unlikely that Årnäs is as large as that, because August would have a lot more options if his total net worth was in that ballpark.

Culture: Realistically, Simon isn't wrong. Even if August was convicted on all points, he wouldn't be sentenced harshly because of his age, because he's a first-time offender, and because it's a non-violent crime. He would most likely just be fined a large amount of money and ordered to pay damages, so settling isn't that bad.

Cinematography: The low winter sun creates some lovely golden light, so we know we're in for some sweet love between the boys. Another detail is the difference in how they're dressed and how they're carrying themselves. Wilhelm is tall and proud, he's at home, he's in a suit, he's sure of himself, while Simon is the guest, the intruder, and is almost shrinking away in his oversized purple shirt and jeans. Yes, yes, colour theory, I know.

Subtext: A nice little flashback to season 1 when Wilhelm said the same thing when he visited Simon's place.

Lost in translation: Simon is actually saying "Var det såhär i din dröm?" - "Was it like this in your dream?", which is a reference to the rather steamy dream Wilhelm had at the start of season 2, when he was lying in this exact bed.

Subtext: Absolutely no-one is fooled, everyone knows our two idiot boys were sucking each other's face a minute ago.

Subtext: Both Linda and the Queen are hearing about their sons' awful behaviour for the first time at this meeting. Linda had no idea Simon had been dealing drugs, and Kristina had no idea Wilhelm threatened August with a gun.

Culture: I have no idea here. There's no real-world example for this in Sweden, you can't put someone into the line of succession by giving them a title. The show is just hand-waving this. Alright. Ok. Fine.

Culture: All adults in the line of succession can be called upon to be acting Head of State, if the monarch is indisposed or on vacation or something. This means that once Wilhelm is 18, he would occasionally have to step in and do the job, even though he's not king yet. If there are no royals available for this, the duty falls to the speaker of the house, Riksdagens Talman.

Cinematography: We're returning to Hillerska after the episode intro at the royal palace, so we're treated to a little montage of what those gosh darn rich kids have been up to in the meanwhile, so here's a horse to remind us that some of them are still riding! This is the only horse we'll be seeing this season, because the show really isn't about Rousseau after all.

Subtext: Madison is doing Tarot, and she's got Three of Wands reversed and Four of Wands reversed. The first one represents obstacles and lack of progress, and the second one represents home conflict, instability, and lack of support. A bit on the nose, don't you think?

Subtext: It's true, but the show is also calling out itself for the somewhat inconsistent weather we've been seeing due to actual shooting schedules.

Culture: Graduating gymnasiet in Sweden has a bunch of elements that are the same pretty much across the country, and then there are regional differences and individual school differences. I recognize only a few of the things Fredrika rattles off, but it makes sense that a place like Hillerska has a ton of traditions.

Subtext: All the girls have noticed that Felice isn't doing too great, but Madison appears to be the only one that actually cares. Fredrika still hasn't stopped talking about all the crap the third-years are gonna do, because that's apparently more exciting. However, the trucks she's talking about are pretty common, this is what we in Sweden call a Studentflak.

@hanna-kin wrote a long post on Swedish graduation traditions, and I reblogged and added some stuff here: https://www.tumblr.com/skamenglishsubs/684659770007961600/its-that-time-of-the-year-again-and-if-season-2

Culture: It seems Minou isn't the head of PR for the royal court anymore, this is Farima, and we've actually seen her all the way back in season 1 when she was instructing Wilhelm to smile more in the photographs. Either way, it seems like she's got a promotion, and she's probably not wrong in her assessment. A bunch of old farts would balk at the idea of the monarch being in a same-sex relationship, but a lot of others would see it is proof that the monarchy can change with the times. There were quite a lot of fans in Team Monarchy after all. 👑🌈

Lost in translation: Linda actually says "Du har utegångsförbud", which means curfew. Grounding kids isn't really a thing in Sweden, to us it's some kind of weird thing that only happens in American teen shows, along with detention. What the fuck even is that?

Subtext: Unlike in season 1, Simon now consistently speaks Swedish at home to his mom, further showing us how distant he is from her, and from himself to some extent.

Lost in translation: Linda actually calls Sara a "hemmasittare", which is a Swedish term used for kids who simply refuse to attend school, typically for mental health reasons. What to do about the problem is a hotly debated political issue, and let's leave it at that.

Subtext: This is how the culture of secrecy and solidarity against outsiders work at schools like this. Everyone is abused, everyone participates in abusing younger students, and everyone is told to shut up about it. Every house guards their "secret" initiations to outsiders, to foster loyalty to each other, to your house, and to the school. It's cult behaviour 101.

Cinematography: The show does it's usual trick with the sound design where all outside noise disappears as Simon and Wilhelm retreat into their little bubble, but there are still people in the frame this time, even though we can't hear them, because this time they're snogging in public. Oh, and everyone needs to update their colour theory, new colours dropped, pink and orange, what does it all mean??!?

Blink and you miss it: The list of activities for the point hunt includes:

Tattoo "Hillerska 4-life" on your arm.

Take a selfie at the back of a police car.

Give someone a buzz cut.

Dance the balloon dance in public.

Sext a teacher.

Get a piercing somewhere.

Blink and you miss it: I love Vincent so much, he's just the worst. Oh, and it looks like he's wearing a $2000 Valentino sweater, but I'm not 100% certain.

Subtext: Neither Ayub nor Rosh agrees with Simon when he says he's gonna reply to idiots online, but unfortunately they're not telling him off, because that would lead to less drama in the season.

Blink and you miss it: Ayub and Rosh are talking about going on a hike to Talludden with their school, Marieberg, which is why we're gonna encounter them out in the woods in the next episode. Spoiler alert!

Subtext: Wilhelm puts up the first stanza of a poem by Karin Boye called The Shield Maiden. In English, the poem goes: I dreamed about swords last night. I dreamed about battle last night. I dreamed I fought by your side armoured and strong, last night.

Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm's desk has a ton of stuff, but he's also kept the broken frog prince snowglobe, and he's still got Erik's lighter and cigarette case from season 2.

Lost in translation: The comment in Swedish uses the word "bögar", which isn't quite as offensive as "fags". However, it's more offensive than "gays", so I understand why the subtitles went with this choice. It's one of those words that is offensive or not depending on context, and it's certainly offensive in this one.

Subtext: The soundtrack is on point as usual, highlighting the animosity between Wilhelm and August.

Blink and you miss it: Someone ordered a Horse Girl Desk™ from the props department, and they sure delivered all the horsey things! The book is the Swedish edition of Not on a White Horse by Nancy Springer:

From the day twelve-year-old Rhiannon spots a lost white Arabian gelding in the woods near her small Pennsylvania mining town, her life finds a focus as she learns to deal with family problems and decides the direction her life will take.

As you do.

Subtext: As a throwback to season 1, this time it's Sara's turn to make a surprise visit at their dad's. He is surprised and starts cleaning up his place, but he seems to be in better shape than when Simon originally turned up. His place is just messy, there are no signs of drinking and smoking unlike last time we saw him.

Culture: Who goes to New York to suntan? No-one sane, but sun-starved Scandinavians get a bit of cabin fever after a long dark winter.

Culture: Fake IDs aren't really a thing in Sweden, you're allowed to legally drink at 18, and underage kids are much more likely to have an older friend or sibling or alcoholic parent buy them some booze for a private party instead. Sure, they exist, but equipping your friend group with a bunch of fake IDs to go clubbing is not how it's done.

Subtext: Simon drew a heart on Wilhelm's hand and suggested he get that as a tattoo. Wilhelm objected because he's "not allowed to" as a royal, but here he is, redrawing it on himself, almost as if he's toying with the thought, defying the rules.

Subtext: Simon doesn't know anything about the initiations since he's a lowly external student, and even though they're boyfriends, Wilhelm automatically tries to play it down. He knows it's true though, he doesn't question that, he just doesn't want Simon to know about it because it's humiliating to talk about it.

Cinematography: A++ Main Villain Entry Walk.

Culture: The Swedish Schools Inspectorate is a very real government agency that has the very real power to shut down schools that are mismanaged in any way, either academically, or socially.

Culture: Just a quick reminder that every single third-year student is 18 or 19 years old at this point in time, and therefore they are legal adults, which means the school has less authority over them. However, since it's a boarding school, they can enact and enforce regulations for boarders, and kick them out from their houses if they disobey the rules, which effectively kicks them out of the school while technically not doing that.

Cinematography: I love the camera angle here where we just about see Vincent giving Wilhelm the evil eye for indirectly causing this.

As a closing note, this season felt a lot less subtexty to me, compared to previous seasons. On the other hand, a recurring theme now is the airing of secrets, of exposing the systems that create toxic environments like this, so in line with the theme, a lot of characters are voicing things that were left unsaid in previous seasons.

[queerasfact]

Ace awareness week: Christina of Sweden

We're celebrating ace awareness week this week with some snippets of ace history! This is Christina of Sweden, a Swedish monarch born in 1626.

Christina was assigned female at birth, but throughout their life they rejected aspects femininity, cutting their hair short, often wearing a mix of masculine and feminine clothing, and at times experimenting with male names.

In their late 20s, Christina converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism, citing the Catholic value placed on celibacy as a major factor in their conversion. They later thanked God for giving them "the strength … to resist the pleasures of love."

As with many aspects of queer history, it can be difficult to pin down ace historical figures with any certainty, because we're more often looking for snippets like these parts of Christina's life which hint at their orientation than definitive statements of identity that mirror our modern understandings. Nonetheless, Christina may be one example of an ace historical figure!

Check out our podcast if you'd like to learn more about Christina.

[Image source]

[charlotte-of-wales]

Three generations portraits of former, current and future European monarchs:

♔ Belgium: former King Albert II, King Philippe and Princess Elisabeth, the Duchess of Brabant

♔ Denmark: Queen Margrethe II, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Christian 

♔ Luxembourg: Grand Duke Henri, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Prince Charles

♔ The Netherlands: former Queen Beatrix, King Willem-Alexander and Princess Catharina-Amalia, the Princess of Orange

♔ Norway: King Harald V, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Ingrid-Alexandra

♔ Spain: former King Juan Carlos II, King Felipe XI and Leonor, the Princess of Asturias 

♔ Sweden: King Carl XI Gustaf, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Estelle

♔ England: King Charles III, William, the Prince of Wales and Prince George of Wales

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

Carl XVI Gustaf Monarch of Sweden

[rabbitcruiser]

Learn About Butterflies Day

In keeping with the spirit of Learn About Butterflies Day, celebrate by learning a little more about the wide range of butterflies. With over 20,000 types of butterflies worldwide today is the perfect day to learn about butterflies. Their wing spans can range from ½ inch to 11 inches. Did you know that in their adult stage butterflies can live from a week up to a year, depending on the species? Many butterflies migrate over long distances the most famous migrations are those of the Monarch butterfly from Mexico to the northern USA and southern Canada, a distance of about 2500 to 3000 miles. That’s a lot of air miles!

If you need some inspiration about how to celebrate, here are five ideas for you to try:

1. Start a butterfly garden.

One of the best ways to attract butterflies to your yard is to plant nectar-producing flowers that have red, yellow, orange, pink, or purple blossoms. Plant them in a sunny spot in a group so they grow in clusters.

2. Make a butterfly snack.

Fresh fruit is the perfect springtime snack, so use your imagination to whip up a fruity butterfly treat. You can also put a bit of fruit out in your garden for the butterflies to enjoy.

3. Learn something you didn’t know about butterflies.

Did you know that a butterfly can’t fly if its body temperature falls below 86°F? Or that they drink the tears of turtles? And they use their feet to taste?

4. Get crafty.

Grab some card, pipe cleaners and clothes peg and some pom-poms and here’s how you create your own butterfly:

Decorate some card with markers and then spray it with water to create its wings.

Once it dries, wrap a pipe cleaner around the middle of the card.

Glue pom-poms onto the clothespin and clip the clothespin to the cards.

Bend the pipe cleaner to make the antennae.

5. Visit your local zoo.

If in doubt learn from the experts. Heading to your local zoo and talking to the keepers that look after these amazing creatures from caterpillar to larvae and then to butterfly. They will be able to show you just how amazing these creatures are.

Source

Observed annually, March 14th is National Learn About Butterflies Day.  Spring and summer are just right around the corner, so it is a good time to take a few minutes and learn something new about butterflies and appreciate their beauty.

Butterflies need our help to survive as they rely on flowers and other natural sources for survival.  We can help them by planting more flowers.

There are more than 20,000 types of butterflies worldwide

Their wing spans can range from ½ inch to 11 inches.

Butterflies in their adult stage can live from a week to nearly a year, depending on the species.

Many butterflies migrate over long distances.  Particularly famous migrations are those of the Monarch butterfly from Mexico to the northern USA and southern Canada, a distance of about 2500 to 3000 miles.

Source

[vamplire]

lgbtq+ films per decade

1910s:

Different from the Others (1919)

Two male musicians fall in love, but blackmail and scandal makes the affair take a tragic turn.

1920s:

Wings (1927)

In this silent film, romantic rivals fly against the enemy in World War I.

1930s:

Queen Christina (1933)

Queen Christina of Sweden is a popular monarch who is loyal to her country. However, when she falls in love with a Spanish envoy, she must choose between the throne and who she loves.

1940s:

Rope (1948)

Two men attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death.

1950s:

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.

1960s:

The Children’s Hour (1961)

A private school for young girls is scandalized when one student accuses the two young women who run the school of having a lesbian relationship.

1970s:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

A story of creation, love, hate, adventure, and most of all, sex.

1980s:

Maurice (1987)

After his lover rejects him, a young man trapped by the oppressiveness of Edwardian society tries to come to terms with and accept his sexuality.

1990s:

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.

2000s:

Dorian Gray (2009)

A corrupt young man keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.

2010s:

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a 17 year old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant.

2020s:

Ammonite (2020)

In 1840s England, an acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship.

[royalty-nobility]

King Oscar II of Sweden

Artist: Oscar Björck  (Swedish, 1860–1929)

Title: Oskar II (Oskar Fredrik), 1829-1907, King of Sweden 1872 and Norway 1872-1905

Genre: Portrait

Date: 1897

Collection: Gripsholm Castle

Oscar II was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norwegian thrones when his brother died in 1872.

[rijl]

My most passionately-held controversial Young Royals take: Wille should absolutely abdicate the throne. (Season 2 spoilers ahead.)

"But Wille would make a good king!" There are no good cops, there are no good US presidents, there are no good kings. Monarchies are inherently unjust. The whole foundation of a monarchy is the idea that one family deserves exorbitant wealth and status at the expense of the majority just because they had the luck to be descended from some guys who probably killed and maneuvered their way into power and control. Monarchies are about the powerful dominating and exploiting the masses, and especially the already-oppressed. The writing of Young Royals isn't shy about showing how inhumane the monarchy is, and how holding power does not mean you deserve it. ALSO Wille doesn't want to be king!! He doesn't want that power, responsibility, or exposure, and he's likely becoming skeptical of the legitimacy of monarchy in general. Also "don't let Erik down" is just not a good reason, it doesn't make any sense. (Ok, the only scenario where he should be come king is if he plans to abolish the monarchy immediately afterward.)

"But then August would be king!" Well, ideally, Wille's abdication would result in a crisis that would lead to the end of the monarchy. But even if August did become king, maybe he and the monarchy deserve each other! They're both toxic. If the pressure of being prefect was tearing him up, just wait til he's king. It's not the ethical conundrum that it would be if the monarch of Sweden had any actual political power.

"But it would be cool/historical/good representation to have a queer king and prince consort." No, it wouldn't. It would be cool to have a queer couple cause the end of the monarchy. The systems of domination and exploitation that legitimize monarchies are the same ones that underlie sexism, racism, and yes, homophobia. Letting a queer person be in charge of the exploitation machine isn't justice. Ending the exploitation machine is justice. (This is also why discussions of whether Kristina is homophobic just run in circles-- her individual sympathies or lack thereof don't matter because her loyalty is to an institution that is inherently unjust and incompatible with queer liberation.) Also, Simon would never ever want to be a prince consort or involved in the monarchy in general! Lol! I think that's the clearest part of all this.

Again, I think the show is very clear about being anti-monarchy. It's critical of Sweden's class structure, and the monarchy is the pinnacle of that structure. The "welfare fraud vs. tax evasion" discussion shows the entitled and inhumane mindset of the wealthy students. The very creepy Society shows that the monarchy and the 1% are in a symbiotic relationship with the shared goal of keeping status and wealth in the hands of a few noble (i.e. been around for a long time i.e. white) families.

I do get the affinity for the Cinderella story happy ending idea! It's a compelling fairytale. And that's part of what fanfic is for. But as @communityradiointerndanielle put it: Young Royals and Red, White & Royal Blue have similarities and understandable fandom overlap, but the difference is: RWRB paints liberal aesthetics over the unjust institutions to let progressive-minded people enjoy the Cinderella fantasy without feeling guilty. Young Royals is a cautionary tale about why you don't actually want the Cinderella fantasy.

(This post brought to you by a recent poll where ~75% said Wille should not abdicate. Thankfully a few people including @tooindecisivetopickaurl, @antigorite, @emberc, eloquently disagreed or qualified this in the RBs!)