#does it even make sense ?? ajdjjdjd

[heartbreakprincewille]

@raincitygirl76 I love your addition(and also all the tags!!)

Okay, so I sat with this post for like an hour because even though I 1000% agree with all the abdication points(I really, really do), I just couldn't accept them as a legitimate option.

Yes, Wille is a victim of the diabolical nature of the monarchy's machinery, and abdication or abolishing the monarchy both are options that will bring him peace the most, but in all of this debate we forget to ask the main question: Does Wilhelm want any of these things?

Let's take abdication for example. One of the major S2 plot points is August being added to the line of succession and the subsequent possibilites that open up to Wille, mostly abdication. We see Wille ponder the possibility, discuss his dilemma to Simon. Sure, he can't be living under this boulder of pressure that his dead brother will be disappointed in him if he leaves the role of Crown Prince for all his life, it's an unhealthy and honestly a little pointless reason to endure this suffering. But, what we forget about is that Wilhelm is the Royal Family. All the monarchs that preceded him were his family members. The feeling of a family is tragically intertwined with the monarchy for him, he cannot leave it just like that. Yes, he can make his own family with people that love him(like Simon) and he would still be connected with his blood family, but not after he lost someone dear to him. It would be even more difficult for him to leave behind everything after he knows how it feels to lose someone. I don't think Wilhelm has ever shown that he hates his family or wants to leave them behind. He doesn't. Just because Kristina isn't Linda it doesn't mean she is a bad mother. Mothers can come in all types of nuances, and with a show that excels in nuances, YR perfectly nails Kristina's character as a formidable mother. Tl;dr Wille can abdicate, but neither it will be as easy for him as it seems to be nor he has ever shown the desire to not be connected to his family( for Wilhelm, family=monarchy, it's a very blurry line in his case).

Let's take abolishing the monarchy. Yes, again, I really like the idea of it. I do. Monarchies are institutions that are ultimately outdated and ruling them out forever is a great idea indeed. But, does Wilhelm want to do that either? Yes, he's still young and his opinion can change for the better, but I don't think he's up for being the face of this larger-than-life revolution. Yes, he could be, he should be, but will he? I don't think so. The reason he admitted to be in the video was simple: he couldn't just sit there and let Simon be a secret when it's the last thing Simon wants and let this silent unbalance of Wille's denial eventually sour their incredible love. It was the right thing to do, and he did it. He doesn't want to bring some revolution by implying that he is queer in front of the media, it's just the underlying implication of his denial, which he's okay with the world knowing now, unlike S1.

The fundamental question I asked myself that why was I not satisfied with all the abdication or abolishment stances is: Why do I want a queer monarch or a Queer royal in the first place? Especially in a system that is not equipped for a queer person in the slightest? That's when I stumbled upon the answer, and the was in the word itself: Queer. Queer, not essentially in the sense of sexuality, but a queer way of thinking. A queer person has this tender, kind sense of worldview which they can bring to a table full of toxic, heteronormative, classist and racist way of thinking. Queer way of thinking embraces differences, which is one of the fundamental problems of the current system of Monarchy: the puritan culture. A queer perspective is literally the answer to so many toxic aspects of a monarchy. Systems can change and grow. Maybe Wilhelm won't actually like to be the face of change this time either, but even just his queer perspective can bring a lot of change instead of leaving the institution with its toxic elements intact. And I think S3 can be a wonderful exploration of this queer perspective in this rigid system.

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!)