Prince Wilhelm

* Season 2
* Season 1

**Crown Prince Wilhelm of Sweden** is one of the main characters in *Young Royals*. He is portrayed by Edvin Ryding. He is the youngest son of Queen Kristina and her consort Ludvig. After he gets into a fight at a club and humiliates his family, Wilhelm is sent to Hillerska Boarding School, where he slowly starts to form his opinions and forge his own relationships for the first time. He becomes the heir apparent to the Swedish throne upon the death of his elder brother, Prince Erik.

## Biography

### Background

Prince Wilhelm was born as the second son of Queen Kristina and her consort, Ludvig. For most of his life, he was second in line to the Swedish throne after his brother, Prince Erik. As the "spare" heir, Wilhelm didn't have as many responsibilities as Erik but was still expected to keep up a positive public reputation for the sake of his family. He made the decision, with the permission of his parents, to live his life as normally as possible. He attended public school in Stockholm and befriended regular citizens. Despite his wishes, the people around him often exploited their connections to him, which came to a head before the start of episode 1, when a violent altercation between Wilhelm and someone else at a party was recorded and posted online.

His family often hid things from him, such as August's father dying of suicide.

## Throughout the Series

### Season 1

#### Episode 1

Prior to the beginning of the episode, Wilhelm is involved in a drunken fight while underage in a nightclub. Being that Wilhelm is a high-profile figure, the clash is filmed and posted online, where it quickly goes viral. While on his way home, swarms of paparazzi crowd around the car. The palace official who came to escort him tells Wilhelm that he is to give a public apology and announce his enrollment at Hillerska Boarding School, much to his disdain.

At the palace, he sits in a large room with his family and staff members preparing for the press release. While someone is putting makeup on his face to cover the wounds he sustained at the club, Wilhelm attempts to convince his parents, Queen Kristina and Ludvig, to allow him to stay in public school, but to no avail. They are convinced that it will demonstrate to the public that Wilhelm is taking accountability for his actions and provide him with the right sort of company, so nothing like this happens again. When Wilhelm tries to bite his nails to help his anxiety, Queen Kristina harshly pushes his hand down. Wilhelm nervously gives the apology and assures Sweden that it won’t happen again.

> "Nobody is more disappointed in me than my family and especially myself."
>
>

Prince Erik drives an unwilling Wilhelm to Hillerska, where he is greeted by his second cousin August, first-year student Alexander, and the headmistress Anette Lilja. Despite Wilhelm’s wishes to carry his bags himself, nobody lets him. The brothers and their cousin take photos outside of the school, and then Wilhelm heads to meet the rest of the staff, where he has another photo op with the headmistress. After that is done, they meet with the rest of the student body in the school’s chapel, where the choir performs a welcome for Wilhelm.

As the soloist, Simon catches Wilhelm's attention, and he smiles for the first time that day listening to him perform. In his dorm room, Wilhelm tells Erik that he can’t survive for three years at Hillerska, and expresses annoyance towards August. In response, Erik chides him for his selfishness. He reminds Wilhelm that all of his actions reflect back on their family. When it comes time for Erik to leave, Wilhelm clings to him and asks him to stay, but Erik has to head home.

While at his first dinner with the rest of the Forest Ridge House, Wilhelm moves to sit with August but is turned down and instead told to go with the rest of the first years. He asks what the protocol is for the evenings at school and learns about “workies,” which is the school’s designated study time, and that there’s finally free time afterward. Walter states that it’s usually “boring as hell,” to which Henry agrees. When Wilhelm says it sounds good to him, the two boys rescind their opinions to match the Prince’s. Wilhelm once again contradicts them by saying that he was joking, and Walter and Henry insist that they were too. Wilhelm tells them that they can have their own opinions. Their conversation is cut short by the housemaster coming in and starting dinner.

The following day, tension arises between Simon and his wealthier classmates during a conversation about social policy. Simon had taken issue with the teacher's prompt, which put tax evasion and welfare scams against each other for the students to determine which was the worse crime. At the end of his contribution, Simon also suggests that the wealthiest citizens of Sweden, especially the Royal Family, are the biggest beneficiaries of welfare. Seemingly impressed by Simon, Wilhelm introduces himself during breakfast and compliments him, but reveals that he couldn’t support Simon in class because he’s not allowed to discuss politics. Their conversation is interrupted by August, who "saves" Wilhelm by giving him a seat with the third years at the head of the table.

Late at night, Wilhelm is dragged out of his room, gagged, and tied to a statue as he is made subject to many cruel acts for his initiation to the Forest Ridge House. He gets cleaned up afterward, and the party eventually begins. Most students drink heavily, including Wilhelm. As he starts to calm down from the wildness of the party, Wilhelm heads outside with Simon, and the two start talking. When August comes looking for him, Wilhelm urges Simon to hide so the Prince doesn’t have to talk to his cousin. The episode ends with Wilhelm breaking the intense eye contact with Simon who stands inches away from him by closing his eyes, overwhelmed by the sexual attraction and tension between them.

#### Episode 2

The episode begins the day after Wilhelm’s inauguration party, where different students share their sexual experiences from the night before. August attempts to get Wilhelm to reveal his whereabouts after he disappeared, assuming that he had left with a girl. Wilhelm attempts to deny it, but the rest of the room is already chanting for him to get on the table and spill. He’s saved when a staff member enters the room and tells them to quiet down.

Later, Wilhelm is sitting outside before heading to math class. Felice joins him and starts to ask if he’s heading to the movie night on the upcoming Friday when August runs up behind the pair and slings an arm around Felice’s shoulder. Wilhelm takes August’s appearance as an exit and hurries ahead.

    Before class begins, Wilhelm opens his mouth to talk to Simon, but their teacher promptly enters and cuts him off. He had missed the test that Mr. Englund was returning to the students but can take it later. After Simon learns he had received an unsatisfactory grade, Wilhelm lets him know that the students who performed well had received easier grading by paying for private tutoring on the weekends.

After rowing practice, Wilhelm spots Simon still on the lake and offers some advice. August comes up mid-sentence and pulls Wilhelm’s attention away.

The next morning, Wilhelm lays in bed scrolling through Simon’s Instagram profile. August loudly enters his room, and Wilhelm jumps, leading August to believe that Wilhelm had been masturbating, as he was also only in a pair of boxers. August steals his phone to try and make him get up for rowing practice, and Erik calls seconds later. Wilhelm attempts to grab his phone back so he can talk to his brother, but August instead informs Erik that Wilhelm had been sleeping in instead of going to the day’s practice. He then says his goodbyes to Erik and throws the phone back to Wilhelm. As soon as his cousin is out of earshot, Wilhelm complains about him to his brother. Erik urges him to be more understanding and unintentionally reveals to Wilhelm that August’s father had killed himself. Although Wilhelm had known that Carl Johan Horn was dead, he wasn’t aware of how he died. This causes Wilhelm to say that maybe someone forgot to tell him, as usual. He looks out the window and sees Simon arrive at practice and starts hurrying to get outside.

After school, Wilhelm and Simon study together in a common area when August pulls a chair up to their table. He strikes up a conversation about how rowing brings people together despite differing classes and ethnicities. The latter distinction causes Simon to pack up his things and head out. When Wilhelm asks if he’ll see him at practice later, Simon tells him that he can’t make it.

Later in his room, Wilhelm texts Simon to ask why he was missing rowing, and Simon replies that he had plans to attend Rosh’s soccer game. When Simon invites him along, Wilhelm is wary of how August would react to him missing practice but ultimately decides to fake feeling unwell and sneak out to Bjärstad. He gets on the bus and tries to pay with credit, which the bus doesn’t accept, and offers to transfer money before finally being told to download the app and pay.

    He meets up with Simon in front of a gas station, and the two walk around a bit and talk. Wilhelm asks Simon if Bjärstad is nice and says that the way everybody does the same things and knows everybody is a bit like his own life. They head to the soccer field where Wilhelm meets Ayub, and the trio watches Rosh’s game together while eating hot dogs.

Wilhelm heads back to Hillerska and tries to head back to his dorm undetected, but August is waiting for him. His cousin asks if his “socialist safari” was educational. He then lectures Wilhelm about leaving the school grounds without permission and punishes Wilhelm by giving him Alexander’s dinner duty, as well as requiring an apology. August goes on to warn Wilhelm about keeping the wrong company and shows Wilhelm that Simon had posted an Instagram story of him cheering at the game, which Wilhelm later asks Simon to take down.

At the horror movie night, Wilhelm and Simon sit very close together, and Wilhelm places his pinky finger on Simon’s knee. When Simon interlocks their fingers more, Wilhelm doesn’t pull away and stares stone-faced at him. He then closes his hand around Simon’s and starts to smile, but notices Sara glancing down at them, which causes him to leave the room in a hurry. He makes his way down the hallway and spots a plaque on the wall, whose messaging sends him spiraling even further.

> ”You own the school. You are responsible for its legacy.”
>
>

Wilhelm rushes to the windowsill and opens the window for fresh air, which is when Simon starts coming down the hallway after him to make sure he’s okay. After brief formalities, Simon works up the nerve and kisses him. When Wilhelm doesn’t react, he kisses him again, and Wilhelm breaks away after hearing the students in the other room scream at the movie. He begins to say, "I'm not..." but never finishes his sentence. Simon turns to leave, but Wilhelm grabs him by the sleeve and finally kisses him back.

#### Episode 3

Wilhelm walks through Hillerska and stops when he finds Simon attempting to play the piano in the music room. Upon realizing that Simon can’t read sheet music, he sits down next to him to teach him the Hillerska song. After Simon successfully plays through the short piece, he brings up the events that transpired during movie night. Wilhelm interrupts and says that they should forget about it, but that he wants to remain friends. Simon gets up to leave and halfheartedly agrees to keep their friendship.

During rowing practice, August brings up Parents’ Day and expresses his excitement to see the Queen for the first time in a while. However, Wilhelm reveals that his parents aren’t coming, as they’re on a state visit. In the locker room afterward, Wilhelm and Simon exchange stares, but don’t get to interact much as August interrupts them.

Wilhelm then goes through an internal conflict after rejecting Simon, where he watches him during class and scrolls through his Instagram late at night. Eventually, he makes up his mind and finds Simon after training in the gym. He starts telling Simon about the schedule for Parents’ day that allows the boarding students to head home for the weekend. Unsure about where the conversation is going, Simon jokingly thanks him for explaining the schedule and heads to leave, but Wilhelm quickly continues and explains that no one else will be at the school. He finally works up the nerve to ask if Simon would keep him company over the weekend if he were to remain at Hillerska instead of heading back to the castle. Simon asks what happened to forgetting about it, and Wilhelm tells him that he takes it back. Simon smiles and agrees to the plans.

During Parents’ Day, Wilhelm and Simon are visibly excited about their weekend plans and smile at each other throughout the choir’s performance of the school song. August brings Wilhelm into conversations with some of the parents, and the two take some photos together before Wilhelm heads back to his room to call Erik.

On the call, Wilhelm expresses his reluctance to talk with everyone. Erik urges him to go anyway, but Wilhelm is steadfast in wanting to stay inside. When Erik says that they’ll see each other on the upcoming weekend, Wilhelm informs him of his plan to stay at school, under the guise that he's studying. Erik calls him out for the obvious lie and quickly deduces that Wilhelm is staying because he met someone at school and wants to spend more time with them. Wilhelm admits that he has, but he’s not really sure what’s going on and if they’re dating or not. Erik insists that he doesn’t need to know the details, but tells Wilhelm to enjoy himself because it’s not long until other people start having an opinion about it too. He goes on to ask why Wilhelm’s sitting in his room sulking when he has a crush to go hang out with. Wilhelm claims that it’s not a crush and hangs up.

Evidently, he takes Erik’s suggestion and enters the dining hall. Although there’s an open seat next to August intended for him, Wilhelm skips over it and instead sits at the head of the table with Simon and Felice’s families. He greets Felice’s parents, Smyson and Poppe Ehrencrona, and gets introduced to Linda. Smysan inquires about his activities, and Linda tells the Ehrencronas that Sara does horseback riding like Felice and Wilhelm. When Felice leaves the room upset because Sara revealed to her family that she has more interaction with Felice’s horse than Felice, Wilhelm follows her out to make sure that she’s okay. His attempts to cheer her up go awry when Felice mistakes it for romantic interest and kisses him. He corrects the misunderstanding by telling her that he didn’t mean it like that, and she leaves.

The next day, Wilhelm finds Simon during mealtime and pulls him away to an empty hallway to tell him that August staying at school for the weekend. Simon understands that it means he can’t come over now. Wilhelm receives a call, but declines it, and goes on to ask Simon if he can come to Bjärstad instead. Simon agrees, and the two head out.

When they exit the school building, Wilhelm is greeted by a swarm of students staring at him and whispering, which quickly clues him in that something is wrong. Tension starts to build as he overhears some of them asking if they should say something, and the school psychologist comes to escort him back inside. When Wilhelm asks what’s wrong, he doesn’t receive an answer.

In the headmistress's office, Wilhelm receives a phone call. It’s his mother, who tells him that something has happened with Erik. He lost control of his car and got into an accident that killed him. Wilhelm is now the Crown Prince.

#### Episode 4

Following Erik's death, Wilhelm goes home to spend time with his parents and mourn. Erik's funeral is broadcasted on TV, which Simon and his family watch. Simon texts Wilhelm multiple times asking how he's doing, but Wilhelm doesn't respond.

While eating with his parents, his mother tells him that no one expected him to be put in this position and that there is no room for mistakes, and that he will be compared to Erik with everything he does. Wilhelm simply says, "I already am." After this, his mother begins to cry and leaves the room.

Wilhelm returns to Hillerska, where everyone is dressed in uniform to stand in solidarity with the royal family. Wilhelm and Felice embrace, until August, who is clearly eager to be the one to support Wilhelm, breaks them apart and hugs Wilhelm himself. The school gathers to listen to Wilhelm give a speech. At first, he sticks to the script written by the palace, but ends up putting the paper away and speaking from his heart. He talks about feeling guilty for being the one there instead of Erik, but says that Erik would've said there's no point in having a back-up if you never use it. He finishes by saying Erik was kind and considerate, and that he will honor his legacy and become a Crown Prince his family can be proud of. Afterwards after everyone else has left, Simon sits next to Wilhelm and asks how he is doing, and Wilhelm says he's okay. They don't talk for long, because Wilhelm tells Simon to delete all their texts and that he can't do this anymore, then leaves.

Wilhelm is lead by the staff to his new room, which is bigger and has two beds. The Headmistress is very kind to him, calling him by his name instead of 'Your Highness' and caressing his face. Wilhelm suddenly hugs her, then all the staff leave him to be alone. He picks up a snow-globe with a little frog with a crown on it's head, given to him by Erik, and is likely reminded of not only his brother's death, but his new Crown Prince responsibilities. He frantically pulls out his phone and deletes Simon's contact. Torn between his title and feelings for Simon, as well as feeling overwhelmed by his brother's sudden death, Wilhelm seemingly begins to have a panic attack, breathing heavily and loosening his collar. He bursts out of his dorm room and starts down the hallway, and his new body guards go to follow. Wilhelm swings around and begs them to let him be alone, but they apologize and say no. Wilhelm storms out, body guards not far behind, and finds Felice and her roommate Madison doing a sort of ritual to cleanse negative energy. Felice apologizes for kissing him at the parent's lunch, and they agree to forget about it. Wilhelm gives a cold Felice his jacket and joins the two girls in the ritual.

After this, Wilhelm and Felice grow closer as friends. This makes both August, who was dating Felice, and Simon jealous. August thinks Felice and Wilhelm are becoming romantic, and Simon most likely just misses hanging out with him. August waits for Felice in her dorm room and gets angry when he notices she is wearing Wilhelm's jacket. He takes it and storms off to Wilhelm's room to return it, but is stopped by his body guard. Wilhelm hears the commotion from his room, but does nothing to defend August.

Later on, Wilhelm finds an invitation sitting on his desk. It turns out, he has been invited to a party by "The Society", which is a group of students who have formed a 'brotherhood' where they all swear to protect the Royal Family. Wilhelm is offered the spot previously held by his brother. He accepts and sneaks out to join the other boys in taking shots and pills. Wilhelm and August go out to pee, and August encourages Wilhelm to scream and let out all his stress. Wilhelm does, and the next thing he knows, he is at the soccer field where he had hung out with Simon, Ayub, and Rosh.

Very high and drunk, Wilhelm stumbles around the soccer field, yelling at the dummies as if they're real people, laughing, and putting dirt in his mouth. Although he had just deleted his contact, he calls Simon. And although it is the middle of the night, Simon picks up. Wilhelm just says "I really like you", and Simon realizes who is on the other end of the line. Wilhelm starts talking nonsense about how everything in the world is fake, including the grass and the people, and doesn't understand why it's bright at night---but he knows he likes Simon, and that's not fake. Simon deduces that he's at the soccer field and sets off on his bike. He finds Wilhelm laying on the ground and quickly goes to him. Simon is frustrated with Wilhelm and repeatedly asks him what he took and checks his pupils. Wilhelm is surprised that Simon actually came and can only hug Simon, say how happy he is that Simon is there, and how beautiful Simon is. Simon brings Wilhelm back to his dorm and gets him into bed, and falls asleep sitting up at the end of Wilhelm's bed.

Wilhelm wakes up when Simon goes to leave and stops him. He apologizes for the mess from the night before and asks Simon to hold him. Simon does. Wilhelm asks him to stay until he falls asleep again, and the two lay down and cuddle. Simon asks if he remembers what he said last night. Wilhelm gets nervous, but Simon assures him that its okay and he feels the same. Wilhelm admits that he does remember, and they finally kiss and quickly become intimate. Meanwhile, August is knocking on windows and trying to get back into the school after the previous night. He reaches Wilhelm's window and sees him on top of someone. He takes out his phone and starts filming, most likely to tease him later on, but sees Simon's face and is visibly shocked.

#### Episode 5

A few hours later, Wilhelm and Simon wake up in Wilhelm's bed. They start to kiss again, but are interrupted by Wilhelm's body guard outside the door reminding him that breakfast closes in five minutes. Wilhelm decides that he'll go ahead with his body guards and Simon will follow later and make it look like he had come from the bus stop. Wilhelm looks lovingly at Simon, who is still laying in his bed, and leaves. He picks up some breakfast for Simon and the two find each other outside. Simon gestures for Wilhelm to come over, but August and the other students from The Society stop him. Simon looks disappointed and goes off to class alone. August asks Wilhelm what happened to him the night before, knowing that he ended up with Simon. Wilhelm lies and says he totally blacked out, but woke up in his own bed.

Wilhelm finds Simon in class and sneaks the breakfast into his lap. Sara comes into class and asks Simon why he hadn't been answering her texts. He says his phone had died and he didn't have a charger, and Sara says "Because you didn't sleep at home?" Simon replies, "No, I didn't." Sara looks at Wilhelm knowingly. Class begins and Wilhelm finds out his classmate and fellow Society member, Alexander, is not in class. He immediately senses something is wrong, and sure enough, August and the other members tell him Alexander was caught with drugs and has been suspended, and that pretty soon the Headmistress will be onto them and they'll all have to do urine tests. Wilhelm immediately freaks out, but August assures him that Alexander can't have said anything yet and will keep his mouth shut if he's smart. They all agree that if they are asked about it, they know nothing.

Wilhelm and Simon go on a walk with Wilhelm's bodyguards accompanying them. They seem to be having a little bit of fun with having to keep it secret, because Wilhelm kisses Simon when the guards aren't looking and laughs when Simon is slightly nervous about getting caught. They walk down to the waterfront, flirting and joking around.

A few days later, Wilhelm and his body guard go over to Simon's house. Simon's mom, Linda, greets him and says he's always welcome and offers to take his jacket, but Simon says they are going to start 'gaming'. They go to Simon's room and Wilhelm looks around, calling it cozy. He notices a fish tank in the corner and asks their names. While Simon is naming them, Wilhelm hugs him from behind and kisses his neck, distracting him. They start to kiss, but Simon breaks away and runs to his computer. He turns on a game and puts the volume very high. Wilhelm asks why he did that, and Simon says it's so the people in the next room won't hear them. Wilhelm teases him and asks if that turns him on, then Simon tells him to shut up and kisses him.

One day in class, August texts Wilhelm asking to meet. So, Wilhelm, August, and the rest of The Society boys meet in the gym. August informs them that Alexander still hasn't said anything, but is threatening to rat them out if they don't back him up. Wilhelm immediately begins to panic, rubbing his chest and biting his nails. August goes onto say that Alexander has a meeting in a few days, so they have that long to figure out what they're going to say. August suggests they blame it on Simon, since he is a non-res, a commoner, and the one who sold them the drugs in the first place. August is amused at Wilhelm's reaction to this, and says "He didn't tell you? You two are always hanging out. Weird." August is clearly doing this partly to drive a wedge between Wilhelm and Simon, as he doesn't want them to be together. Later that day, Wilhelm asks Simon to talk and they go to an empty classroom. Wilhelm repeats the story to Simon, and the two begin to argue. Simon clarifies that he is not a drug dealer and only did it because August owes him money. Wilhelm is confused, and Simon explains that August is broke and couldn't pay him back for the booze he got for Wilhelm's initiation party. Wilhelm tells him that the other guys want to put the blame on him instead of Alexander, and that he cannot get kicked out of school. Simon misinterprets this as Wilhelm agreeing with them and gets very angry, and Wilhelm yells that that's not what he meant and that he doesn't know what to do. Simon says he's not going to protect the Royal Family just because the Crown Prince fucked up and leaves a very distressed Wilhelm in the classroom alone. After this, Wilhelm calls some palace-officials and asks about August's financial status.

Later on, Wilhelm texts Simon and says, "I get that you're mad, I'm gonna try and fix all of this, okay? See you at Lucia."

The Society holds a meeting. August is persistent with putting the blame on Simon, but Wilhelm suggests they let Alexander take the fall since he'll just end up at another elite boarding school. August, likely annoyed that Wilhelm is still staying by Simon's side, starts to shoot him down, saying that Wilhelm doesn't call the shots and reminding him that he's only been a member for a week. Wilhelm fires back and reminds August that he won't be a member for much longer since he can't pay his school fees---whatever they say, August won't return after winter break. August insists that it's just a matter of his assets being 'tied up', but Wilhelm immediately shuts him down and says the matter is that he doesn't want to sell Arnas, because if he does, he can't stay in The Society. Wilhelm reminds everyone that they all swore an oath to protect the crown, and since he's the Crown Prince, he says they blame Alexander. He asks if there are any objections. There are none. So, Wilhelm says, "No. Good. Then that's our plan.", and leaves. Later on, all of the boys, including August, fall in line with Wilhelm's plan and Alexander takes the fall.

At the Sankta Lucia ceremony, Wilhelm and Simon talk in an empty classroom. Wilhelm explains that he took care of everything and Simon is in the clear. Simon is defensive and asks if he's supposed to say thank you. Wilhelm simply says he just wanted him to know. It is silent and tense for a moment. Then Wilhelm continues, saying he didn't want to lose Simon since he is the only person at Hillerska he can actually talk to. Wilhelm is visibly on the verge of tears, so Simon gets up and pulls him into a hug. They hug for a while, Wilhelm cries, and they kiss. Little do they know, a very angry and embarrassed August is in the library leaking the video he took of them to the internet.

That night, August gets a call from the palace and is told that his fees have been paid for by the Queen and he can stay at Hillerska. He is confused, and they tell him Prince Wilhelm requested that it be taken care of. August has a sinking realization that Wilhelm did something very kind and considerate for him, and he just outed Wilhelm to the entire world.

Then, Wilhelm gets a text with a link attached that says "Is this you?" The link is to the video of Wilhelm and Simon being intimate.

#### Episode 6

Everything is chaos. The entire school and internet is talking about the video. Wilhelm and Simon are obviously stressed. Simon isn't going to school. Wilhelm is seen curled in the fetal position on his bed, looking as if he's going to be sick and screaming in exasperation.

    The Queen arrives at Hillerska to talk to Wilhelm. She initially comforts him and gently touches his face. Still, she is firm and tells him this will have consequences and that they will have to issue a statement. She wants Wilhelm to deny being the one in the video since his face can't be seen. She also doesn't want him seen with Simon as to not fuel rumors.

While Felice is sitting with her two friends, they begin joking about Wilhelm and Simon and Felice tells them to stop since Wilhelm was just outed. Her friends mention that not everyone believes it is actually Wilhelm in the video and that only Hillerska students and staff know that it's Wilhelm's room. In Forest Ridge House, the boys are talking about horror movie night and how they suspected something was going on between Wilhelm and Simon. They wonder who would have filmed them and leaked it, and August sits silently at the far end of the table.

The Queen leaves, and it is decided that Wilhelm will go home over the weekend to issue the statement. Wilhelm texts Simon and asks him to come to school so they can talk. Simon replies and says he doesn't know if he can handle it and asks who it could've been. Wilhelm replies, "It's so fucking sick. Please come. We're in this together."

Wilhelm doesn't attend dinner, so August brings it to his room. He tells Wilhelm he doesn't need to hide and that if anyone gives him a hard time, he'll deal with it. He goes to leave, but Wilhelm apologizes for telling The Society about his financial problems and being immature. August is very quick to forgive him. Wilhelm gets frustrated and says he wishes Erik were there because he'd know what to do. He keeps rambling, saying he has no idea what to do and is on the verge of tears. This clearly makes August feel very uncomfortable and guilty. August tells him that he thinks Erik would've told him to be himself and that he should follow his heart.

Simon finally comes to school. When he walks into class, everyone starts staring and whispering since it's the first time anyone has seen Wilhelm and Simon in the same room in days. The boy sitting next to Wilhelm, Henry, attempts to distract him by asking if he'd watched the game last night, but Wilhelm just says no and Henry lets it go.

After class, Wilhelm and Simon meet in the locker room. They sit on opposite benches facing each other, and for a moment it is quiet and tense. Then, Wilhelm affectionately nudges Simon's foot, Simon does it back, and the ice is broken. Simon takes Wilhelm's hands, sighs, and asks what they're going to do. He then gets up and sits next to Wilhelm, Wilhelm holds his hand, and Simon rests his head on Wilhelm's shoulder. Wilhelm tells Simon that his mother wants him to issue a denial that upcoming Saturday. When Simon asks if he wants to, Wilhelm says he doesn't want to say anything. Simon says they can't dictate what Wilhelm says, but Wilhelm still seems unsure. Simon says, "We didn't do anything wrong." Wilhelm rests his head on Simon's shoulder and replies, "No. We didn't." They hold each other and agree that they're in this together.

Unbeknownst to Wilhelm and Simon, Sara knows that it was August that took and posted the video because she saw the police take the computer she saw him sitting at the night it leaked. However, she does not tell Simon OR Wilhelm and instead lets August buy her silence. In exchange for not saying anything, August will help Sara become a resident at Hillerska. Meanwhile, Felice is trying to figure out who took the video because she doesn't want Sara to have to leave school, and she wants to help Wilhelm.

Wilhelm texts Simon and says he's going home the next day. He asks if Simon will come say goodbye, and Simon says of course (with a heart). The next day, Simon comforts Wilhelm in his dorm. Wilhelm lays with his head in Simon's lap while Simon strokes his hair. Simon asks if they want Wilhelm to stop seeing him. Wilhelm says he's sure they do, but he doesn't want to. Simon asks if he'll tell them that. Wilhelm replies, "Yes. I want to be with you. You're right, they can't dictate what I say. I'll talk to my mom. She has to understand." Simon seems satisfied with that answer. Then, Wilhelm realizes the escorts will be there any minute and jumps up. Simon asks how he's feeling, and Wilhelm says he feels like he's going to throw up. Simon say's he'll do great and that he's brave, and they kiss. While hugging, Simon thanks Wilhelm for not leaving him alone in this mess. To Wilhelm's surprise, his mother is there with the escorts to get him. Simon follows him outside and greets The Queen, but she is obviously displeased with them still being together.

In the car, Wilhelm asks his mom why he can't just not say anything and live quietly, however he wants, with Simon. His mother asks him if dealing with all the media frenzy and judgement that will come with being honest is worth it for one person, and that she knows how anxious it makes him as is. She tells him that she, too, had an unfortunate romance at his age, implying she thinks his relationship with Simon is 'unfortunate'. Wilhelm mulls over this, and ultimately decides to deny being the one in the video. However, he does not tell Simon about this beforehand and Simon is left to find out via the news.

Wilhelm sends Simon a frenzy of texts apologizing and tells him that he's already on the way to Simon's house. Simon meets him outside. They argue. Wilhelm says they can still be together, they just can't be seen. He also reminds Simon of how hectic it would be if he came out right now, after only being Crown Prince for a short amount of time. Simon simply says Wilhelm needs to take time and figure out what it is he really wants, but in the mean time, he refuses to be anyone's secret. Wilhelm leaves with tears rolling down his cheeks.

Soon after this, Felice cracks the code and immediately goes to find Wilhelm. She shows him that there are dead pixels in the leaked video, and that the same dead pixels are exactly the same in every single one of August's Instagram posts. August must have dropped his phone and damaged the camera, so now the dead pixels are like a trademark that shows the picture or video came from his phone. Wilhelm asks Felice to send the photos to her, and looks over them again.

Wilhelm finds August in the empty gym. August asks what's up, but quickly sees that Wilhelm is absolutely fuming. He simply says, "I trusted you." August plays dumb, so Wilhelm says again that he really trusted him and asks why he's done this. Pathetically, August can only say that he's sorry, and when Wilhelm retorts, he just says "What can I say? I'm sorry." Wilhelm explodes at August, screaming that August told him he could trust him if he ever had a problem and that he was among his peers. August won't even meet Wilhelm's eyes. Wilhelm says August is no longer a part of his family and storms out.

Immediately after that, Wilhelm goes outside and calls his mom to tell her that it was August. However, in a turn of events, she already knows and has for days. Wilhelm asks why she didn't tell him, and she says that she knew how he would react if he found out. Wilhelm is extremely shocked and hurt and asks why she is protecting August from punishment after he ruined his life. His mother says that she is protecting the family and that he has already denied being the one in the video, so they're sticking to it. This seems to be a breaking point for Wilhelm. He doesn't say another word on the phone and hangs up on her mid-sentence, then begins to cry.

On the last day of term, the choir gives a performance. Afterwards, Wilhelm finds Simon and says it was beautiful. Simon says thank you. Wilhelm suddenly hugs Simon with most of the school behind them, watching, but he doesn't care. While hugging, he tells Simon he loves him. They pull apart, and Simon tells him to have a good Christmas. Wilhelm says thank you and gets in the car to go home.

### Season 2

#### Episode 1

Wilhelm wakes in a harsh reality after a dream of being with Simon, having to face his decision to deny his relationship, and living without his brother Erik. It is implied that throughout winter break, Wille has been full of anger, grief, and ready to take revenge on August, who has tried and failed to apologize for leaking the video. He also refuses to speak to his mother, whether in person or when she repeatedly tries to call him.

Wilhelm seems to have relied on Felice, whom he regards as a friend, over break, and she is more than willing to help him take revenge on August. On the first night of his arrival, Wilhelm gathers the boys in his year and demands to be let into an exclusive party for graduating students. August lets them in, to the dismay of his friends. Not a few minutes after, Wilhelm hears Simon calling for Sara, turns, and locks eyes with him. Their first meeting is awkward, full of hope and regret, and Simon leaves soon after he checks that his sister is okay. Wilhelm sees him leave with another boy, and Nils attempts to convince him to date someone higher in his social circle.

To Wilhelm's dismay, he learns from the Headmistress that he is to give a speech honoring the legacy of Hillerska, and that Alexander is back and unaware that Wilhelm sold him out to protect Simon. He greets Alexander as a friend, determinedly not telling him of his betrayal.

Wilhelm and Simon sit next to one another in class, but while Wille is hopeful and open, Simon is curt and quiet. Wilhelm asks to borrow a pencil, Simon nods, and they both reach for the case, their hands touching. Simon pulls away quickly and when Wille pretends not to know how to open the case, he impatiently holds it open for him to choose one. At lunch, Wilhelm confronts the elitist rule of third-years being served first, mostly to embarrass August into compliance. As predicted, he folds and Wilhelm, alongside all the younger students, are able to serve themselves first. Later on, Simon approaches Wilhelm in the library, and again he reaches out to touch Simon, believing their relationship can be fixed. Simon exasperatedly asks, "Don't you understand that you hurt me?" painfully saying that he needs more space and time from him.

Later that night, Wilhelm sees a video on Ayub's story of Simon and Marcus, a character who Wille meets later, singing karaoke together and angrily storms to his room. He calls his mother in a rage, blaming her for what happened to Simon, and demands that she puts him on speaker. The Queen does so, and Wilhelm announces that he won't be "giving a fucking speech" because everyone keeps making decisions behind his back, and threatens to go to the press before hanging up. He then appears to be having a panic attack, ripping his sweatshirt off and screaming into a pillow in rage and fear.

#### Episode 2

The episode begins with the Headmistress asking Wilhelm to take a call from his mother, who has called her office in an attempt to reach her son. However, Wilhelm distractedly tells her that he is busy, hearing Simon's voice practicing in the next room. He stares at Simon longingly, before walking away just as Simon looks up from the piano. Further trying to sow discord between August and his friends, Wilhelm suggests to Vincent that he would make a better prefect than August, hoping that August will lose his position and status before he graduates.

In class Wilhelm sits next to Simon, since there are no other seats open. The two exchange barbs, with Wilhelm criticizing Simon's need for space, and Simon suggesting that Wilhelm should try being more honest. Class begins, but soon after Wilhelm is pulled out by his bodyguard and Jan-Olaf, a member of the royal court, who inform him that he is leaving the school because his behavior toward the Queen must have consequences. They take him to his room, and ask him to help pack the things he needs for the palace. Instead, Wilhelm grips his desk and declares that he is not leaving, saying that if they touch him, he'll scream. One bodyguard closes his door, and the other attempts to force him from the room. They both fall, in the process breaking Erik's gift, a snow globe with the Frog Prince inside, into pieces. Wilhelm remembers Erik, and how he is now the only option for the Crown Prince, mourning both his brother and who he used to be. His mother calls him, and pleads with him to stop acting so irrationally and emotionally. She says that they will speak on his sexuality when he is eighteen, but until then, she wants him to see a psychologist to try and manage his emotions. Wilhelm agrees, but only on the condition that his bodyguards are removed.

Wilhelm and Simon try to connect in the boys' locker room, with Simon expressing how we went to the Headmistress to try and get Wille to stay, and in response Wille sharing that his mom is willing to discuss his sexuality when he turns eighteen and reaching out to touch Simon's leg. Simon, however, doesn't see this as a win, and say he can't be a secret again, waiting until the "right time" for Wilhelm. He walks away and Wille is left alone again. When he visits the school psychologist, Wilhelm is determined not to open up and refuses to talk to him, choosing to sit in silence instead. Once he leaves the office, he picks up a pamphlet, pretend to put it back, but actually slips it into his coat.

Felice and Wilhelm go clay pigeon shooting, where Marcus, Simon's crush, helps them prepare. Wilhelm is distant, clearly jealous, and tells Felice that Marcus and Simon went out on a date. Felice reassures him that he's more attractive than Marcus, and that he should change tactics. At the first rowing practice, with Vincent in charge this time, Simon is berated for being late, and because his shoes are untied, begins the timed race at a disadvantage to the others. Wilhelm runs with him, and encourages him to keep going, even going so far as to show him a shortcut. This shortcut just so happens to take him past Marcus, who they both know. Wilhelm and Simon finish the race together, but later on in the boys' locker room, Wilhelm spies on Simon's phone that he and Marcus still have a strong connection.

#### Episode 3

In an attempt to temper his anxiety on his own, Wilhelm tries listening to an online mediation app to control his breathing. After several attempts, he angrily closes his computer and rips up an "Anxiety and Panic Attacks" pamphlet he picked up from visiting the psychologist before. He and Felice spend some time together, and Wilhelm wields his power as Crown Prince to order poke bowls for the two of them. He confesses that he has lost Simon completely, having checked his phone and found evidence of he and Marcus getting closer. Felice chides him on his behavior, and encourages him just to ask Simon about his relationship with Marcus.

As Wille waits outside for his session to begin, Nils emerges from the office, and normalizes going to therapy for Wilhelm. He also says that Erik visited the psychologist as well. Once inside, Wilhelm asks his psychologist if it's true that Erik came to visit him, to which he replies that that information is confidential, but that talking to someone can relieve pressure. Wilhelm admits that in his family, they were raised to keep private things private, and that he always felt that he needed to keep things to himself to show a more perfect image.

Wilhelm arrives a little late to his class, and ends up in a group project with Henry, Sara, and Simon. Wilhelm asks Simon to be honest with him and tell him if he and Marcus are together. Simon says that they are hanging out but that they are not together, a fact which seems to make Wilhelm happy, since this leads him to believe they still have a chance.

Hillerska's rowing team, Forest Ridge, competes against their rival, Sprucewood, and Marcus comes to support Simon. The boys switch out to take turns rowing, but when Vincent switches, he falls by accident and Simon happens to be the one behind him. Forest Ridge loses the match, and Vincent is furious, blaming Simon for their loss. Before Wilhelm leaves the gym, he sees Marcus kiss Simon. August stands up to Vincent, arguing that blaming him isn't fair, and that rowing is supposed to build a sense of community, rather than a need to win. Simon says he quits the rowing team and leaves abruptly.

Wilhelm wanders alone on the grounds of Hillerska, consumed by loneliness now that Simon and Marcus have found each other. Felice finds him and they sit together to watch a show, but while Felice is enjoying it, Wilhelm watches disinterestedly. Felice notices, and when Wilhelm asks her to hold him, she does, telling him that his feelings won't last forever. Wilhelm then decides to kiss Felice, and after some hesitation, she reciprocates. They are interrupted by Henry, and Felice runs from the room, and Wille swears in anger.

#### Episode 4

Wilhelm clearly regrets his actions toward Felice, and tries to text her, but with no response. At lunch, Vincent and the other boys of Forest Ridge pressure Wilhelm into admitting that he was with Felice, and say that Henry told them everything. Wilhelm is embarrassed and angry, saying that it's none of their business, and that they were only watching a movie; but Simon storms out angrily, clearly unconvinced by Wille's lie.

After an aggressive dodgeball match, where Wilhelm and Simon both hurl the ball at one another, they run into one another in the bathroom. Simon says he would have liked to have a heads-up about Felice, and Wilhelm retorts that Simon lied about he and Marcus. They are both upset that the other has had a relationship, but Simon still can't accept Wilhelm's position as prince, or the fact that he'll back the royal family no matter what.

## Physical Appearance

Wilhelm is a fair-skinned teenager with dark blond, or light brown, hair and brown eyes. There are healing wounds on his left cheek and forehead from the drunken altercation that got him sent to Hillerska. He almost always wears a silver cross necklace, although it is often tucked underneath his shirt.

Like other Hillerska students, he wears the burgundy school uniform when necessary and can also be found in dark suits during formal engagements such as his duties as Crown Prince. His casual clothes consist mostly of sweaters and collared shirts, and, sparingly, t-shirts, mostly of blue colour (representing him as a blue-blooded noble person). He often wears a scarf along with a dark jacket when outside in the cold.

## Personality

Wilhelm is withdrawn, especially when compared to Erik and August's more outgoing personas. He attempts to hide from larger gatherings in his room, because he feels awkward and anxious in such situations. He is also kind, such as paying August's tuition after learning about his financial struggles from Simon, following Felice to comfort her, and giving Felice his jacket when she is cold. After Erik's death, he has an almost overnight change where his priorities shift from what he wants to do to what would be best for his family, such as breaking things off with Simon and deleting his contact information. However, he struggles to keep those priorities straight.

He displays considerable anxiety throughout the show, and often adjusts his hair, chews gum, bites his nails or cheeks, fidgets, or rubs his chest when uncomfortable. His mother tells him to "stop doing that" when biting his nails in Episode 1, so its likely that his anxiety has never been taken seriously by his parents. There are several scenes where he is implied to be having a panic attack. He can be very impulsive, especially in high stress situations. His anxiety and extreme stress pushes him to make decisions he doesn't really want to make, only because it will be less anxiety-inducing. He struggles with choosing between his own happiness and his duty to the throne, which can lead him to making cold or rash decisions. He shows a relative reliance on drugs and alcohol as coping mechanisms.

At first, Wilhelm comes off as an aggressive teenager, though watchers (and Simon) quickly come to understand that he is extremely stressed out and anxious most of the time and doesn't know how to cope with it — and that his home life is not very warm and comforting. Underneath that shell, he is rather soft and tender.

When relaxed, Wilhelm is seen to be playful, sweet, and goofy at times. He teases Simon often and jokes around with him. Unlike some of the other elites, Wilhelm is a polite gentlemen to everyone he meets, even if he is annoyed or uncomfortable. Fans head-canon that Wilhelm's love-language is touch, as he is constantly hugging Simon, cuddling with him, and touching him in some sort of way. He also clings to Erik when he tries to leave. When stressed or upset, Wilhelm is often seen hugging himself or curling in the fetal position, and even asks Simon to hold him the morning after his breakdown at the soccer field. Despite his withdrawn nature, Wilhelm is a strong natural leader who can make a compelling argument and pull people to his side, as seen in Episode 5 with The Society. He is good with words, finding sweet and meaningful ways to compliment Simon's singing, giving a very emotional and powerful speech about Erik without script, and, again, making strong arguments.

He also seems to have very different opinions than most other elite people he meets, which is possibly why he wanted to go to public school. He agreed with Simon on the welfare scam/tax evasion debate, but couldn't say anything due to not being allowed to speak about politics. He also knows that the teachers are biased with grades towards students who pay for extra studying and shows distaste towards it when telling Simon. When other students around him start saying insensitive/out-of-touch things, he looks a bit uncomfortable. He is clearly tired of everyone always altering their opinions to appease him, as seen in Episode 1 when he purposefully changes his opinion on their free period just to call people out on doing it. This is also likely why he was drawn to Simon, who has strong opinions and doesn't change for anyone.

## Relationships

### Romantic

#### Simon

Wilhelm initially takes a liking to Simon after seeing him perform in the school choir on Wilhelm's first day at Hillerska. Their first conversation occurs after Simon takes a stance against the framing of welfare fraud as a 'scam' and tax fraud as 'evasion,' which Wilhelm compliments him on. However, the conversation was cut short by August's interruption. Wilhelm once again seeks Simon out at his initiation party. Simon and an intoxicated Wilhelm talk outside before August comes searching for Wilhelm, and they have to hide from him.

In episode 2, the pair are noticeably closer, with Wilhelm sitting near him in class and giving him advice for school and rowing. Their friendship had formed from how neither of them treated each other differently; Simon didn't view Wilhelm as a prince, and Wilhelm didn't see the student as below him. They study together after school, and Simon invites Wilhelm to skip rowing practice and attend Rosh's soccer match instead, which Wilhelm accepts after slight deliberation. After returning to school, August tells Wilhelm that Simon had posted a video of him on his Instagram story and warns Wilhelm about hanging around the wrong type of people. However, Wilhelm just asks Simon to take the story down and apologizes.

    During the horror movie night, Wilhelm and Simon sit very close to each other. At one starting part of the movie, Wilhelm’s hand flies into Simon’s lap, but he quickly retracts it. Soon after, Wilhelm places his pinky finger on Simon's leg, and Simon responds by starting to hold his hand. Wilhelm initially grabs Simon's hand tighter, but when he notices Sara looking over at them, he abruptly lets go of Simon’s hand and leaves the room, heading to a window for fresh air. Simon comes after him and they chat for a little bit. While they’re talking, Simon is getting closer and closer and kisses him twice. Wilhelm doesn't respond until he pulls away during the second kiss after hearing the students yell in the movie room. He begins to say, "I'm not..." but never finishes his sentence. Fearing rejection, Simon turns to leave, but Wilhelm makes him stay by pulling his shirt back. Wilhelm pulls Simon closer and finally kisses him back, ending the episode.

Although he initiated the third kiss, Wilhelm backtracks in the start of episode three. He asks Simon to forget about it but wants to remain friends. Despite having made this decision, he is noticeably unsure about it, and eventually changes his mind once more. Wilhelm catches Simon at the end of gym class to ask if they can hang out over the weekend as Wilhelm wants Simon to keep him company, taking back what he had said earlier. On parents day, they are shown smiling at each other during the choir performance. Wilhelm ignores August's assumption that he would sit with his family and instead goes to sit with Simon and Sara and Felice's family, where he meets Linda. Upon learning that August is also planning on staying at school over the weekend, they change their plans to Wilhelm staying at Simon's house, which is quickly abandoned when news reaches Wilhelm of Erik's death.

Just when it seems that their relationship can finally start, Erik's unexpected death leaves Wilhelm reexamining his decisions as the new crown prince. Simon sends him multiple messages to check up on him, but Wilhelm doesn't reply. He ultimately decides that a relationship with Simon is unattainable, and asks him to delete their text history and calls things off. Neither of them are happy with this, but it is what Wilhelm feels is most compatible with his new responsibility. While intoxicated (due to both drugs and alcohol) on the football field curtesy of partying with The Society, he calls Simon, whos contact he had previously deleted, and Simon comes to get him back to his room safely. Here on the football field, Wilhelm openly declares his feelings for Simon.

The next day, Simon wakes up in Wilhelm's room early in the morning. The two had shared the bed, with Simon sleeping almost in a sitting position against the wall, despite there being an unoccupied bed on the other side of the room. His attempt to leave wakes Wilhelm, who asks him to hold him and apologizes for the night before. Simon asks if Wilhelm remembers what he said to him, and when Wilhelm starts to get nervous, assures him that it's okay and he feels the same way. The interaction eventually escalates to the pair being intimate. Unbeknownst to them, August was outside Wilhelm's room — he wasn't able to get back into the school after staying out at night — and filmed the two.

Wilhelm leaves to go get the two of them food before class and tells Simon to pretend like he came from the bus. While he moves to go give Simon the breakfast sandwich, August and Vincent interrupt and start a conversation with Wilhelm. He eventually gets it to Simon in the classroom before lessons start. Later, Wilhelm and Simon go on a mini date in the woods near Hillerska, accompanied by Wilhelm's bodyguards walking a distance away. Wilhelm also goes to Bjarstad to have dinner at Simon's home.

Because of Alexander's suspension, The Society has to come up with an emergency plan to keep him at the school and not risk incriminating anyone else at the party, especially Wilhelm. August suggests placing all of the blame on Simon and tells Wilhelm that he had been the one to supply the drugs for them in the first place. Wilhelm talks to Simon about the situation as soon as he can, with their conversation turning into a fight when Simon believes that Wilhelm supports August's plan. Wilhelm tells him that's not the case, but Simon is still angry and tells him that he's "not going to protect the royal family just because the prince fucks up."

Wilhelm is able to convince The Society to place the blame on Alexander instead and let's Simon know during the Sankta Lucia festivities at Hillerska. He tells Simon that he was afraid to lose him and that he was just scared to lose him. The two reconcile, and Wilhelm is still visibly upset from the conflict that had occurred before. While this is happening, August is in the library uploading the video he took of them to an internet forum.

In episode 6, Wilhelm and Simon are still reacting to their public outing. While Simon was clearly identifiable, all that was visible of Wilhelm was the back of his head, and Hillerska staff and students were the only people who could tell for sure that the video was taken in his room. They meet up face to face for the first time since the leak in the changing room after class, where Wilhelm tells Simon that his mother had requested for him to deny the accusation, whereas his own wish was to just not comment on it at all. Simon implores Wilhelm to be truthful, so he doesn't leave Simon alone in the aftermath. The boys agree that they haven't done anything wrong, and decide to be in the situation together.

Simon visits Wilhelm at his dorm before he gets picked up to head home for the press release. Simon meets Queen Kristina on the way out, who had unexpectedly come to escort her son home. In the car ride, Kristina urges Wilhelm to deny it, and, eventually, that is what Wilhelm does. Afterwards, Wilhelm heads to Bjarstad in order to apologize to Simon. While Wilhelm wishes to continue their relationship secretly, Simon decides to break it off and tells Wilhelm that he can take all the time he needs to figure out what he really wants, but Simon can't be his secret.

In the final scene of the season, Wilhelm approaches Simon after the final choir performance before the winter holidays. He hugs him in view of any onlooking Hillerska staff or students and confesses that he loves Simon. Simon tells him to have a good Christmas. Wilhelm thanks him and heads home.

In a video released by Netflix, Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) said that he has a 'special bond' with Simon (Omar Rudberg). It is still unclear what that may mean exactly.

In season 2 Simon has a relationship with Marcus implying that their relationship has ended. Wilhelm is clearly still in love with with simon.

### Family

#### Queen Kristina

Queen Kristina is Wilhelm's mother. During their first interaction, she is chiding him for his irresponsible behavior. Although she hasn't said anything about his actual actions of going to a nightclub underage and getting into a fight as his mother, she is very concerned with the effect they will have on the publics perception of him and their family. When Wilhelm raises his hand to his mouth to bite his nails, which is one of his self soothing activities, she slaps it down. Kristina goes on reminds them that being a Prince is a privilege, not a punishment, which is a mantra she repeats to him in episode 6 after the video leak. He texts her late at night on his first day at Hillerska to beg to return home, but she insists that he will get used to life at the school.

During Erik's funeral, she holds his hand and pushes him forwards when it comes time to exit the church. At dinner the night of, she laments about how she had been prepared her entire life to inherit the throne, but nobody expected for Wilhelm to have to wear the crown one day. She tells him that he can't make any more mistakes, and begins to cry when Wilhelm tells her that he's already spent his entire life being compared to Erik.

She comes to speak with him in his dorm after the video is released. She initially greets him by gently pushing his hair out of his face, but the next clip of them is much more impersonal, where she is sitting at his desk and then moves to continue their conversation next to him on his bed. She tells her son that they can't pretend as if the rumors don't exist, but he can still deny them as his face wasn't clear in the video. She also lets him know that he shouldn't be seen with Simon for the time being, so as not to fuel the rumors any more. While leaving, she strokes his cheek and runs a hand down his arm as a goodbye.

She unexpectedly comes with Wilhelm's transportation to escort him back home. Although she isn't happy to see Simon come from Wilhelm's dorm, she greets him politely and doesn't let her displeasure show until she is alone with Wilhelm. When Wilhelm asks why he can't just live a normal, private life with Simon, she replies that he is a crown prince — and that is a privilege, not a punishment. She implores him to decide if Simon is really worth all the trouble it will bring to Wilhelm and his family, revealing that she herself had an "unfortunate relationship" before meeting his father.

> "We have one chance to make this go away. I urge you to take it."
>
>

The breaking point is when Wilhelm calls his mother after confirming that it was August who recorded and posted the video, only for him to find out that she had learned days prior and had decided not to tell him in fear of how he'd react. She tells him that there are no winners if they go public with the information, as it would contradict the story that Wilhelm is not the other participant in the video. When Wilhelm asks why she's protecting August, she tells him that she's protecting *Wilhelm***.** As she says that protecting the family is the only thing that can give Erik's death any meaning, Wilhelm hangs up on her and starts to cry.

Their relationship is not shown to be particularly warm, but it is not antagonistic either. Her primary care is protecting the monarchy and her family's reputation, which puts her at odds with Wilhelm's longing for independence and normalcy. Her priorities are shown when he calls her after confronting August about posting the video, and she admits that she was already aware of August's involvement and had purposefully withheld the information from Wilhelm in order to protect the public image of their family as she knew how he would react emotionally.

#### Ludvig

Ludvig is Wilhelm's father, and is the family member with the least impact on Wilhelm's life. He doesn't appear to be in as much conflict his son's desire for normalcy as the rest of the family, which can probably be attributed to how he was not raised as a royal like his wife and sons were. In the first episode, he tells Wilhelm that he must show understanding and accountability for his actions. At dinner the night of Erik's funeral, he suggests that Wilhelm returns to Hillerska quickly to try and regain some stability after this massive life change. After the video is leaked, he leaves the decision making up to his wife and isn't shown to contact his son, whether to provide comfort or otherwise.

#### Prince Erik

Prince Erik is Wilhelm's older brother and the first in line for the future throne of Sweden. Wilhelm looks up to Erik and how well he is able to handle the pressure and spotlight that comes with being the Crown Prince, and Erik provides guidance and support to his younger brother. They share a fairly typical brotherly bond otherwise, as can be seen when the two mess around and run away from the photographer in Episode 1. Wilhelm seems to appreciate how Erik's position as the Crown Prince and dedication to it puts less pressure and responsibility on him, which likely contributed to his initial willingness to engage with Simon romantically.

While Erik is the most sympathetic towards Wilhelm of his immediate family, he still is firm in the belief that Wilhelm should take actions that benefit the family. At times, he tells Wilhelm to stop being selfish, keep up appearances, and pretend to be someone else.

When Erik dies, Wilhelm admits immense guilt not only in that his brother, who supported him while showing great dedication to his royal position, was gone while he was still there, but that he felt partially responsible for the car accident as he had pushed his brother in the past to drive fast and have reckless fun. All of the new pressure and guilt causes Wilhelm to attempt to abandon his romance in exchange for the new expectations placed upon him in his duty, which he soon finds to be impossible. Lisa Ambjörn described this transition as coming from his deep affection for his brother and a desire to emulate Erik in this new position.

#### August

August is Wilhelm's second cousin on his mothers side, making him a lower class noble. Erik has August take Wilhelm under his wing when they first arrive at Hillerska as the two were friends when they both attended, and Wilhelm almost immediately finds him insufferable. Erik encourages him to bond with August as they're family, also noting that he takes his role at the school very seriously as he was sent there after his father committed suicide. Wilhelm sympathizes and agrees to stick with August, showing little to no discomfort after being hazed by the man and his friends before his initiation party. Either way, he dislikes how August treats Simon poorly and tries to separate the two, like inviting Wilhelm to sit with him and his friends after seeing the younger talk to Simon, all after establishing that only third years sat at that end of the table.

He and August bond after Erik's death, as August shows him support upon his return to the school and invites him to The Society, Wilhelm sharing his guilt with August while high at the party. Throughout the series, he repeatedly makes sure that Wilhelm knows that August is there for him, and that he has a support system through The Society. All of this reassurance is quickly shown to be false as when, as soon as August sees that Wilhelm is in bed with someone, his first reaction is to record it.

When he sees that Wilhelm is with Simon, instead of deleting the video and showing support to the younger, he keeps it, repeatedly rewatching it, trying to separate the two by revealing that Simon sold him the drugs and trying to throw him under the bus for it, then posting it to the internet to get back at Wilhelm for revealing that he was broke to The Society. Wilhelm even apologizes to August for doing so, acknowledging that it was immature and inappropriate of him to do, and arranges for his fees to be paid before finding out that August was the one who did it. He lashes out at August and shows the older how much the older has betrayed him all while telling Wilhelm that he would always be there for him. Wilhelm ends it by stating that August was no longer part of his family.

### Platonic

#### Felice

Wilhelm and Felice went to the same preschool together and met again at Hillerska. Felice has a crush on Wilhelm because of his royal status, but Wilhelm doesn't feel the same about her, rejecting her after she kissed him in episode 3. Even so, they agree to forget about it, and Wilhelm cares about Felice and comforts her when she is feeling down, despite not being interested in her romantically. He lends her a jacket in the cold, and she tells her friends to stop joking about his relationship after he was outed. She even spends the time to discover who posted the video, and shares it with him immediately. At the end of season 1, Felice is one of Wilhelm's only true friends, despite her initial attraction to him stemming from his status.

### Friends

#### Henry

Although Henry and Wilhelm aren't shown to have many conversations, they do have some degree of acquaintanceship. They sit next to each other in several classes and are both first-year members of The Society and rowing team. When the two first meet, Wilhelm jokes with Henry and Walter at their dorm's dining table, disagreeing with their statements about a period during the day, but neither seem to understand, both quickly backtracking as to not disagree with Wilhelm due to his status. Later, this is shown to be ironic as Wilhelm immediately takes a liking to Simon's lack of fear to do so in class. During the horror movie night, he realized something was up between Wilhelm and Simon. When Wilhelm proposes that they should place the blame on Alexander instead of Simon, Henry is the first one to leave the Palace after Wilhelm, implying a quick agreement with his plan. Wilhelm was standing with Henry and Walter when he found out about the video leak. On the first day of class after having been outed, Henry attempts to cut the tension by asking if Wilhelm had watched the game last night.

## Trivia

* Wilhelm is shown to be queer, as he pursued a relationship with Simon, though his exact sexuality is unknown: According to Edvin Ryding, Wilhelm's sexuality is fluid (as a description, not a set identity; or as a general statement about the fluidity of human sexuality and/or against labeling sexuality) and the Young Royals team is choosing not to label him. When asked if Erik knew that "Wille was gay," head writer Lisa Ambjörn replied that she thinks "in that phone call between them he understood," and adds that it hasn't mattered because Wilhelm has never been in love with anyone before Simon. Edvin Ryding describes Wilhelm as person who is "just very, very in love with a boy at the school."
* He's not allowed to publicly speak on politics.
* He was confirmed the summer before the start of the series and is most likely a Lutheran: Swedish law requires each member of the royal family to be a Protestant Christian, which is a broad classification intended to mean members of the Church of Sweden. The Church of Sweden, which was the official state religion until 2000, is a Lutheran denomination.
* He's bad with noble family names such as Belgian King (he stated that he recalled him as Rudolf while he was drunk talking to August).
* Wilhelm has several hobbies, including horseback riding and music, but currently is only on the rowing team.
* He suffers from anxiety, possibly having panic attacks. He bites his finger nails and rubs his chest when he is anxious, He is also shown as a person who might be very impulsive from time to time, having anger management issues.
* He took a red light from his initiation party at Hillerska to hang on his shelf in his dorm room. We see him using a couple of times (it represents his desire for Simon mostly. First time when we see the light background, he first time texts Simon about rowing practice. Second time that episode, the light was wrapped around his neck after his little-dateish-date with Simon for Rosh's football match).
* He addresses his desire for living a normal life several times which was disregarded by his mom.
* He owns a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip mobile phone.
* He has several moles on his body skin and a mole on his right cheek.
* He is shown (or should we say forced?) to cut his hair in season 2, possibly keeping up the apperance as the crown prince (and for not being recognized as "the prince in the sextape with a boy").
* After his brother died, when he became the new crown prince, he got a bigger room at Hillerska, owning two beds in the same room. He also has to live under the security of two bodyguards who follow him everywhere.
* He is a member of Skogsbacken (the Forest Ridge at Hillerska, boys' team).
* He knows how to read music and can play piano.
* He loves partying, drinking and dancing (called as "Party Prince" by the media several times).
* His love language is touch (mostly hugs). He is not afraid of making intense eye contact.
* He owns a snow globe showing a frog prince which was given as a gift from Prince Erik.
* His room number is 15 in Hillerska Boarding School.
* He smells like sandalwood and lingonberry.
* His favorite pastry is the semla, it reminds him of his childhood.

## Appearances

* *Episode 2*
* *Episode 3*
* *Episode 4*
* *Episode 5*
* *Episode 6*
* *Episode 2*
* *Episode 3*
* *Episode 4*
* *Episode 5*
* *Episode 6*

## Memorable Quotes

**Prince Wilhelm to Simon:**

* "I've found it out. You see, everything is fake. Everything is fake. Everything in the world is fake. It's, like, you know... The grass on the football field isn't even grass. It's... it's plastic! It's like bright but at night. It's night! I know that much. But why is it bright? All the people are fake. They're made out of metal. But I like you. And that is not fake."

**Prince Wilhelm to Queen Kristina:**

* "And I won't be Crown Prince any longer! I'm not going to be king!"