As talked about in this podcast episode of @peopledonttalkabout , the music room fight scene in season one episode five encompasses the entire dynamic and arc of Wilmon's relationship in Young Royals. Margaret and Anton point out that this is the first ever time that Simon calls Wille 'Prince'.
My thoughts about Simon's feelings towards Wille from the music room up until the hug at Lucia, is that in this period he views Wille as one of the elite kids all having each others' backs (once a brother always a brother) and using their privilege to scapegoat out of their mistakes. From the moment Wille accuses Simon of being low for providing these elite kids with drugs (which he took) is when the switch happens - from perceiving Wille as just himself to a Prince. Judging as low the lower class kid for providing drugs to the upper class kids who consume them is the equivalent hypocrisy that Simon spoke about in the first episode of the show. Simon: "Why is it called tax 'evasion' but welfare 'scam?' It's all right that rich people cheat, but when poor people do it, it's messed up. For rich people, it's not even called 'welfare' it's called 'deduction'." The language and perception is that one is superior to the other.
[Simon suggests that Wille thinks that his family's reputation and future is superior to Simon's. Wille pauses and doesn't answer and Simon takes that as Wille implying the Royal family's concerns are superior to the Eriksson family's. This comes full circle at the end of season 3 when Simon is struggling with his family's reputation being trashed in comments on social media and Wille dismisses his worries because his mother's health and the state of the royal family is more important. Wille's birthday and how he behaves towards Simon is an escalation of what is happening in this music room in Season one.]
Simon himself is in trouble with drugs because of the elite kids' need for alcohol and drugs and to prevent one of those kids from predating on his vulnerable sister because of her access to those drugs.
Wille going on to help August with his finance problems with just one phonecall in the next scene illustrates how this class of kids have each others' backs. (My first thought when I first watched this show was that Wille was now going to cover August's debt to Simon so Simon is no longer having to do what he's doing- but, no, Simon is not whose finances he's concerned about. Though, in fairness I doubt that Simon would have accepted Wille's financial help.)
Wille texts Simon that he understands that he is angry and he will fix the problem. Simon is still angry because in my opinion he's like "well of course you should- it's your problem to fix". And he's frustrated that now his fate at the school and future rests in this upper class kid's hands. He has no reason to trust this group of people, and he is still viewing Wille as a representative of them.
Then at Lucia when Wille tells Simon that they threw Alexander under the bus, he's angry again about this elite group using their camaraderie and privilege at a lower class kid's expense. (Alexander may be rich but he is lower class than the Society kids). When Wille tells Simon what he did to save Simon, he wonders what he owes this elite kids' representative in compensation. A thank you? Wille's groups' classicism did this to Simon in the first place. Now Simon has been granted a reprieve because one of these kids needs him as a friend/lover. He shakes his head because it's so messed up and goes against his principles, which waver, the longer he spends at this school.
Now, of course, Wille is not August and there are individual accountabilities amongst these group of elite kids, but throughout this whole period Simon not only perceives Wille as the Prince, but Wille grouped in with these upper class kids diabolically getting away with their misbehaviour. The show shows a montage of the Society all lying to the headmistress to blame Alexander and Wille is just one of them. That scene for me acts as the show reminding us - Wille IS one of them - they share the same values and principles. (Costuming and casting in that scene does a good job with the storytelling- they all look similar and are dressed in similar colours).
Simon pushing past all this at Lucia to once again perceive Wille as himself to comfort him, because of Wille's loneliness, is testament to Simon's character. This is the reason their love story exists. Because Simon is a person with strong integrity but also one who gives people that he loves second chances. He is brave with his heart like that. In that scene at Lucia, I personally did not want Simon to forgive Wille for his classism both in the music room and concerning Alexander. But Simon cares enough for Wille to forgive him and move on.
This entire event is one of those instances that Simon is referring to in the tent in season three when he says that Wille does not recognise his own privilege at times. Deciding not to be part of the succession in the monarchy at the end of season three will not have rid Wille of his class status and innate classicism (however minor it is compared to the outright bigots at Hillerska). This, as a 17 year old, will take some time to unlearn. Many of us as adults are still unlearning problematic takes from the environments we were brought up in. I'm sure Simon will never miss an opportunity to call him out on it in their future.
