FACTS ABOUT | sweden.se PHOTO: JONAS EKSTRÖMER/TT

The at Solliden Palace, on the island of Öland.

MONARCHY: A MODERN MONARCHY The is one of the oldest royal families in the world, yet regarded as the world’s most modern by many. In 1980, Sweden became the first monarchy to change its succes- sion rites so that the first-born child of the is heir to the , regardless of gender. Ambitious and with charm to spare, Crown Victoria seems more than ready for the task.­

The Swedish monarchy is certainly used were discussions about reforming the their first child: second in line to the to the eyes of media. Recent years have­ Succession Act and make it gender neu­ Swedish throne, Princess Estelle was offered up a series of weddings and tral. The change eventually took place born on 23 February 2012. On 2 March births that have put them even more into three years after her birth but was made 2016, Victoria gave birth to her second the spotlight – nationally and interna­ retroactive, which immediately changed child, Oscar. tionally. Victoria’s ­ from Princess to Crown On 20 February 2014, Victoria’s youn­ Perhaps none was as widely followed Princess. ger sister Madeleine gave birth to Prin­ as the marriage between Crown Princess cess Leonore. The father is British-Ame­ Victoria and Daniel Westling. Royal nuptials and births rican businessman Christopher O'Neill. The celebrations around Victoria’s mar­ On 15 June 2015, Princess Madeleine riage to Daniel Westling, previously a and O’Neill had their second child, As the eldest of three siblings, Victoria gym owner and personal trainer, on Prince­ Nicolas. is first in line to the Swedish throne, 19 June 2010, lasted for three days. The couple were married on 8 June and as such she has become a highly Daniel Westling was given the title 2013 at the Royal Palace in , popular ambassador for the country. H.R.H. Prince Daniel, of Västergöt­ and celebrations were held afterwards at Already before Victoria was born, there land. Eighteen months later they had the Palace of Drottningholm. „ FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | MONARCHY sweden.se

ROYAL HERITAGE „ To retain her H.R.H. title, Princess became Carl XVI ­Madeleine has not taken the O’Neill sur­ Gustaf. His motto is ‘For Sweden – with FRENCH ORIGINS name. Unlike Prince Daniel, O’Neill has the times’. Swedish monarchs date back around a not added Bernadotte to his name, pre­ thousand years and have belonged to ele­ ferring instead to retain his UK and US Queen with a career ven , with the current one, the citizenships. He therefore has no royal In 1972, when still the Crown Prince, Carl , ruling the longest. and is not an official member of the Gustaf met his German-Brazilian future Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was the first Bernadotte on the Swedish throne. Born in Swedish Royal Family. wife, Silvia Sommerlath, who was born in 1763, he was named heir to the Prince Carl Philip is fourth in line of in 1943 in . They met in Swedish throne in 1810. His name as king succession to the Swedish throne after during the , where Silvia was Karl XIV Johan. The Swedish Royal Crown Princess Victoria and her children. was chief hostess. Family is related to all the reigning royal He and Sofia Hellqvist, a former model A trained interpreter without either courts of Europe. and reality television contestant, cele­ royal or noble origins, Silvia is the first

PHOTO: THURE WIKBERG/TT PHOTO: THURE WIKBERG/TT brated their wedding on 13 June 2015 at Swedish queen to have had a profes­ the Royal Palace. On 19 April 2016, the sional career. ­couple had a son, Prince Alexander. She married King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1976. At the time royal weddings that in­ Carl XVI Gustaf cluded non- were highly unusual, It was not a coincidence that Crown and Queen Silvia has since modernised ­Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel chose the position of queen so that it is in step to get married on 19 June. On that date with the times. Her relationship with the in 1976, Sweden’s current King Carl XVI King is considered very equal, and she Gustaf married Queen Silvia. has taken strong initiatives to pursue , home to the King and Queen since 1981. King Carl XVI Gustaf is the seventh ­several social issues close to her heart, monarch of the House of Bernadotte. in particular children’s rights. He was born on 30 as the The King and Queen have three DROTTNINGHOLM PALACE fifth child and only son of Crown Prince ­children: Crown Princess Victoria Ingrid Drottningholm Palace, the home of the Gustaf and Princess Sibylla. Crown Alice Désirée, Duchess of Västergötland, ­Royal Family, is on UNESCO’s World Prince Gustaf Adolf died in an air crash in born on 14 July 1977; Prince Carl Philip ­Heritage List. The palace was built by the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder in the following year. Edmund, Duke of Värmland, born on the 17th century and is highly character­ In 1950, Carl Gustaf became Crown 13 ; and Princess Madeleine istic of European royal architecture of the Prince of Sweden when his great-grand­ Thérèse Amelie Josephine, Duchess of time. Large parts of the palace and park father died and was succeeded Hälsingland and Gästrikland, born on are open to visitors. by the then 68-year-old Gustaf VI Adolf, 10 June 1982. the Crown Prince’s grandfather. Since 1981 the Royal Family lives in PHOTO: JOCKE BERGLUND/TT After serving as monarch for 23 years,­ Drottningholm Palace, outside Stock­ Gustaf VI Adolf passed away in 1973. holm. However, only the King and Queen That same year, at the age of 27, the live there today. n

FOR SWEDEN – WITH THE TIMES Sweden is one of the world’s most stable and egalitarian

Solliden Palace, the summer resi­ ­democracies, with a monarchy that has strong roots and public dence of the Royal Family. ­ support.

SOLLIDEN PALACE As , the King is Sweden’s Sweden’s cultural heritage and considers­ foremost unifying symbol. According to it important that the public has access to Solliden is the Royal Family’s summer the 1974 , the monarch has the royal palaces with their collections retreat on Öland, a large island off the southeast coast of Sweden. Solliden no political affinity and no formal pow­ and parks. Palace was designed in mutual consul­ ers. The King’s duties are mainly of a tation between architect Torben Grut and ­ceremonial and representative nature. Keeping busy Sweden’s , wife of King King Carl XVI Gustaf has a strong Carl XVI Gustaf, who celebrated his Gustav V. The construction took place commitment to the global environment 70th anniversary on 30 April 2016, is an between 1903 and 1906. During the sum­ mer months, the Royal Family gathers at and is a recognised authority on environ­ ­active monarch who keeps up to date Solliden to spend time with each other in mental issues. Among other things, he on current affairs and the Swedish busi­ private. has received the U.S. Environmental ness sector. In addition to two or three Protection Agency Award. He is likewise state visits abroad each year, he takes deeply committed to the preservation­ of part in international­ trips organised­ „ 2 | FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | MONARCHY sweden.se

FAMOUS SWEDISH MONARCHS „ by the Royal­ of closest staff members to discuss the ­Engineering Sciences­ and the World invitations and decide which are most GUSTAV II ADOLF Scout ­Foundation. Under­ the collective important. They make sure that their ap­ Gustav II Adolf ruled from 1611 to 1632. label ‘Royal Colloquium’, the King also pearances are spread across Sweden. By intervening in the Thirty Years’ War, he organises high-level seminars in collabo­ When the King is prevented from per­ ­came to assume great political importance ration with Swedish scientists. forming his duties as head of state, for and is internationally the most renowned The Royal Family receives thousands example during a trip abroad, Crown of Sweden’s . Under his rule, Sweden became a leading military power. of invitations each year. Once a week, Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip or Gustav II Adolf was killed in 1632 at the King holds a planning meeting with Princess Madeleine, in that order, assume­ the Battle of Lützen.­ chose to the Queen, the Crown Princess and their the duties of temporary . n ­honour his ­memory by calling him Gustav

Adolf the Great. PHOTO: J. COUNTESS/WIREIMAGE

QUEEN KRISTINA Excepting the brief caretaker government of Queen Ulrika Eleonora in 1719–20, Queen Kristina is the only female monarch of the Kingdom of Sweden. She succeeded Gustav II Adolf in 1632, just before her sixth birthday, and ruled for 22 years.

Kristina abdicated in 1654. She converted­ to Roman Catholicism, settled in ­ and was succeeded by her cousin, Karl Gustav. When he died in 1660, she trav­elled to ­Sweden in the hope of reclaiming the ­throne. However, her claim was rejected by Parliament, and Kristina returned to Rome. PHOTO: ALBUM/JOSEPH MARTIN

Crown Princess Victoria, on a visit to the in New York City in 2013.

CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA – SWEDEN’S FUTURE QUEEN King Gustav III of Sweden. When she succeeds her father, Crown Princess Victoria will ­become Sweden’s 70th monarch, the third female monarch in GUSTAV III the history of the Kingdom of Sweden, and the first since 1720. Gustav III ruled from 1771 to 1792 and is often called the Theatre King. He was a keen patron of the arts, especially theatre The heir to the throne should be raised Victoria has by now made many offi­ and opera, and founded the first opera in so as to represent Sweden in an appro­ cial trips abroad as a representative of Stockholm in 1782, the Swedish Academy priate and constitutionally correct way. ­Sweden. Her first major officialvisit ­ and the Swedish Royal Academy of ­Music. This is in part to maintain the popular on her own was to in 2001, Gustav III’s reign was not popular with the support of the Swedish people, a key to where she promoted Swedish design, high nobility. Opposition culminated in a conspiracy in 1792, when Gustav III was be effective. ­music, gastronomy and environmental shot by Jacob J. Anckarström at a masked­ Crown Princess Victoria’s agenda sustainability.­ ball held at the Stockholm Opera. The King includes attending official dinners, She speaks English, French and died shortly after, and having admitted­ openings and visits from foreign digni­ ­German and is in great demand as an to the assassination, Anckarström was taries. She also attends the Advisory ambassador for Swedish ventures in executed.­ Council on Foreign Affairs and the infor­ culture, art and design – which are also mation councils with Government minis­ personal interests. ters, and steps in as a temporary regent Issues surrounding crisis and conflict when needed. management, including international „ 3 | FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | MONARCHY sweden.se PHOTO: FREDRIK SANDBERG/TT CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA tions constitute an important part of her edu­cation – but as heir to the throne ARTISTIC TALENTS she must also continuously maintain a The Crown Princess enjoys both painting breadth of knowledge on social issues.­ and drawing. She appreciates the cultu­ Courses in individual subjects have been­ ral heritage left by her ancestors, and is prioritised over a specific academic also proud to wear the jewellery worn by degree.­ previous generations of the Royal Family at major celebrations. After graduating from upper se­ condary school, the Crown Princess ROYAL TIES studied French for foreign students at the Université Catholique de l’Ouest in The Crown Princess is in contact with­ other European heirs to the throne. She Angers, France. has had especially close ties with her In 1998, she enrolled at Nordic counterparts, the heirs to the in the US where she studied for five se­ of Denmark and . mesters, taking courses in geology, his­ OFFICE IN OLD TOWN tory and international relations. During­ her time at Yale, her interest in interna­ Along with the King and the Queen, tional issues deepened and she took pri­ Crown Princess Victoria has her office vate lessons in current affairs, wrote an and staff at the Royal Palace in Stock­ holm’s Old Town. essay on the role of the United Nations in Iraq and completed internships at the LEISURE INTERESTS Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel UN in New York and the Swedish Embas­ Crown Princess Victoria enjoys spen­ at the Nobel Banquet. sy in Washington, DC. ding time in nature. She likes to take In the spring of 2002, she continued long walks, ski and pursue other out­ „ ­peace-building, are also of particular her international studies at the Depart­ door activities.­ She is genuinely fond of ­interest to Victoria. ment of Peace and Conflict Research at ­animals and dogs are her favourites. She , Sweden. She has spends a lot of time with her children in As after the birth of her daughter, the gardens­ of their home. Crown Princess Victoria’s calendar studied the structure and functioning of was completely cleared during the first Swedish society, partly through intern­ LIVING IN months after the birth of her son. ships at Swedish government offices Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel and various other institutions. Through and their children live in Haga Palace out­ Thorough education a study programme at the Swedish side Stockholm, the birthplace and early Victoria began her formal education ­International Development Coopera­ home of King Carl XVI Gustaf. at local public schools, switching to a tion Agency (Sida), she visited Uganda and Ethiopia. She has also served as an FUND FOR CHILDREN private school when she began her se­ condary school studies. Despite having ­intern at the offices of the Swedish Trade The Crown Princess Victoria Fund was dyslexia, she graduated in 1996 with Council in and , has under­ set up in 1997 to help provide recreation­ good grades thanks to a steadfast com­ gone basic military training and has al activities for children with functional disabilities or chronic illnesses. Ap­proved mitment and devotion to learning. taken courses at the Swedish National grants cover expenses for recreational The Crown Princess' studies at uni­ Defence College (Försvarshögskolan) in trips. Every summer, Swedish public­ versities and other academic institu­ Stockholm. n ­service television (SVT) carries out fund­ raising drives for the Victoria Fund. The fund mainly survives thanks to dona­ tions by the public, but companies also USEFUL LINKS ­contribute. www.royalcourt.se Swedish Royal Court

www.government.se Government Offices of Sweden

www.tacitus.nu Historical atlas

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