A Modern Monarchy

FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | MONARCHY sweden.se PHOTO: ANNA-LENA AHLSTRÖM/KUNGAHUSET.SE

Three generations of the Swedish Royal Family, with life partners. Clockwise from left: Christopher O’Neill, Princess Madeleine with daughter Leonore, Prince Daniel, Crown Princess Victoria with daughter Estelle, Prince Carl Philip, Sofia Hellqvist, King Carl XVI Gustaf, and Queen Silvia.

MONARCHY: A MODERN MONARCHY

The Swedish Royal Family 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 succession rites so that the first-born child of the monarch is heir to the throne, regardless of gender. Ambitious and with charm to spare, Crown Princess Victoria seems more than ready for the task.

The Swedish monarchy is certainly used Succession Act and make it gender neutral. Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary was born on to the eyes of media. Recent years have The change eventually took place three 23 February 2012 at Karolinska University offered up a series of weddings and births years after her birth but was made retroac- Hospital in Stockholm. that have put them even more into the tive, which immediately changed Victoria’s spotlight – nationally and internationally. title from Princess to Crown Princess. Royal nuptials Perhaps none was as widely followed The celebrations around her marriage Almost on the day two years later, on as the marriage on 19 June 2010 be- to Daniel, previously a gym owner and 20 February 2014, Victoria’s younger tween Crown Princess Victoria and personal trainer, lasted for three days, sister Madeleine gave birth to Princess Daniel Westling. As the eldest of three and thousands of people assembled to Leonore Lilian Maria. The father is British- siblings, Victoria is first in line to the offer their congratulations. International American businessman Christopher Swedish throne, and as such she has be- press, meanwhile, spread the news O'Neill. They are expecting their second come a highly popular ambassador for around the globe. child in the summer of 2015. the country. Daniel Westling was given the title The couple were married on 8 June H.R.H. Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergöt- 2013 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Heir apparent land. Eighteen months later they had and celebrations were held afterwards Already before Victoria was born, there their first child, a baby princess. Second at the family home at the Palace of were discussions about changing the in line to the Swedish throne, Princess Drottningholm. FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | MONARCHY sweden.se

ROYAL HERITAGE To retain her H.R.H. title, Princess Gustaf Adolf passed away in 1973. That Madeleine has not taken the O’Neill sur- same year, at the age of 27, the Crown FRENCH ORIGINS name. Unlike Prince Daniel, O’Neill has Prince became King Carl XVI Gustaf. His Swedish monarchs date back around a not added Bernadotte to his name, pre- motto is ‘For Sweden – with the times.’ thousand years and have belonged to ferring instead to retain his UK and US eleven dynasties, with the current one, citizenships. He therefore has no royal Queen with a career the House of Bernadotte, ruling the titles and is not an official member of the In 1972, when still the Crown Prince, Carl longest. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was the first Bernadotte on the Swedish Swedish Royal Family. Gustaf met his German-Brazilian future throne. Born in France in 1763, he was Prince Carl Philip, the second oldest wife, Silvia Sommerlath, who was born named heir to the Swedish throne in of the three siblings, is third in line of in 1943 in Germany. They met in Munich 1810. His name as king was Karl XIV succession to the Swedish throne after during the Olympic Games, where Silvia Johan. The Swedish Royal Family is Crown Princess Victoria and her daugh- was chief hostess. related to all the reigning royal courts of Europe. ter Princess Estelle. In June 2014 his A trained interpreter without either engagement to Sofia Hellqvist was an- royal or noble origins, Silvia is the first

PHOTO: THURE WIKBERG/TT nounced by the Swedish Royal Court. Swedish queen to have had a profes- The wedding will take place on 13 June sional career. 2015 in Stockholm. Hellqvist is a former She married King Carl Gustaf in 1976. model and reality television contestant. At the time royal weddings that included The two have lived together since 2011. non-nobility were highly unusual, and Queen Silvia has since modernised the Carl XVI Gustaf position of queen so that it is in step with It was not a coincidence that Crown the times. Her relationship with the King Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel chose is considered very equal, and she has Drottningholm Palace, home to the to get married on 19 June. On that date taken strong initiatives to pursue several King and Queen since 1981. in 1976, Sweden’s current King Carl XVI social issues close to her heart, in par- Gustaf married Queen Silvia. ticular children’s rights. DROTTNINGHOLM PALACE King Carl XVI Gustaf is the seventh The King and Queen have three chil- monarch of the House of Bernadotte. dren: Crown Princess Victoria Ingrid Drottningholm Palace, the home of the Royal Family, is on UNESCO’s World He was born on 30 April 1946 as the Alice Désirée, Duchess of Västergötland, Heritage List. The palace was built by fifth child and only son of Crown Prince born on 14 July 1977; Prince Carl Philip the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla. Crown Edmund, Duke of Värmland, born on Elder in the 17th century and is highly Prince Gustaf Adolf died in an air crash in 13 May 1979; and Princess Madeleine characteristic of European royal archi- Denmark the following year. Thérèse Amelie Josephine, Duchess of tecture of the time. Large parts of the palace and park are open to visitors. In 1950, Carl Gustaf became Crown Hälsingland and Gästrikland, born on Prince of Sweden when his great-grand- 10 June 1982.

PHOTO: JOCKE BERGLUND/TT father Gustaf V died and was succeeded Since 1981 the Royal Family lives in by the then 68-year-old Gustaf VI Adolf, Drottningholm Palace, outside Stockholm. the Crown Prince’s grandfather. However, only the King and Queen live After serving as monarch for 23 years, there today. n

FOR SWEDEN – WITH THE TIMES Sweden is one of the world’s most stable and egalitarian democ- Solliden Palace, the summer resi- racies, with a monarchy that has strong roots and public support. dence of the Royal Family.

As head of state, the King is Sweden’s Protection Agency Award. He is likewise SOLLIDEN PALACE foremost unifying symbol. According deeply committed to the preservation of Solliden is the Royal Family’s summer to the 1974 constitution, the monarch Sweden’s cultural heritage and considers retreat on Öland, a large island off the has no political affinity and no formal it important that the public has access to southeast coast of Sweden. Solliden Palace was designed in mutual consul powers. The King’s duties are mainly of the royal palaces with their collections tation between architect Torben Grut a ceremonial and representative nature. and parks. and Sweden’s Queen Victoria, wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf has a strong King Gustav V. The construction took commitment to the global environment Keeping busy place between 1903 and 1906. During and is a recognised authority on environ King Carl XVI Gustaf is an active mon- the summer months, the Royal Family gathers at Solliden to spend time with mental issues. Among other things, he arch who keeps up to date on current each other in private. has received the U.S. Environmental affairs and the Swedish business sector.

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FAMOUS SWEDISH MONARCHS In addition to two or three state visits the Queen, the Crown Princess and abroad each year, he takes part in inter their closest staff members to discuss GUSTAV II ADOLF national trips organised by the Royal the invitations and decide which are Gustav II Adolf ruled from 1611 to 1632. Swedish Academy of Engineering Sci- most important. They make sure that By intervening in the Thirty Years’ War, ences and the World Scout Foundation. their appearances are spread across he came to assume great political im- Under the collective label ‘Royal Col- Sweden. portance and is internationally the most loquium’, the King also organises high- When the King is prevented from renowned of Sweden’s kings. Under his rule, Sweden became a leading mili- level seminars on various themes in performing his duties as head of state, tary power. Gustav II Adolf was killed in collaboration with Swedish scientists. for example during a trip abroad, Crown 1632 at the Battle of Lützen. Parliament The Royal Family receives thousands Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip or chose to honour his memory by calling of invitations each year. Once a week, Princess Madeleine, in that order, as- him Gustav Adolf the Great. the King holds a planning meeting with sume the duties of temporary regent. n QUEEN KRISTINA

Excepting the brief caretaker govern- PHOTO: J. COUNTESS/WIREIMAGE ment 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 con- verted to Roman Catholicism, settled in Rome 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 United Nations in New York City in 2013.

CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA – SWEDEN’S FUTURE QUEEN When she succeeds her father, Crown Princess Victoria will be-

King Gustav III of Sweden. come Sweden’s 70th monarch, the third female monarch in the history of the Kingdom of Sweden, and the first since 1720. GUSTAV III Gustav III ruled from 1771 to 1792 The heir to the throne should be raised Victoria has by now made many of- and is often called the Theatre King. so as to represent Sweden in an appro- ficial trips abroad as a representative of He was a keen patron of the arts, priate and constitutionally correct way. Sweden. Her first major official visit on especially theatre and opera, and This is in part to maintain the popular her own was to Japan in 2001, where she founded the first opera in Stockholm support of the Swedish people, a key to promoted Swedish design, music, gas- in 1782, the Swedish Academy and the Swedish Royal Academy of Music. be effective. tronomy and environmental sustainability. Gustav III’s reign was not popular Crown Princess Victoria’s agenda in- She speaks English, French and German with the high nobility. Opposition cludes attending official dinners, open- and is in great demand as an ambassador culminated in a conspiracy in 1792, ings and visits from foreign dignitaries. for Swedish ventures in culture, art and when Gustav III was shot by Jacob J. She also attends the Advisory Council design – which are also personal interests. Anckarström at a masked ball held at the Stockholm Opera. The King died on Foreign Affairs and the information Issues surrounding crisis and conflict shortly after, and having admitted councils with Government ministers, management, including international to the assassination, Anckarström and steps in as a temporary regent when peace-building, are also of particular in- was executed. needed. terest to Victoria. 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 paint- breadth of knowledge on social issues. ing and drawing. She appreciates the Courses in individual subjects have been cultural heritage left by her ancestors, prioritised over a specific academic and is also proud to wear the jewellery degree. worn by previous generations of the Royal Family at major celebrations. After graduating from upper second- ary school, the Crown Princess studied ROYAL TIES French for foreign students at the Uni- The Crown Princess is in contact with versité Catholique de l’Ouest in Angers, other European heirs to the throne. France. She has had especially close ties with In 1998, she enrolled at Yale University her Nordic counterparts, the heirs to in the US where she studied for five the thrones of Denmark and Norway. semesters, taking courses in geology, OFFICE IN OLD TOWN history and international relations. During her time at Yale, her interest in Along with the King and the Queen, international issues deepened and she Crown Princess Victoria has her took private lessons in current affairs, office and staff at the Royal Palace in Stockholm’s Old Town. wrote an essay on the role of the United Nations in Iraq and completed internships LEISURE INTERESTS at the UN in New York and the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria enjoys spend- Embassy in Washington, DC. Crown Princess Victoria and Prince ing time in nature. She likes to take In the spring of 2002, she continued Daniel at the Nobel Banquet. long walks, ski and pursue other out- her international studies at the Depart- door activities. She is genuinely fond ment of Peace and Conflict Research at of animals and dogs are her favourites. During her first few months as a moth- Uppsala University, Sweden. She has As a young mother she spends time with her daughter Estelle in the gardens er in 2012, Victoria’s calendar was com- studied the structure and functioning of their home. pletely cleared, but she has now more of Swedish society, partly through intern- or less returned to her usual schedule. ships at Swedish government offices LIVING IN HAGA PALACE and various other institutions. Through Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel Thorough education a study programme at the Swedish and their daughter Estelle live in Haga Victoria began her formal education International Development Cooperation Palace outside Stockholm, the birth- at local public schools, switching to a Agency (Sida), she visited Uganda and place and early home of King Carl XVI private school when she began her sec- Ethiopia. She has also served as an Gustaf. ondary school studies. Despite having intern at the offices of the Swedish FUND FOR CHILDREN dyslexia, she graduated in 1996 with Trade Council in Berlin and Paris, has good grades thanks to a steadfast com- undergone basic military training and has The Crown Princess Victoria Fund was set up in 1997 to help provide recrea- mitment and devotion to learning. taken courses at the Swedish National tional activities for children with func- The Crown Princess' studies at uni- Defence College (Försvarshögskolan) tional disabilities or chronic illnesses. versities and other academic institu- in Stockholm. n Approved grants cover expenses for recreational trips. Every summer, Swedish public service television (SVT) carries out fundraising drives for the USEFUL LINKS Victoria Fund. The fund mainly survives thanks to donations by the public, but www.royalcourt.se Swedish Royal Court companies also contribute. www.sweden.gov.se Government Offices of Sweden

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