The King of Sweden is about to turn 80 and in a rare interview he’s admitted there’s one thing that reminds him he is getting old.
As Carl XVI Gustaf spoke to , he revealed that he really feels his age when he has to get busy in the kitchen.
Ahead of his 80th birthday, he granted a rare interview to Svenska Dagbladet. And he told reporter Karin Thunberg that although he generally didn’t feel too old, there are moments when he is aware of his age, saying ”when you’re standing in the kitchen and wondering if you should really get up on that ladder to get something from the top shelf. You do it anyway. But you take it a little more carefully.”
The interview came ahead of a week of celebrations for his 80th birthday which will include a service of thanksgiving and a gala dinner, attended by royalty from around the world.
Carl Gustaf, King of Sweden, will turn 80 on April 30. He was born in 1946, the only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sybilla. They already had four daughters but Sweden’s strict succession laws at the time meant none of them were in line for the throne. Carl Gustaf, however, was and became third in line behind his father and grandfather. The death of his father in a plane crash nine months later left the baby prince second in line. When his grandfather succeeded to the throne in 1950, the then four year old Carl Gustaf became heir.
Carl XVI Gustaf became king on September 15 1973, succeeding his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf. He is now the longest reigning monarch in Swedish history and is currently the longest reigning monarch in Europe.
His own reign has seen much change. Following his marriage to Silvia Sommerlath in 1976, succession rules were changed and their first born child, Victoria, eventually became heir to the throne ahead of her younger brother, Prince Carl Philip.
The King of Sweden spoke about his heir. He praised Crown Princess Victoria for her strength and ambition and said he had a theory as to why she regularly outperforms him in popularity polls.
He told the paper he believes many think ”we’ve seen the old man for so long” when asked why his heir was usually way ahead in surveys of the most liked Swedish royal.
However, Victoria and her fans could have some time to wait before they see her as Queen of Sweden. Carl Gustaf said in the interview he would carry on for as long as he had the energy. And as it’s only cooking that’s taking it out of him right now, his ninth decade looks to be just as busy.
