Sweden

A king's relationship with his German bride

Theirs is a love story that began amidst the global spectacle of the Olympic Games and has continued for 50 years. As King Carl XVI Gustaf prepares for his Golden Jubilee next month, let’s look at the enduring romance between the King and his bride, Queen Silvia. Crown Prince Carl Gustaf was part of the Swedish delegation at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Unbeknownst to him, he’d been…
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HistoryPalaces & BuildingsSweden

Rosendal Palace: from the first to the last Bernadotte

Rosendal Palace is one of the lesser-known royal buildings in Sweden, but that doesn’t mean it is less spectacular.  Located on the island of Djurgården, in central Stockholm, it was erected between 1823 and 1827 for King Karl XIV Johan – none other than Jean Bernadotte, the founder of the current ruling dynasty in Sweden.  The palace was created by Frederik Blom, one of the leading…
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Sweden

Heightened terror alert level will not change Jubilee festivities in Sweden

A heightened terror alert will not affect any of the Golden Jubilee celebrations for King Carl XVI Gustaf next month. Sweden raised its terror threat level last week to the second highest level after a series of Koran burnings in the country and the resulting anger in Islamic countries. Information Manager at the Royal Court, Margareta Thorgen, told Expressen, “The increased level will…
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Sweden

A look at the change in the laws of succession that irked a king

Before 1980, the Swedish line of succession was governed by agnatic primogeniture – meaning females were excluded from the line of succession. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s first child was a girl – Victoria – who was born in July 1977; at birth, she was not Crown Princess of Sweden but instead titled Princess Victoria. When her younger brother, Carl Philip, was born in May 1979…
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