Sweden

In December 1947, the King of Sweden sat down for an official portrait. Around him were close family members including the ageing heir to his throne and a young child who already had a life of royal duty laid out before him. The picture had been a long time in the planning but it had turned out very differently from expectations. The portrait was meant to be part of celebrations for King Gustaf…

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…

The King of Sweden is about to make history. Carl XVI Gustaf will celebrate the first Golden Jubilee the country has ever seen. It’s a moment that will shape modern Sweden but at its heart is a monarch with a French name. Sweden was a monarchy long before its current ruling house arrived on the throne. However, it was the last dynasty to accede to the throne that made it…