When Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria turned 40 in July 2017, it was marked with official festivities across Stockholm. But her brother, Prince Carl Philip, will be marking the occasion in a more low-key manner.
“There will be no official celebration of Prince Carl’s 40th birthday,” said Head of Information of the Royal Court, Margareta Thorgren, to Expressen, adding that the prince has chosen to celebrate his birthday privately.
Carl Philip was actually born as the country’s Crown Prince, but the laws of succession were changed on 1 January 1980. Then, Sweden officially recognised absolute primogeniture, meaning first-born females could now be heirs. This bumped the seven-month-old prince down the line and made his older sister, Victoria, heir to the Swedish throne.
As such, Crown Princess Victoria celebrated her milestone birthday in style with public celebrations and even her own hashtag: #Kronprinsessan40. The two-day birthday festivities included a service of thanksgiving attended by the Royal Court and government officials, a special reception, a 21-gun salute, carriage procession, and a concert.
Since Prince Carl Philip is not the heir, this level of public celebration doesn’t exactly make sense, but surely well wishes for the Prince will pour in on social media as they did for Crown Princess Victoria.
“I think you can expect a party for friends and family of course, but much more toned than when Victoria turned 40 years,” said Swedish newspaper Expressen‘s royal columnist Karin Lennmor. “If you compare with the Crown Princess Victoria where it really was a big hit, Prince Carl Philip’s birthday will be a bit calmer.”
It might depend on your definition of “calmer.” According to weekly women’s magazine Svensk Damtidning, he ended his 25th birthday party with a trip to A&E when he slid down the staircase of Tullgarn Palace on a silver tray. One can only hope the Prince continues the merriment into his fourth decade.
