Queen Sofia of Spain is expected to attend the biggest gathering of royals so far this year.
Sofia, 87, is set to travel to Sweden next week for the 80th birthday of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Royalty from around the world has been invited to the celebrations which will include a glittering gala dinner in the Royal Palace in Stockholm on the birthday itself.
Now, Hola has confirmed that Spain will be represented by Queen Sofia, mother of current monarch King Felipe VI.
It’s not certain whether she’ll be the only person from the Spanish royal family in attendance but her journey to Stockholm was widely expected. Sofia has been friends with Sweden’s king and his wife, Queen Silvia, for many years.
Carl XVI Gustaf turns 80 on April 30 and the big day itself will include a church service in the morning as well as a chance for wellwishers to meet the king and share his celebrations.
The gala dinner takes place on the evening of April 30 with the King of Sweden joined by his whole family for the party.
His eldest child and heir to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria, will be there with her husband, Prince Daniel. Also attending will be Carl Gustaf and Silvia’s son, Prince Carl Philip, and his wife, Princess Sofia who will be making her first big public appearance alongside the Swedish royals since it was revealed she had once met the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Princess Madeleine, youngest child of the King and Queen of Sweden, will be there with her husband, Christopher O’Neill.
It’s already known that Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary will attend along with Queen Margrethe while King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway will also be there along with Crown Prince Haakon. His wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, won’t attend. She’s being treated for pulmonary fibrosis. However, she has also kept a low profile since her links with Epstein were revealed in his papers.
King Charles and Queen Camilla won’t be in attendance as they will be completing their State Visit to the US on the same day as the celebrations. It’s not yet known if the Prince and Princess of Wales will be going instead. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh often attend big European royal events but both have engagements in the UK on that day.
