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A look at the Swedish line of succession

In a new series, we are taking a look at the various lines of successions in the world’s monarchies. This edition is looking at the ten people in the Swedish line of succession.

Current monarch: King Carl XVI Gustaf (b. 1946) who came to the throne in 1973 after the death of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf.

PHOTO: BENGT NYMAN/CC BY-SA 4.0/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The King was born to Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla. He became the heir apparent at four-years-old when his great-grandfather died, and his grandfather ascended the throne. Carl Gustaf’s father had died when the future monarch was only nine-months-old.

The line of succession is as follows:

  1. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (b. 1977)

Victoria is the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. She has two younger siblings, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine. Victoria married Daniel Westling (now Prince Daniel) in 2010. They have two children, Princess Estelle (b. 2012) and Prince Oscar (b. 2016).

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

2. Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergotland (b. 2012)

Estelle is the elder child of the Crown Prince Couple and the eldest grandchild for the King and Queen. She has one younger brother, Prince Oscar. Her uncle, Prince Carl Philip is one of her godfathers.

Kate Gabor, The Royal Court of Sweden

3. Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne (b. 2016)

Oscar is the younger child of the Crown Prince Couple and has one older sister, Princess Estelle. He was born just a little over a month before his first cousin, Prince Alexander. His aunt, Princess Madeleine is one of his godparents.

Photo: Linda Broström / Royal. Royal Court

4. Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (b. 1979)

Carl Philip was born in May 1979 as the Crown Prince of Sweden. However, a new law was passed for the line of succession to follow absolute primogeniture, and on the first day of 1980, his elder sister, Victoria became Crown Princess of Sweden. Carl Philip was then made Prince Carl Philip. He has one younger sister, Princess Madeleine.

Sara Friberg, The Royal Court of Sweden

5. Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland (b. 2016)

Alexander is the elder son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia. He was born a little over a month after his cousin, Prince Oscar. Alexander has one younger brother, Prince Gabriel (b. 2017). The Crown Princess is one of his godmothers.

alexander sweden
Prinsparet/Instagram

6. Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna (b. 2017)

Gabriel is the younger son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia. His duchy is the county in which his mother grew up – Dalarna. He will turn two in August 2019 and is the youngest grandson of the King and Queen. Princess Madeleine serves as one of his godmothers.

Photo: Prinsparet/Instagram

7. Prince Julian, Duke of Halland (b. 2021)

julian
Photo by HRH Prince Carl Philip/Kungahuset

Julian is the youngest child of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia. He was born in March 2021.

8. Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (b. 1982)

Madeleine is the King and Queen’s youngest child. She is married to American-British financier, Chris O’Neill with whom she has three children: Princess Leonore (b. 2014), Prince Nicolas (b. 2015), and Princess Adrienne (b. 2018). The family resides in Florida.

PHOTO: ANNA-LENA AHLSTRÖM, THE ROYAL COURT, SWEDEN

9. Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland (b. 2012)

Leonore was born in New York City, and thus, holds both Swedish and US citizenship. She is the eldest child of Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill. Her younger siblings are Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne. Her aunt, Crown Princess Victoria is one of her godparents.

Photo: Princess Madeleine

10. Prince Nicolas, Duke of Ångermanland (b. 2015)

Nicolas is the only son of Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill and the King and Queen’s oldest grandson. He was born in Stockholm and has Prince Carl Philip as a godparent.

Photo: Princess Madeleine

11. Princess Adrienne, Duchess of Blekinge (b. 2018)

Adrienne is the youngest child of the Princess Couple and youngest grandchild of Their Majesties. She is the only one of her siblings and cousins not to have a royal aunt or an uncle serve as a godparent.

adrienne
Instagram: princess_madeleine_of_sweden
About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.