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All the times the Swedish Royal Family teamed up with Min Stora Dag

It has become a tradition for the Swedish Royal Family to grant wishes of children who have been confronted with life-threatening diseases by hosting them at the Royal Palace. On these occasions, the Swedish royals have teamed up with the charity ‘Min Stora Dag’ (My Big Day). Here’s an overview of all the wishes granted by the Bernadottes.

On Thursday, Crown Princess Victoria received seven-year-old Emilia at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. Emilia, her sister Maja and parents had travelled from their home in Skåne to meet the Crown Princess. During that meeting, the wish of Emilia, who suffers from a brain tumour, was granted as had she always had wanted to meet Crown Princess Victoria. Emilia, her family and Victoria enjoyed some tea and biscuits as they chatted away. After the meeting, a horse-drawn carriage was waiting for the girl and her family to go on a ride through Stockholm. It was a special surprise by the Crown Princess herself as she had heard how much her little guest loved horses.

Sara Friberg/Kungl. Hovstaterna

This special meeting was arranged by ‘Min Stora Dag’ (My Big Day), a charity that works closely with children’s hospitals and other healthcare providers throughout Sweden to grant wishes of children and adolescents with critical diseases and diagnoses. It was, however, not the first cooperation with the Royal Family as Princess Madeleine, Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf have all received children with life-threatening diseases in the past. The charity even has a royal patron in Princess Madeleine as she has been working with Min Stora Dag for many years.

In September 2018, seven-year-old Akram, his brother and parents were invited to the Royal Palace to meet His Majesty. The boy was diagnosed with leukaemia, and during his long stay in the hospital, he had often informed his parents on the activities of King Carl XVI Gustaf. After their arrival in a white limo, the family was treated to a ceremony with parades, horses and music that is held whenever new foreign ambassadors are received by the King. At the end of their visit, Akram had the chance to talk to the King and hand over his gift.

Photo: Raphael Stecksén, Royal Court, Sweden

Two years prior, Queen Silvia hosted seven-year-old Enna, her brother Omar and her mother Amira at the Royal Palace. For the occasion, Princess Madeleine was also in attendance. Enna has a disease that makes everyday life tough, and through her meeting with the Queen and Princess, she was able to forget all her problems for a while. The little girl had made a beautiful drawing for her royal hosts.

Photo Kate Gabor, The Royal Court, Sweden

The most impressive collaboration between Min Stora Dag and their patron, Princess Madeleine was when the Princess organised a fairytale party for 15 children aged 5 to 8. All the children had been confronted with serious illnesses. Her Royal Highness had dressed up, including wearing a tiara, when she welcomed the children. As a surprise, she had brought along her own daughter, Princess Leonore who was dressed in a pink fairytale dress. The children were treated to biscuits, cake and juice and got to play at the Royal Palace. A magician also entertained the children with a show.

Monday, 22 February 2016 Princess Madeleine arranged, along with the organisation My Big Day, a fairytale party at the Royal Palace. Photo: Kate Gabor/Kungahuset.se
About author

Laura is from Belgium and has a passion for all things royal. She is Europe Correspondent for Royal Central since October 2016 and has contributed to other news websites. In her daily life she is a fulltime student in EU-politics and political communication.

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