Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has helped one of her patronages mark a major milestone.
The Swedish Crown Princess visited Svenska Lottakåren, the Swedish Women’s Voluntary Defense Organisation, to attend the Swedish Lottery Council’s Parliament.
The organisation is celebrating its 100th anniversary. It was founded in 1924 as a volunteer group that primarily focused on raising funds for the militia. However, the group’s focus had shifted by the 1930s and members were trained to carry out missions.
Svenska Lottakåren remains a voluntary organisation, meaning that members choose the tasks that they carry out. Officers now carry out a number of non-combatant roles in the Home Guard, the Navy, and the Air Force.
Members are known as “Lottos”.
Crown Princess Victoria became Patron of Svenska Lottakåren in 2005.
When Her Royal Highness arrived, she first met with members and chatted with them. She then gave a speech celebrating the “Lottos” achievements. She said ”We look back on a century filled with courage, commitment and invaluable efforts that have strengthened our preparedness… the support you provide today is extremely important when society’s crisis preparedness is once again put to the test. The Lottery Corps was formed at a time when the need for civil preparedness and defense efforts was acute, and the role of women in defense work barely existed. But thanks to your commitment, this has fundamentally changed.”
She also presented the Royal Merit Medal of the Confederation of Swedish Lotteries, an honour established over 80 years ago.
Crown Princess Victoria donned a Lotto skirt suit and beret to further show her support.
