Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has been named the Swedish Woman of the Year, and she had a special presentation of the honour.
Victoria’s beloved paternal aunt, Princess Christina, was on hand to present her niece with the award on Thursday at Millesgården on Lidingö. SWEA International, the largest non-profit Swedish promoting organisation outside Sweden and association for Swedish women who have lived abroad, named the Crown Princess as their 2021 Woman of the Year.
The award was created in 1989 and has always been presented to a Swedish woman who has worked for Sweden on a global scale in various domains. As Crown Princess of Sweden, Victoria was a natural choice for the award in 2021. She constantly promotes Swedish brands at home and abroad with international visits and participation in international events.
About the award this year, SWEA said: “The Crown Princess represents everything that SWEA identifies with as an organization: a contemporary, modern Sweden characterized by openness, inclusiveness, care for the environment and conscientiousness. These are qualities that we take with us as members of SWEA into the wider world as part of a cross-border global sisterhood into which we are delighted to welcome our Crown Princess.”
During the celebration on Thursday, SWEA International’s chairman Suzanne Southard spoke before Princess Christina – who serves as the organisation’s honorary president – took to the podium to present the Woman of the Year Award to her niece. The award comes in the form of a brooch.
To accept the award, the Crown Princess said: “Thank you for the great award you have chosen to award me. I am both happy and moved!“
She added, “SWEA offers something that I know means a lot to many residents abroad. And that is the access to a community, a network, which extends all over the world and where one can find friendships, support and competence.
“All of you who are members and who engage in SWEA are, in various ways, ambassadors for our country. It is an important mission, and I want to thank each and every one of you for your efforts to promote Swedish culture, Swedish traditions and the Swedish language.”
Southard said ahead of the ceremony: “It is particularly gratifying since this year marks the twentieth anniversary of HM Queen Silvia being named Swedish Woman of the Year. This year, that award goes to our beloved Crown Princess, and we are thrilled to offer these fantastic women and role models the recognition they so richly deserve.”
Queen Silvia won the distinction in 2001.
