The Swedish Royal Court has announced several changes to the activities of the Swedish Royal Family due to the spread of the new coronavirus. The King and his family will continue their work but take several precautions to limit the risk of infection.
His Majesty the King has decided to take extra precautions when conducting official engagements due to the coronavirus outbreak. In a statement released by the Royal Court, the King stresses that the Court strictly follows the decisions taken and recommendations made by the Swedish government and experts. Therefore, every official activity that will be carried out by a member of the Royal Family will be under continuous reassessment in light of the circumstances. This way, the King and his family will try to avoid catching the virus as well as contributing to limiting the spread of the virus.
Another measure that has been taken is that King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria will, whenever possible, carry out their duties separately rather than jointly. This way, the Court wishes to prevent a situation in which both the King and heir to the throne are infected by the new virus. Additionally, there will be great restrictions on the travels made by the working royals. All of the official activities will take place in and around Sweden’s capital. The Swedish royals have extended these travel restrictions to all of their staff.
The Royal Court has also announced that they are hoping to reschedule as many activities as possible that were cancelled due to the virus outbreak. Among others, an official dinner that was due to be held at the Royal Palace was postponed. For the evens that aren’t cancelled, the number of meetings as well as the number of participants at these meetings will be reviewed and adapted. The Royal Court will constantly update the calendar in light of new developments.
The Royal Palace of Stockholm is still open to visitors, but restrictions have been put in place. The Royal Apartments are currently open to the public, but only to a maximum of 350 visitors at a time. However, the Treasury, the Tre Kronor Museum and the Royal Chapel are closed until further notice.
In Sweden, there are 992 coronavirus cases confirmed and three people have died after being diagnosed with the virus. Even though schools are still open, the country has taken several measures to delay the spread of the disease. All public gatherings of over 500 people are prohibited, and international travel is not recommended.
