In autumn of 2016, the Swedish court made public the sad news that Princess Christina, the youngest of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s three older sisters, is suffering from chronic leukaemia.
Now, for the first time since the announcement, Queen Silvia of Sweden has spoken publicly about the effect of the devastating news of her sister-in-law’s diagnosis. In a conversation with Swedish Women’s Weekly, Queen Silvia shared that Princess Christina is feeling relatively well, but it’s clear that her battle with the disease is not easy, saying how important it is that Christina slows down and take things more gently.
She also expanded on the comments of Tord Magnuson, Princess Christina’s husband, who told the Swedish press that her absence from this year’s Nobel party was because of the disease and her treatment. Queen Silvia spoke of the fact that an event like the Nobel party – with so many people present – is too risky for the princess’s delicate system.
Queen Silvia also spoke about how she and her family recognise how many other people find themselves in the same situation of having to watch a loved one go through something so difficult.
Princess Christina’s cancer treatment started in mid-October at which point it was announced – quite understandably – that she would be cutting back on her official engagements in order to focus on her treatment.
Other members of the family have also commented on the situation in recent weeks. Princess Brigitta spoke about Princess Christina’s diagnosis, saying ‘I’ve known about this a long time and it’s clear that it’s terrible’ and sharing the impact the illness announcement has had on the family.
Prince Daniel spoke to a local newspaper in Sweden at the time of the announcement saying, ‘It is incredibly sad, and for all who have been affected by a disease itself or with a loved one you know that it is incredibly heavy and hard. We’ll keep our fingers crossed we can for her to be healthy.’
Princess Christina was previously diagnosed with breast cancer, successfully undergoing surgery and chemotherapy in 2010. Since then she has been committed to drawing attention to cancer issues.
