On Sweden’s national day, King Carl XVI Gustaf officially opened an exhibition about his grandmother called “Daisy – Crown Princess Margaret, 1882–1920”.
Before the inauguration, the King was joined by Queen Silvia , Crown Princess Victoria and his sister, Princess Christina, for a visit to the exhibition. During the tour, led by Exhibition Commissioner Bronwyn Griffith, the King and Princess Christina shared stories about their grandmother, who was born Princess Margaret of Connaught. Princess Christina wrote an acclaimed book about her grandmother.
The exhibition is being held at the Royal Palace on the floor where Crown Princess Margaret lived with her husband, the future King Gustav VI Adolf, and the couple’s five children. In the exhibition, visitors can enjoy material from the archives and objects from the royal collections that belonged to Crown Princess Margaret.
Princess Christina joins Crown Princess Victoria, Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf at an exhibition about her grandmother, Crown Princess Margaret (Photo by Sara Friberg, The Royal Court of Sweden)
Crown Princess Margaret, called Daisy by family and friends, was active in many of the major societal issues of her time and campaigned for children, civil defence, the rights of the disabled and, during World War I, for the survival of prisoners of war. She was hugely popular in her lifetime and much mourned when she died of a sudden illness in 1920 at the age of 38 while her husband was still heir to Sweden’s throne. He became king over thirty years after her passing.
From her childhood as a granddaughter to Queen Victoria of Great Britain, Margaret carried with her interests in art, sports and gardening. She published garden books, laid the foundation for Sofiero’s castle garden, skied and was a forward in her own bandy team. The exhibition also shows costumes from theatre performances that Crown Princess Margaret participated in or arranged.
During the opening, His Majesty the King gave a speech where he said: “Today I have the great pleasure of opening a new exhibition here at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. An exhibition that, in fact, is close to my heart personally. My grandmother, Crown Princess Margaret, within the family called Daisy, was a very talented person with strong luminosity. She had a genuine interest and commitment in a variety of areas: arts, sports, social work and horticulture.”
The King continued: “This summer, several of the royal castles will be open for visits, in normal forms. In that way, I hope that many, even in a year like this, will have the opportunity to experience our common cultural heritage. And those who want to be outdoors can use to the castle parks which are also open. There is hopefully sunshine enough for both children and flowers!”.
The exhibition about Crown Princess Margaret will be shown at the Royal Palace in Stockholm from 6 June until 30 September.
