The Swedish Royal Court has added further details to the announcement made on Monday that five of the grandchildren of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia are to lose their royal status. The Deputy Marshal of the Realm, Fredrik Wersäll, gave a press conference soon after the news was made public.
He confirmed that the two sons of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia and the three children of Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill are no longer HRHs and no longer part of the official Royal House. In reality, that means they will have no official royal role and will not be expected to carry out any of the duties associated with the Head of State.
All five are still in the line of succession to the Swedish throne, and they will remain as a prince or princess as well as retaining the ducal titles given to them at birth. However, none of these titles can be passed to their future spouses or children.
Fredrik Wersäll also said that the whole family had been involved in the decision and that debate over the issue had been going on for several years. He added that the families involved feel it offers a better idea of their children’s future roles.
The royal standing of Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia and Princess Madeleine were also discussed at the press conference. The Deputy Marshal underlined that their current status is unaffected, but as time moves on, it is expected that their royal duties will decrease. Frederik Wersall told journalists that as Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel were taking on more responsibilities, the duties required of the King’s other children had ”softened”.
The announcement of these major changes also made clear that King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are ”Sweden’s leading representatives in the country” as well as overseas. However, it has been underlined several times that the children involved – Princess Leonore (5), Prince Nicolas (4), Prince Alexander (3), Prince Gabriel (2) and Princess Adrienne (1) – remain an integral part of the Royal Family.
