A woman has been arrested after sitting on the silver throne used by the King of Sweden
Queen Christina’s silver throne, which dates from 1650, is on display at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.
On September 14th 2024, a woman walked past the cordons around the throne and sat on it. The incident was witnessed by guards who called in the police.
(Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wiki Commons)
The woman was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and violation of Sweden’s Protection Act.
Initial reports suggested the throne may have been scratched although the Swedish Royal Court’s spokesperson, Margareta Thorgen, later said there are no signs the artefact has been damaged. She added ”we are very grateful for that, this is a very fine piece of cultural heritage.”
The throne was made for the coronation of Queen Christina who became monarch at the age of 7 in 1633 on the death of her father, King Gustaf II Adolf.
It was created by a Bavarian craftsman, Abraham Drentwett, and presented to Queen Christina by her favourite, Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie. It is made of wood, covered in silver, and features two angels holding a crowned laurel wreath as well as representations of the goddess of justice and the goddess of wisdom.
(Photo: Thron Ullberg/Kungl Hovstaterna)
Her coronation took place on October 22nd 1650 and was a spectacular event with fountains in parts of Stockholm running with wine for three days around the ceremony.
However, her own lifestyle and her decision to never marry, for personal reasons, led to her becoming unpopular and she abdicated in 1654. However, her silver throne has remained a potent royal symbol.
It has been used at coronations and then later the enthronement ceremonies that replaced them as well as at state openings of parliament. However, as Sweden’s monarchy modernised it has become less prominent – the last time it was featured at a parliamentary opening was in 1974.
However, it took a prominent role in 2023 for a formal portrait of King Carl XVI Gustaf to mark his Golden Jubilee.
