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SWINE FLU

Royals must wait in line for flu vaccine

Daniel Westling, fiancé of Crown Princess Victoria, has received the swine flu vaccine after being placed in a high-risk group following a kidney transplant earlier this year. The rest of the Swedish Royal Family, however, has to wait patiently for the jab.

Published: 31 October 2009 12:20 CET

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia have previously revealed their intention to be vaccinated against the A(H1H1) virus, according to an article in the Expressen newspaper.

Yet, despite their privileged position, the couple are not jumping the queue and must wait their turn.

”The National Board of Health and Welfare has recommended the vaccine,” Nina Eldh, head of information at the Royal Court, told Expressen.

”They will have it when it is available,” she added.

The Royal Court also confirmed that Daniel Westling had his first swine flu vaccine around a week ago.

Following a kidney transplant earlier this year he was placed in a high-risk group of patients. It is likely that the rest of the Royal Family will have the vaccine within the next week.

To date, around one million Swedes have been vaccinated against swine flu in a national programme that began in mid October.

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WORKING IN SWEDEN

Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

The King’s mounted Royal Guards will no longer be able to wear their iconic ceremonial helmets on parades, after the Swedish Work Environment Authority warned of serious safety concerns.

Published: 7 July 2023 13:53 CEST
Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

“We take the safety of our employees extremely seriously and we are going to address this immediately,” colonel Stefan Nacksten, head of the Royal Guards, wrote in a statement. 

Employed by the Armed Forces, the Royal Guards are the King’s cavalry and infantry units and are a well-known sight at ceremonies in Sweden, including at the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Stockholm every day in summer – a popular spectacle for Stockholmers and tourists alike.

The helmets will no longer be used by Royal Guards on horseback from July 7th, as they do not conform to safety standards for riding helmets, although guards parading on foot will still be permitted to wear them.

They are part of the 1895 parade uniforms and were last modified in 2000. The Armed Forces will now create an entirely new helmet which looks the part, but is also safe for riding.

“We’re working on finding an alternative solution as quickly as possible which meets safety requirements and can also be used during parades,” Nacksten said.

“We’ve been working long-term with this issue but now that it has been assessed [by the Swedish Work Environment Authority] we need to take measures immediately,” he added.

“This is good, and now we’re working to make sure something good comes out of this and we can get a safe riding helmet for parades in place as soon as possible.”

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