Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

ROYAL FAMILY

Sweden’s king celebrates 65th birthday

Well-wishers gathered at the royal palace in Stockholm on Saturday as King Carl XVI Gustaf celebrated his 65th birthday and vowed not to retire from his royal duties.

Published: 1 May 2011 09:08 CEST
Sweden's king celebrates 65th birthday

Crowds waving Swedish flags in the palace were treated to a visit by the king after the sound of fanfares and a noon salute of 21 shots fired from the cannons of Skeppsholmen fortress across from the palace.

The royal heir Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel took part in the celebrations, having just returned from London where they had attended the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

In an interview ahead of the birthday, the king had told TT news agency that he had no intention of retiring in the near future despite hitting the country’s legal retirement age.

“I have no intention of starting to feed the birds yet,” he said. “The monarch is to carry out his duties as long as he is of sound mind.”

A poll published in December last year showed two-thirds of Swedes would like to see the king abdicate to make way for Victoria, who married commoner Daniel Westling last June.

When and if Victoria steps onto the throne, she will be the first queen of the Bernadotte dynasty, which has reigned over Sweden for two centuries.

Sweden has had only two queens in its modern history, Kristina (1632-1654) and Ulrika Elenora (1719-1720).

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.”

SHOW COMMENTS