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Victoria’s birthday party unmarred by rain

Saturday marks Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria’s 35th birthday, with celebrations taking place at the royal family’s residence Solliden on the Baltic island of Öland, despite warnings of ominous weather.

Published: 14 July 2012 13:07 CEST

Victoria's birthday party unmarred by rain

Crowds began milling around outside Solliden early on Saturday morning, waiting to to congratulate the princess on her birthday when she made her appearance at 2pm.

However, Sweden’s unpredictable summer weather didn’t dampen spirits after the day began with rain, which looks set to continue into the evening.

Meteorological institute SMHI warned that heavy rains and thunder are to be expected during the afternoon.

All members of the royal family have gathered on Öland, and on Saturday evening a tribute concert is planned on Borgholm’s sports centre, where among others Loreen, Rigmor Gustafsson and Ulrik Munther are slated to perform.

A real veteran among the guests at Solliden is Laila Tegnér. Together with her husband Sven Tegnér she’s visited Solliden seven times to congratulate Victoria.

She explained to the TT news agency that this year was particularly special.

“This year I’m turning twice the Crown Princess’s age, so now I’m almost competing with her for the attention,” said the 70-year-old.

Four-month-old Princess Estelle, Victoria’s daughter, is not present at the festivities, with royal experts adding that this is not unusual in the royal family.

“This makes sense. Victoria herself didn’t take part before she was five-years-old,” said Kay Wiestål, who is responsible for the celebrations, to the Aftonbladet newspaper.

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How are Sweden's tourist spots coping with the risk of coronavirus outbreaks this summer?

A beach on Öland, a popular tourist spot that also has Sweden's highest proportion of elderly residents. Photo: Mikael Fritzon / TT

“At the end of the summer, we may get an increased strain on the healthcare sector if distance isn't kept and the restrictions aren't respected,” said the Public Health Agency's general director Johan Carlson at a press conference in early July.

He warned that it was especially important for young people to continue following the restrictions.

“It's unreasonable to think you can live as normal if you aren't in a risk groups while others have to keep distance,” he said.

While the larger cities in Sweden tend to empty out during the warmer months, there is concern about how infection may spread in popular tourist spots.

How to travel around Sweden safely during the coronavirus outbreak

“We know that the most common tourist areas aren't very densely populated normally, so there is a big percentage increase in the population, for example on Gotland and Öland,” said Thomas Lindén, a department head at the National Board of Health and Welfare.

So how are these areas coping so far?

“At the moment there is available [hospital] capacity in all tourist areas, but there is significant worry,” Lindén said.

In the Kalmar region, including the island of Öland which was singled out in this week's press conference following reports of crowding, local authorities say that so far, there have not been major problems.

“We have few Covid-19 inpatients, less than a handful,” said the region's healthcare director Johan Rosenqvist. “Otherwise, it's like any summer, we are used to a lot of people coming here. The difference is that we must have resources to devote to Covid-19 patients.”

He said that it would however be a problem if there was a local outbreak before the end of summer, with many medical staff still on holiday. In that case, Rosenqvist said it might be necessary to call them back to work.

Photo: Jessica Gow / TT

Agneta Ahlberg, head of operations the campsites in Borgholm on Öland, said tourism in the area was very different this year.

“When the decision came [in mid-June] that people could travel more than two hours away, there were lots of bookings. It made a very big difference,” she said.

“There are always some [who ignore rules] but the vast majority are responsible, and we try to be around and remind them too. Everyone knows what applies,” said her colleague Hans Gerremo. “I was down at the campsite earlier talking with guests, they feel good and can see that we care. We've arranged extra cleaning too.”

“I don't think we've seen the crowding that's being talked about. People naturally keep a distance from each other,” he said.

One family of seven had made the two and a half hour journey from their hometown to stay at the campsite, and said they were comfortable at Borgholm.

“We had views from the beginning about the fact there were so many people here on Öland, we said they were completely stupid, but then we came here ourselves,” Stefan and Lotta Ekenmo told TT.

“You have your own accommodation with a caravan, and then you follow the recommendations. It would be different if you stayed at a hotel or in cottages where other people have stayed. Here, it's just us.”

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