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ROYAL FAMILY

Swedish royals name the date for baby Oscar’s baptism

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel’s new-born son, Prince Oscar, will be baptised on May 27th, the palace has announced.

Swedish royals name the date for baby Oscar’s baptism
Prince Oscar, five days after he was born. Photo: Swedish Royal Court

The royal family said that the ceremony would take place in the chapel at the Royal Palace.

The new prince, born on March 2nd at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, is third in line ot the Swedish throne after his mother, Victoria, and his big sister, Princess Estelle. 

The latest addition to the royal family also holds the title Duke of Skåne.

His granddad, Kind Carl XVI Gustaf, revealed the day after the birth that the boy's full name would be Prince Oscar Carl Olof. 

A 21-gun salute from Skeppsholmen in Stockholm marked the prince's birth. Photo: Erik Nylander/TT

IN PICTURES: Royal family welcomes Prince Oscar into world

The king and his wife Queen Silvia now have four grandchildren, including London-based Princess Madeleine's two children Leonore and Nicolas as well as Oscar and Estelle.

Another royal baby is expected shortly, with Carl Philip and Princess Sofia due to have their first child later this month.

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.

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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