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ROYAL FAMILY

Prince Gabriel: New Swedish royal baby’s name revealed

The newest member of Sweden's royal family will be called Gabriel Carl Walther, his grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf has announced.

Prince Gabriel: New Swedish royal baby's name revealed
The new baby prince. Photo: Royal Court

Princess Sofia gave birth to her and Prince Carl Philip's second child on Thursday last week.

His name was revealed after 11am on Monday at a meeting at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, attended by several senior representatives including Crown Princess Victoria and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.

The King added that the new prince has been given the title Duke of Dalarna. His mother Sofia grew up in the Älvdalen area of Dalarna in west-central Sweden, famous for its almost-forgotten ancient language Elfdalian.


Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, Crown Princess Victoria and King Carl XVI Gustaf. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

One of the prince's middle names – Walther – honours Queen Silvia's father Walther Sommerlath, who died in 1990, while Carl is a common name among male members of the Swedish royal family.

It was not revealed why Carl Philip and Sofia chose the name Gabriel, which is not a traditional royal name in Sweden.

“We've seen the little one, and… it was a Gabriel,” commented a smiling Löfven.

Gabriel is the younger sibling to Prince Alexander, who was born in April 2016, and the latest chapter in a Swedish royal baby boom in recent years.

Prince Oscar, the second child of princess Victoria, was also born in 2016. He is the younger brother of five-year-old Princess Estelle.

London-based Princess Madeleine meanwhile revealed only last week that she is pregnant with her and her husband Chris O'Neill's third child, the younger sibling of Prince Nicolas and Princess Leonore.

Monday was an eventful day for royal fans across Europe. In the UK, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced that they are expecting their third child.


The first picture of Prince Gabriel, with his parents Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia. Photo: Royal Court

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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