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ROYAL FAMILY

Why Sweden’s new prince is not a Royal Highness

Sweden's king welcomed a new grandchild to the family over the weekend, but due to a recent change in the make-up of the Royal House, the prince will not be a Royal Highness.

Why Sweden's new prince is not a Royal Highness
Sweden's Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia leave hospital on Friday after the birth of their third son. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

Prince Julian Herbert Folke was born on Friday, the son of Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip — the king’s second oldest child and only son — and Princess Sofia. He was also given the title of Duke of Halland.

Despite being a prince, and unlike his two older brothers, the baby was not born into the Royal House or with the style of Royal Highness.

That’s down to a big change to the Swedish royal family in 2019. King Carl XVI Gustaf announced that five of his seven grandchildren had been removed from the Royal House, for practical reasons linked to the family’s growing size.

Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip with their two older children at Prince Gabriel’s christening in 2017. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

All the king’s grandchildren, including the newest prince, are still considered part of the royal family, the term which covers all members of the King’s extended family.

But only those in the direct line of succession retained the titles of Royal Highness and be part of the Royal House. That’s Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, the children of Crown Princess Victoria, heir to the throne, and her husband Prince Daniel.

The other grandchildren, including Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia’s two older sons, Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel, were removed from the Royal House. This means that they won’t be eligible for the taxpayer-funded income that comes with being part of the Royal House, and in return they won’t perform official royal duties or be official representatives of Sweden — and can choose to take any job, start a business, and openly hold political opinions.

The same now applies to Prince Julian.

Prince Julian in an official photo taken by his father and distributed by the Royal Court. Photo: Prince Carl Philip / Kungliga Hovstaterna 

As for their titles, yes, the king’s grandchildren are still princes or princesses, even those without the style of Royal Highness.

But unlike members of the Royal House, these titles are personal so will not be transferred or inherited by any future family members such as spouses or children.

Prince Julian, like the other grandchildren, has a second title of Duke, and these titles of Duke and Duchess remain hereditary.

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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.

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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