Everything is already prepared in Sweden for one of the year’s most notable royal events. The Royal Palace of Stockholm will be dressed in gala attire to celebrate the 80th birthday of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. April 30 will be a public holiday for which there are already a good number of activities scheduled, and it will bring thousands of his compatriots into the streets of the capital. And also a large number of representatives from other monarchies who have already confirmed their presence on this day of celebration.
The grand day of the Swedish monarch, the oldest on the old continent, will begin with a Te Deum in the chapel of the Royal Palace, followed by the traditional homage from the Armed Forces with the performance of military bands. It will be at noon when King Carl XVI Gustaf receives the congratulations of his subjects from the balcony, accompanied by a cannon salute. A luncheon at Stockholm City Hall and a gala dinner will serve to close the day’s activities.
The sovereign will be surrounded by his entire family to celebrate this significant date. Alongside Carl Gustaf will be his wife, Queen Silvia; his children and their spouses, the heir to the throne Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel; Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia; and Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill. Their grandchildren are also expected to join the rest of the Bernadotte clan. This public holiday will also serve as a preview of the Golden Weddings of the King and Queen of Sweden, which will take place on June 13.
With strained finances, the Swedish Royal House has had to request from the Government a supplementary budget for the celebrations, which will be smaller than those of ten years ago. To commemorate King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th birthday in 2016, more than 30 foreign royals gathered, including King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, and the celebrations lasted for an entire week.
The royal guests at King Carl XVI Gustaf’s birthday
A week before the big day, several royal guests have already confirmed. According to the official schedule of the Amalienborg Palace, King Frederik X and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark will travel from Copenhagen, while their eldest son, Crown Prince Christian will assume the regency in his absence. They will be accompanied by Queen Margrethe and Princess Benedikte, cousins of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden through his mother, Queen Ingrid of Denmark. From the Royal Palace in Oslo, the attendance of Harald and Sonja of Norway has been confirmed. They will be joined by their son Haakon, but not by Mette-Marit, due to her health issues.
Hereditary Princess Sofia of Liechtenstein and her eldest son, Prince Josef Wenzel, are also listed among the guests, as well as Princes Alexander and Catherine of Serbia. “My family and I are honored to be guests of our dear friends and cousins, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, on the occasion of this important anniversary,” the Balkan royal assures on her website and adds that “we always look forward with anticipation to occasions like this, to share moments of joy and happiness, and to strengthen the bonds that unite us.”
Carlos Gustavo de Suecia, junto a los reyes Felipe y Letizia de España.
Although there is still no official confirmation, the presence of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is also expected. The most exotic addition could be Rama X and Queen Suthida of Thailand, according to press in their country. Also anticipated are political leaders from neighboring countries such as Iceland’s President Halla Tómasdóttir or the Finnish head of state, Alexander Stubb.
The major absences and uncertainties surrounding the celebration
Beyond the aforementioned absence of Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, King Charles and Queen Camilla will not be present in Stockholm either, as they will be on a state visit to the United States. In their place, the Prince and Princess of Wales could attend King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 80th birthday, or the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. The late Queen Elizabeth II and the King of Sweden were third cousins, related through Queen Victoria.
Apart from a last-minute surprise, King Felipe and Queen Letizia are not expected in Stockholm, as they did not attend in 2023 the celebrations for the Swedish monarch’s golden jubilee either. Other royals who could still confirm their attendance at the gala dinner on April 30 are Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco and Naruhito and Masako of Japan.
