[L-R: Prince Daniel, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, Queen Silvia, King Carl XVI Gustaf, Princess Madeleine, Chris O’Neill]
Happy National Day, Sweden! June 6 is the National Day of Sweden, and the Royal Family was out in celebration. Even little Princess Leonore joined in! Some history of National Day: it was established in 1915 as Swedish Flag Day; in 1983 Flag day was merged to form National Day; National Day is celebrated on June 6 to mark two historical events, the date Gustav Vasa was elected King in 1523 and the date the Constitution Act was signed in 1809.
Princess Madeleine and husband Chris O’Neill opened the Royal Palace to begin National Day. Princess Leonore joined her parents. Madeleine was dressed in the traditional Swedish clothing: a white collared blouse, blue dress and mustard yellow apron embroidered with flowers. In this photo, you can see Madeleine’s monogram embroidered on what I think is part of the belt. I don’t know about anyone else, but I absolutely love the traditional clothing. Adorably, Leonore was dressed in a tiny traditional outfit (here is a close-up photo). How cute is she? As a side note, Leonore’s baptism will take place on June 8.
Crown Princess Victoria, and Prince Daniel, participated in the citizenship ceremony. From what I understand, part of the National Day celebrations is welcoming new citizens of Sweden. The Palace released a new photo of Princess Estelle in the traditional clothing to mark the day.
King Carl XVI Gustaf gave a speech in honor of National Day. Here is a transcript of the speech (it’s in Swedish, but if anyone is using Chrome it can be translated into English). Here is the video of the speech:
Then there was a carriage procession and a concert.
A photo of Victoria, Daniel, and Estelle during the procession:
Another photo of Madeleine and Chris opening the Palace:
A photo of the King and Queen during the festivities:
I’m not sure how interested anyone else is in the Swedish royals. The last Leonore post I did didn’t get much of a reaction (or any reaction). Madeleine released a photo of Leonore for the King’s birthday, and the Palace released new photos of the family ahead of the baptism. I didn’t post the photos at the time because there was no story to go with them and the last time I posted photos with no story, no one seemed to care. So since I want to post the photos–because they’re adorable and I like Madeleine–I’m going to post them here. So here you go, enjoy the cuteness:
Photos courtesy of the Swedish royal website and Princess Madeleine’s Facebook page.
Links: Swedish royal website page about National Day; Daily Mail article.
Princess Estelle is SOOOO cute! Kate could learn heaps if she could only pay attention and watch the Swedish Princesses! No stupid faces pulled here – but then the Swedish Princesses are royal blood and Kate married a royal. Maybe breeding is the key?
I wouldn’t necessarily say breeding, but maybe upbringing. It’s the whole nature/nurture debate. DNA doesn’t have much to do with how they act, but rather how they were raised determines how they act. Sorry, now I’m going off on a tangent, I’ll stop.
Yes, Estelle is adorable; and so well behaved, she’s already done official engagements with her parents (more than just being trotted around for the cameras while stealing children’s toys and trying to assault bilbies). I really like both Victoria and Madeleine, too.
I loved the post on the SRF. I guess I just need to comment more!
That national costume on little Nora is so cute. I’m very excited for the christening!
Yes, thank you so much for this post. I sincerely hope these two young princesses happiness in their marriages. Both of them seem very dutiful and dignified. Madeline has her own life in NY but she still seems very connected to her family and country. The Sweedish costumes are a lovely tradition and really seem to tie them to their history. No family is perfect (even royal ones) but this one does seem to keep it together, you know? I read someplace that Victoria struggled for a while to come to terms with the role of CP, but she has done beautifully. Even her “commoner” husband seems really support her in her role and her engagements in a dignified manner.
I love that Madeleine has a job in NY; I think it’s an excellent move for her. I read that Victoria struggled from bulimia, or some form of eating disorder. I’m glad she was able to overcome that; she looks healthy and fantastic. I hope they have happy marriages, too. I watched both the weddings and they seemed to be happy and in love on the day.
Yay, I’m glad people like the Swedish royals. I’m also excited for the christening; I’ll have coverage of it tomorrow.
Oh, and does anyone else notice a completely different vibe from these newly released pics of Princess Madeline’s little family from the creepy window picture that the Cambridges put out?
Yes, Madeleine’s family is definitely more connected than the Cambs in the window pic. No dead eyes and creepy photoshop.
I don’t know much about the Swedish Royal family, but I just learned that I am half Swede and am trying to learn as much as possible about the culture and history. I love looking at the photos and reading about them. The traditional clothing is bright and beautiful, and Queen Silvia appears to be wearing Chanel in one of the pictures. (I love Chanel.) Please do continue to write about this family…I appreciate it very much.
That’s cool that you’re half Swede. I love writing about the SRF, and am glad people have responded to this post. I’ll definitely keep writing about them.
I agree, please do post more on the Swedish Royal Family. Thanks for the posts KMR 🙂
Keep posting about SRF!
How come the men don’t have traditional Swedish clothing like the women?
I don’t know if they do or not. They may have a traditional outfit, but choose not to wear it. I love the woman’s traditional outfits. If the men wore one, I think that would be excellent.
I really enjoyed the update. I don’t know much about the SRF but would love to learn. I really wish the Kate and PG comparisons had not been made. It’s not fair. The BRF is on a world stage unlike any other, in particular Kate.
What you say is true, but in my opinion that is ALL THE MORE REASON for Will and Kate to pull themselves together. Their own people are getting fed up. There are reports that the courtiers and even the RF is getting fed up. The media is getting increasingly hostile. Their free service law firm dumped them. Those two are on very thin ice. Very thin.
I agree. I just would like to learn more about other RF based on their lives and circumstances that impact them. I am all for holding PW and Kate accountable.
It’s hard not to compare. But I agree it’s best to take each family as their own individual unit.
It is official Princess Charlene of Monaco is expecting twins! I am thrilled for Charlene.
Wow – twins! How exciting! 🙂
Wow! That will bring up certain issues as to the heir – especially if they are fraternal (boy & girl) twins. I’m not familiar with Monaco’s laws for succession, i.e. is it always with first born boy, or just the first born – girl or boy? What if Charlene needs a C-section – will the doctor be the one to determine succession? Very intriguing questions. But overall, I hope they are all happy and healthy. After that, everything else is secondary.
If I’m not mistaken, I believe it was only in the last 10 years that the laws were changed to allow a daughter of Albert to inherit whereas before he would have needed a son. I think it is still male primogeniture, though, so a younger son would outrank an older daughter.
As for twins, whichever one comes out first–if they are both boys, or both girls–would be the heir and the one who comes out second would be the spare. Yeah, I guess, if she needs a cesarean then the doctor gets to decide, but most likely if she needs a cesarean the doctor wouldn’t be thinking about that and would take whichever baby is nearest, first.