Sweden’s regent and crown princess couple were present for the 2010 Polar Music Prize at the Stockholm Concert Hall Monday. They were on hand to honor two of the music world’s most known names – Icelandic singer Björk and Italian composer Ennio Morricone.
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When Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel arrived, Victoria sent the photographers wild when they noticed her metallic gold and black dress, but more importantly, her hair. Normally the Crown Princess ties her brown hair up in a ponytail or a bun, but for the Prize, she unusually let it down.
Afterward, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia walked the pink carpet. Once the royals show up, it means its time for the ceremony to begin as the royals are the last to arrive.
During the show, Björk sat next to Prince Daniel. Earlier the electronic singer told reporters that it “tickled” her vanity to be winning what is considered to be the Nobel Prize for the music industry.
Winners of the Polar Music Prize get one million kronor, or $136,000. Since its inception in 1989 by ABBA singer Stig Anderson, the Prize honors one classical performer and one pop artist.
Newlyweds Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel emerged from a two month honeymoon to join the rest of their family in celebrating 200 years of the House of Bernadotte being the royal family of Sweden.
JONAS EKSTRÖMER / SCANPIX
The celebrations took place on a rainy Saturday in the town of Örebro. The royals – King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine – started the day off by attending services at St. Nicholas Church at about 4pm local time. Everyone arrived in three separate cars with Swedish flags adorning the vehicles.
Upon exiting the cars and walking into the church, Prince Daniel and his brother-in-law Prince Carl Philip shared a hug.
After the mass, the royals went to the Iron Market, where King Carl gave a speech in regards to his family’s bicentennial. He started by jokingly saying, “I have looked forward to visit Örebro for a very long time for several reasons. Among other things, that I finally can start by saying ‘ladies Örebro’.”
But mostly, the King’s speech focused on the Bernadotte history in Sweden. He ended it with a four-fold cheer for Sweden.
From the Iron Market, the family went to Örebro castle, where they met with the crowds gathered to see them. Victoria and Daniel both received bouquets from the people.
They even took time to talk to the press. Prince Daniel told one reporter that entering St. Nicholas was like “déjà vu” for him and his wife.
At the castle, the royal family will dine with the governor of Örebro, Rose-Marie Frebran, the chairmen of the municipal council of Örebro and Askersund, Archbishop Anders Wejryd and representatives of the Royal Academy of Letters.
The House of Bernadotte dates back to 1810 when Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, one of Napoleon’s marshals, was elected King of Sweden when the previous dynasty was out of heirs. He ruled as King Carl XIV Johan. He was also King of Norway until the country broke away from Sweden in the early 20th century.
July 14th is the day Sweden’s future Queen turns 33 years old. But since the newly married Crown Princess Victoria is on her honeymoon with husband, Prince Daniel, she won’t be celebrating her big day along with the Swedish people.
Michael Fritzon / Scanpix
Traditionally, at Solliden Castle on Öland island, Victoria meets with hundreds of well wishers who turn out to sing songs and give the Crown Princess flowers and some gifts. But this time around, it was only her parents who the people saw.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia met with the 400 people outside their summer estate to tell them they would convey the happy birthdays to Victoria when she and Daniel return from their honeymoon later in the summer.
The King also said he was surprised to see so many people come to Solliden. He told them he thought everyone would be at beach.
Not long after tying the knot on June 19th, tabloid photographers hunted down Victoria and Daniel in Tahiti, in the South Pacific. Rumor has it that the couple is now in the south of France. It is believed the honeymoon would end sometime in August.
Right after their beautiful wedding, Crown Princess Victoria and her new husband, Prince Daniel, joined their friends, family and Swedish government leaders for the reception. It was very formal but it included lots of laughs and happy cheers for the newlweds.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
As soon as everyone sat down, King Carl XVI Gustaf gave a short speech in English. He first welcomed everyone to the reception and thanked them for coming. He expressed joy for his daughter and – dare he say! – his new son-in-law. Victoria raised her eyebrows in mock surprise over that while there was endearing laughter from Daniel.
The King ended his speech with a “Skål!” – the Swedish word for cheers. All in attendance raised their wine glasses and had a sip.
Later on, King Carl Gustaf stood again to give another speech. This time he went into depth about the wedding, and even mentioned how June 19th is also his wedding anniversary to Queen Silvia. To commemorate his 34th marriage year, he gave the Queen a pink rose, which made her weep.
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Daniel’s father, Olle Westling, gave his speech for the couple – in English:
“Your marriage is not only a family affair — it is something that affects all the people of Sweden. The warmth and joy that stream towards you today from near and far are a wonderful acknowledgement of appreciation.
“Many people see the fact that you met and fell in love as something of a fairytale. The man of the people who won the Crown Princess. Yes, it is indeed a fairytale, but I do not think it is a coincidence that this has happened here in Sweden, where The King´s motto is “For Sweden — With the Times”.
“Daniel, you are our dear son, and your mother, your sister and I have always been extremely proud of you. You have always
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chosen to go your own way, and you have done so with honour, whether in terms of your career choices, your friends or your leisure activities. Of course you never became a professional hockey player, but we´re still proud of you!
“But once we had met you, dear Victoria, and experienced the warmth that you bring and the openness you show to everyone in our family — and not just our family; I remember one day in the lingonberry forest in Ockelbo, how you greeted everyone who crossed your path and showed such wonderful warmth. That´s when we understood why Daniel had fallen for you. It was quite clear that he had waited and made his choice with great care. He had once again gone his own way.
“The best way of dealing with the great and important work that lies ahead of you is by helping each another. Talking with each other, supporting each other and working as a team are what will serve you best in the long run. This is something that Ewa and I have plenty of experience of, and we will gladly give whatever advice we can. As your parents, Daniel, your mother and I know that in Victoria you will have a loving, warm and kind-hearted wife.
“It falls to me — and this is a great honor — to thank you for the hospitality that we have all shared this evening. Our hosts have invited us to this gala evening with personal warmth and generosity — an evening that is far from over, and which we will always remember. But for the food and drink that we have enjoyed so far, I would like to thank you most humbly and sincerely on behalf of myself and all my fellow guests!”
With that, Olle Westling led those at the reception with four hurrahs for the newly married couple.
The newly Prince Daniel gave his speech, which he memorized rather than writing down. Below is a YouTube video of the entire speech, in both English and Swedish:
Soon after Daniel’s speech, the wedding cake came out. It was very tall, taller than some of the guests, with yellow trimmings and the couple’s monogram. Victoria invited her page boys and flower girls to come up with her as she and her new husband cut the cake.
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After the dessert, it was time to dance! Everyone moved into a larger room where they could dance more freely. A band was in the room waiting for them.
As tradition holds, the bride and groom dance for their first dance as a married couple. Victoria curtseyed before Daniel before they began their waltz. After they danced, Victoria invited everyone to the dance floor, and they obliged!
It was already after midnight when the dancing began, and but it was clear all the royals were willing to party all night.
Tomorrow, the King will host a luncheon for the guests. Perhaps that same day Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel would leave for their honeymoon which is believed to last for three weeks in an undisclosed location.
Once again, long live Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel – may they have many years of wedded bliss!
In Stockholm, at 3:30 in the afternoon Saturday, Sweden’s heir to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria married her longtime love, former gym owner Daniel Westling. The wedding saw the largest gathering of royals from all over the world since the 2004 marriage of Crown Prince Felipe of Spain to Letizia Ortiz. But that didn’t seem to matter to the bride and groom – during the ceremony, they had eyes only for each other.
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The guests began arriving at Storkyrkan at around 2:30pm local time. At first, royals who are not heirs in their respective countries came. But as the minutes passed, Swedish politicians, friends and family of Victoria and Daniel, and the crown princely and regent couples began to arrive. Everyone walked across the cathedral’s courtyard on a pale blue pathway, stopped a few times to pose for photographers before entering the building. A girl’s choir standing outside of the church sang songs during the procession of guests.
At 3:20pm, Princess Madeleine arrived with her mother Queen Silvia. A few minutes later, Prince Carl Philip came with the groom, Daniel Westling, by his side. Daniel looked composed as he walked to his own wedding, but one could guess he was a nervous and excited as any other groom. The small crowd near the church cheered and applauded, and even the choir girls strained their necks to get a glimpse of him. The man who would leave the church as a Prince simply smiled and waved.
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As soon as Daniel and Carl Philip went into Storkyrkan, a black car carrying King Carl XVI Gustaf and the bride, Crown Princess Victoria, came down the street. Guards opened the door for the Crown Princess to exit, and as she did, she revealed her wedding gown, designed by Par Engsheden and the cameo tiara her own mother wore to her wedding – on the same date 34 years ago. Victoria’s veil was also on loan from her mother. In her hands, Victoria carried a bouquet of numerous white flowers – rose, phalaenopsis orchid, peony, clematis, cosmos, wax flower, sweet pea, dicentra formosa, Mårbacka pelargonium, so many more!
The King walked his daughter down the aisle, but stopped before the altar. Before them were Victoria’s flower girls and page boys. The girls wore white dresses while the boys wore sailor suits. All were well-behaved.
At the stairs leading to the altar, Daniel Westling took Victoria from her father and the couple continued up the stairs, past their regal guests and up to the altar. Three bishops and the Archbishop Anders Wejryd from the Swedish Lutheran Church presided over the ceremony.
It was short but sweet ceremony, lasting only a half hour. Early on, Archbishop Wejryd asked the bride and groom if they would take each other as their spouses. Both Victoria and Daniel firmly said, “Ja!”
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When it came time to exchange the rings, the Archbishop gave them to the couple, whom together held each side of the two rings in both hands. Meaning, Victoria and Daniel held one ring in her left hand and his right, and vice versa for the other ring.
As they said their vows, the bride and groom got a bit emotional. Victoria blinked back tears and once the two put the wedding rings on each other, Daniel seemed to be crying. His bride – now wife – wiped the tears from his face.
Others wiped away tears, such Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Margarita of Romania.
The ceremony continued with prayers and the Archbishop blessing the marriage. He gave a speech as the Crown Princess and her Prince stood before him:
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“Your situation, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel (we can now use this title for the first time), is both shared and unique. You’ll be taking on tasks that you won’t be able to turn down — but that you can influence. One of you has had many years to prepare for and live this life — and one of you only a few. You won’t have complete control over your lives — but you will successfully make your way through life if you keep your focus on people other than yourselves, on wider contexts, on society, on family and on the future. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
“So, you are now husband and wife. Privately, you have set up a ‘refuge’ that has now been confirmed as publicly as is possible. Through marriage, a bridge is forged between the most personal side of your lives and the public side. “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” We who all over world are following your wedding are responsible for helping you with this. We have prayed for you, we will carry on praying for you and thinking of you, and will help you to stay together — in the same way as we have done at all other weddings we have been to, and will attend in the future!”
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Then the husband and wife turned to the orchestra, and listened to Swedish singers, Agnes Carlsson and Bjorn Skifs, sing a song in English, “When You Tell The World You’re Mine.” As they sung, Daniel seemed to get emotional again. Victoria could not stop smiling.
After the song, there was an official blessing of the marriage, and Victoria and Daniel left the altar. Her parents and siblings, plus his parents followed them as well as the page boys and flower girls. The other royals got up and followed the procession.
For a short while, no one was seen. That was because Prince Daniel was putting on a star onto his tuxedo. Earlier that day, he became a Knight of the Order of the Seraphim, and now that he was officially a member of the Swedish Royal Family, he could wear the star.
Finally, the doors to Storkyrkan opened and Victoria and Daniel emerged. The choir girls began to sing again, and as they did, the newlyweds shared a kiss.
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After a few songs, an open top carriage came around and the couple got in. Queen Silvia blew kisses at the couple as the carriage trotted off towards the heart of Stockholm.
At first there were scant crowds. But as the carriage went through the streets, the crowds got bigger and louder. There had been reports prior to the wedding that less than half of Swedes support the monarchy. But by the looks of the crowds this day, that didn’t seem to be the case.
After going through the city, the carriage stopped at a pier with an elaborate boat waiting to take Victoria and Daniel to the palace. As they were escorted across the bay – Stockholm is called the Venice of the North – their families and guests were arriving at the palace, waiting for the couple to come.
It took about 10 minutes for the new husband and wife to make ashore, but when they did, their families, guests and the crowds
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were waiting for them. They walked up to the stairs where a large landing allowed them to wave at the crowds. But there were more crowds on the other side of the palace – the one that doesn’t face the water. After disappearing inside the palace for several minutes, Victoria and Daniel emerged again on the balcony, which this time had a choir and orchestra singing songs for them. At this point, the couple gave what everyone was waiting for – a loving kiss!
King Carl XVI Gustaf gave a short speech at the balcony and ended it by encouraging the people to cheer for his daughter and new son-in-law. Then Crown Princess Victoria gave a short speech, thanking the people for giving her her Prince!
With that, everyone went inside for the festivities.
Long live Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel!
Below is a YouTube video of the wedding’s highlights:
It was a night of celebration as Sweden and royals from all over the world marked Saturday’s wedding between Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling. Just like her parents had 34 years ago, Victoria and her fiancè were a given a special concert at the Royal Concert Hall in Stockholm. Pop acts and classical artists played through the night as if it were a final hurrah before tomorrow’s big event.
First arriving at the Hall was the House of Bernadotte. When she got out of the car, Crown Princess Victoria wowed the crowd waiting for her. Beaming and radiating of joy, the Crown Princess waved as the people gave her and Daniel a four-fold cheer.
They walked up the red carpet behind her parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Bringing up the rear were her two younger siblings, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine.
After the Swedish royal family came the friends and relatives of the royal couple, and the Swedish government leaders. Then came the royals from all over Europe, plus Japan and Jordan. The royal guest list even included those who are from deposed monarchies, such as Romania and Serbia.
All in all, 1,600 guests.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe
Once inside, everyone dined amongst each other before the big concert. Those who haven’t seen each other in a while were able to say hello, such as Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary and Spain’s Crown Princess Letizia.
King Carl XVI Gustaf gave a small speech during the dinner, thanking the Prime Minister for allowing the wedding to take place – after all, the wedding of an heir to the throne needs government approval.
“We can all see how happy and engaged the engaged couple looks,” the King went on to say. “They really… You can feel the joy and youth and optimism in their eyes. We can all feel the warmth and happiness also in this hall and during this day.”
At about a quarter to nine local time, all those in attendance were in the Hall. Everyone stood and sang when the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played the Swedish national anthem. Even Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who’s mother was a Swedish Princess, sang along.
Right after that, the orchestra began to play “Party Song” and right in the middle of the stage, lights went on, illuminating two
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figures holding hands. Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling had made their appearance. They received a standing ovation as they made their way to two seats in the front row especially made for them. With that, the concert began.
It was clearly a joyous occasion for everyone in the Hall. Ballet was performed, the opera classic “Nessun Dorma” was sung – even pop and jazz acts played. The host of the event also poked playful fun at the royals in attendance. At one point, the group Jazz Divas of Scandinavia were about the perform and the host gave a nod to the Scandinavian Crown Princesses – Victoria, Mette-Marit and Mary. The women had a good laugh about it.
But the biggest act to perform that night was probably the 80s Swedish pop duo, Roxette, said to be one of Victoria’s favorite bands. As the band played “The Look,” everyone in the hall clapped along and a few – such as Norway’s Princess Martha Louise – moved their heads to the song. Once done, there was a standing ovation for Roxette.
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The concert came to a close when all the singers returned to the stage and together sang Elvis Presley’s classic, “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” As they did with the Roxette song, many of the royals sang along.
Overall, it was an emotional event for everyone. Queen Silvia was seen wiping away some tears and it looked as if King Carl Gustaf was getting teary-eyed. Even Princess Madeleine looked red in the eyes – as did Queen Margrethe and Dutch Queen Beatrix.
With that, the pre-wedding events were over. Tomorrow comes the wedding of the year as Crown Princess Victoria marries her love – and a former gym owner from a small village in central Sweden becomes Prince Daniel.
On Friday, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf traveled to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The meeting between the two heads of state was meant to broaden ties with Sweden and China, as President Hu told the press.
REUTERS/Jason Lee
“China and Sweden have no conflict of fundamental interests despite different national conditions, and good bilateral ties have brought tangible benefits to both peoples.”
King Carl mentioned the President’s state visit to his country in 2007, which helped boost bilateral links.
An innovation forum, jointly held by the two countries, will have a positive influence on cooperation in new fields between the two countries, he said.
Sweden became the first Western country to have diplomatic ties with China 60 years ago.
During his official visit, the King participated in the China-Sweden Innovation Forum and the signing ceremony of some cooperative agreements. On Sunday, he visited the Swedish pavilion at Shanghai’s World Expo 2010.
With the wedding of the year less than two months away, more news and speculations are being reported each day. Some have been confirmed, some not. One that has created a lot of buzz in the past week is how will Crown Princess Victoria enter Stockholm Cathedral? With her beloved, Daniel Westling by her side? Or will her father the King give her away the traditional way?
Paul Hansen/Swedish Royal Court
Some in Sweden believe if the future Queen does the latter, she will be going against the Swedish Church’s policy.
Annika Borg, a minister in the Church who often writes books and lectures on faith issues, believes Victoria and Daniel should walk down the aisle together, just as Crown Prince Haakon did when he married Mette-Marit in 2001.
“The old Swedish tradition, the couple go in together, have an important meaning,” writes Borg in DN.se. “The woman is of legal age to make her own decisions and stand beside her future husband of her own free will.”
In other words, having the bride being given away by her father certifies that she is his property, and by handing him over to the groom means she is now the groom’s property.
Although having the couple enter a church together is way things are done in Sweden, increasingly brides are choosing to have their fathers walk them down the aisle. This is because of the influence of American movies and television shows which show just that.
If Victoria does choose to enter the cathedral the traditional way, some would wonder if she is aware of Swedish tradition.
“How is it possible that the royal family does not have deeper knowledge of the Swedish tradition it claims to manage?” writes Annika Borg. “Some say they want the prospective spouse to really see them, see how beautiful they are. And of course you want to be beautiful this great day. This is good for both women and men. But marriage is not about the woman, but about two people that is deeply and seriously show their love.
“Many couples believe that it is the old tradition to be surrendered by the father. But the old is instead the “modern”, which of course, although it is old, expresses a modern view of gender and men and women.”
When King Carl XVI Gustaf married Silvia Sommerlath in 1976, they both enter the cathedral together.
There is no official word yet on how Victoria will begin her marriage ceremony on June 19th.
Prince Albert II of Monaco hosted the King and Queen of Sweden in his tiny principality this past Saturday. It was for the 59th World Baden Powell fellowship scout foundation, which King Carl XVI Gustaf is patron of.
Their Majesties’ visit to Monaco came on the very day the Swedish royal court announced their youngest daughter, Princess Madeleine had broken off her engagement to Jonas Bergström.
But in true royal form, the King and Queen did not show any emotion or signs they were saddened by the announcement. Instead, they appeared to have enjoyed themselves at the function.
The King and Queen of Sweden are on a four-day state visit to Brazil. Wednesday marks their second day on the trip, and also their second day of events going awry.
AP Photo/Eraldo Peres
First, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s plane had difficulty landing yesterday due to bad weather. Then today, at the end of their visit to the National Congress, they had to exit through a back door because of a teachers’ protest outside. That protest not against the royals at all.
Besides those moments, the King and Queen are having just another state visit. This trip may be personal for Silvia as she is half-Brazilian and spent a few years of her childhood there.
While the royals are in Brazil to strengthen ties with the country, they are also there to promote a Swedish fighter jet. Brazil is currently on the hunt for one and Sweden is in a race with France and the United States to sell their Gripen NG mono-motor fighter, owned by Saab.
The French meanwhile have their Rafale jet made by their Dassault company and the Americans are trying to sell their F/A-18 Super Hornet from Boeing. It is said that Brazil is close to choosing the Rafale jet but Sweden and the United States are two and three in the running.
The decision on which jet will be used will come in two weeks.
Also during this state visit, the King and Queen will be going to various of Brazil’s locations to discuss Brazilian-Swedish business, check out the country’s aircraft assembly hall and speak at seminars about human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The latter would be done by Queen Silvia who’s charity World Childhood Foundation aims to prevent those problems.
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