“I’m silent – it’s bad, I speak – it’s even worse”: the king of Sweden found himself in the shadow of his daughter-in-law

Sweden celebrated two royal anniversaries this year. In one, the king was eclipsed by his daughter-in-law, and in another, they forgot to invite the princess. Why did this happen? Let’s try to figure it out.

In Sweden there is a series of celebrations in the royal family and scandals. Early autumn marked the 50th anniversary of King Carl Gustav, who turned 77, on the throne. And the other day we celebrated another fiftieth anniversary – that of Prince Daniel, the husband of Victoria, the future Queen of Sweden.

In fact, Daniel’s birthday was on September 15, but the celebration was postponed so as not to combine two important events.

Therefore, last weekend, ceremonial events were finally organized. Details have now become known, and the Scandinavian media (in particular, the Swedish Hent and the Norwegian Dagbladet) noticed that among the royal guests there was no Princess Birgitta, who is the sister of King Carl Gustav and the aunt of Crown Princess Victoria.

Journalists contacted Birgitta and asked her to comment on the event. The princess confirmed that she had not received an invitation, but even if she had, she would not have flown to Sweden for a day. She now lives permanently in Mallorca, Spain. “Members of the royal family do not necessarily need to take part in every event and follow everything that happens,” she said.

The celebrations in honor of the king were also not without family misunderstandings. So, Gustav’s daughter-in-law, Princess Sofia, came to the anniversary celebrations in a golden dress and with a large and beautiful hat on her head. It was impossible not to notice her, especially against the background of the king dressed in a strict dark suit. All the cameras were turned to her, and the Swedish Expressen wrote that “Sofia stole the show.”

The celebrations took place over several days and were attended by representatives of almost all the royal families of Europe.

The king in Sweden has no political power, although he is formally the head of state. He performs, first of all, representative duties. The people do not really like their king, although the monarch knows how to be frank and talk about his problems. Thus, it is known that Carl XVI Gustav prefers not to speak in public because he suffers from dyslexia, and this “feature” was inherited by his children. When he has to make official speeches, the king spends a long time preparing for them. And he himself ironically remarks: “If I am silent, it’s bad, but if I say something, it’s even worse!”

Gustav was able to marry for love, choosing a girl of non-blue blood as his wife. In 1971, at the Olympic Games in Munich, he met a German woman, Sylvia Sommerlag, who worked as a guide and hostess in the VIP guest sector. The Swedes are proud that she became the first Swedish queen who was able to make her own career before her marriage. Gustav fell in love with a German woman with Brazilian roots at first sight, and as the newspaper later wrote, he could not take his eyes off her. In fact, he was not watching the opening ceremony, but did not take his eyes off the beauty in a Bavarian costume. Strange as it may seem, he was so shy that he did not dare to approach the future queen, and at the evening reception he asked the organizers to bring him a glass of wine from the hostess, who was in the VIP area. The affair lasted 4 years, at first it was possible to hide it, but when the prince ascended the throne, this became impossible, and soon after the coronation the couple got married, and Sweden had a new queen.

The family had three children. The eldest is Crown Princess Victoria, who will one day become the fourth queen in the country’s history and the first since 1720. Victoria followed in her father’s footsteps and chose her fitness trainer as her husband, who helped her forget the Spanish Prince Felipe, who rejected the love of the Swedish princess, and pulled her out of depression. The wedding took place in 2012, and Daniel became Prince and Duke of Westgötland.

King Gustav and Queen Sofia also have a son, Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine.

Despite the royal couple’s stormy romance and strong feelings, passions continue to simmer in the family. In 2010, a biography of the king, “The Reluctant Monarch,” was published, in which journalists told about his secrets. It talks about his love of gambling, sex parties, and a passionate affair with singer Camilla Henemark. Although the king was planning to leave with his beloved for the islands of French Polynesia. After the scandal broke out, everyone was waiting for the queen’s comments, but the family remained silent and the noise died down.

But the Swedes love their future queen very much, they call her Vicky and say that she is very smart and a “hard worker” who alone bears the burden of the responsibilities of the royal family.