The Swedish royal family took part in a ceremony on Tuesday marking the 500th anniversary of the Scandinavian nation’s emergence as an independent nation.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia first traveled to the town of Strengnas, 59 miles west of Stockholm, the Swedish capital, and Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden in 1523.
His election put an end to the so-called Kalmar League between Norway and Denmark, which had continued since the 14th century. Sweden eventually transitioned from an elected monarchy to a hereditary monarchy, with the throne passed from father to son.
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On Tuesday morning, the King and Queen, Prime Minister Ulf Christersson and the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament Andreas Nollen visited a Gothic building built between 1291 and 1340 in the heart of Strengnas, a quiet town of over two million inhabitants. Arrived at the Cathedral of St. About 13,000.
In Stockholm, on Sweden’s National Day (6 June), the traditional appearance of Crown Princess Victoria in national dress and her husband Prince Daniel opening the gates of the Downtown Palace and offering free admission to the castle and museum. allowed.
King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden visit Strengnas, Sweden on June 6, 2023 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the founding of Sweden as an independent state with Gustav Vasa as King of Sweden. (Pontus Rundahl/TT, via AP)
Victoria and Daniel joined hands with their children Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar to announce the opening of the palace. Hundreds stormed inside, waving blue and yellow Swedish flags.
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In 1980, the order of succession was changed, with Victoria, the eldest of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s three children, becoming first in line to the throne.
Christerson said the country of 10 million people had become a “modern nation-state”.
To conclude the day, the King will take a horse-drawn carriage from the Royal Palace through parts of downtown Stockholm to Skansen, an open-air museum showcasing houses from all over Sweden.
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Carl Gustaf, who ascended to the throne on September 15, 1973 and is Sweden’s longest-reigning monarch, will speak there.
Later this year, the 77-year-old king will celebrate his 50th anniversary on the throne.
The Swedish royal family is popular, and the monarchy is widely supported, despite the egalitarianism characteristic of Nordic societies.
