The King is the longest reigning monarch in Swedish history and in his fifty third year in the throne. I recall his accession in 1973 and how some newspaper pundits were writing off the future of the Swedish monarch. The age gap between his almost ninety one year old grandfather and his youth at only twenty seven were presented as hindering the chances of the institution.
Shortly before his death King Gustaf VI Adolf had accepted the new version of the Instrument of Government revising the 1809 constitution. The new form removed from the monarch the formal powers to appoint the prime minister or signing legislation into law, whilst retaining a national representative and ceremonial role. This came into effect in 1975.
If constitutional change was in the public sphere for discussion the Royal family faced anther problem. Because of the very strict regulation of royal marriages, which could not be contracted with commoners the formal Royal family coomprised just the unmarried King and his unmarried uncle Prince Bertil. The other two surviving sons of the late King had renounced their rights to marry commoners. This was a policy which had been very strongly maintained by King Gustaf VI Adolf whilst Crown Prince.The new King’s four sisters were also married to commoners, and there was no provision for female succession to the Crown.
In 1976 the King married Queen Silvia, and this year will also see the public celebration of their Golden Wedding. Here there was a youthful monarch and his consort who were blessed with three children, and women admitted to full rights of succession. A Royal house that for decades was, and appeared, middle aged and indeed elderly now had a youthful image, and which has continued with the birth of grandchildren to the King and Queen.
The revision of the constitutional position of the Swedish monarch may have appeared alarming to those of us of a traditional outlook, but to the outside world has not diminished the public perception of the monarchy. I have seen it argued that in Sweden itself the changes actually increased support for the institution.
Interestingly one have alongside the others was suspending the bestowal of the various chivalric orders other than to the Royal Family itself, which in reality really meant the most senior one, the Order of the Seraphim. In the last two or three years this policy has been abandoned and the other orders given as in other realms as public recognition for service.
Furthermore the public face of the Swedish monarchy is not, as so many unthinking commentators say, the tired out trope of an unceremonious bicycling royal house. On state occasions Sweden can put on a traditional ceremonial and military display to rival any other western monarchy.
The gloomy predictions of 1973 have, happily, not come to pass.
A friend and I were agreeing that one disappointment about the celebrations culminating in a gala banquet in Stockholm on the King’s birthday, complete with tiaras and orders and decorations, was that no member of our own Royal Family was present. The King and Queen were of course on their very successful state visit to the United States, and the Kings of Tge Netherlands and of Spain were committed to other events, but their families were present. One would have thought that a member of the House of Windsor could have attended. Not only are they related, several times over, but Sweden is now an ally through NATO - unthinkable in 1973 - and a country with close cultural connections. People in the UK expect foreign royalty to attend events here, yet here was a chance to reciprocate that was not taken up.
With congratulations and every good wish to the King of Sweden on his birthday and to the Swedish Royal Family.
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