PHOTO: Jan-Olav Wedin/Stockholm Concert Hall
There will be no golden glittering gala performance at the Royal Opera on the evening before Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling’s wedding in June. Instead, the Parliament has ordered a festive concert to be held in the Concert Hall at the Hötorget square in the centre of Stockholm on the evening of 18 June.
(more…)
It’s one of Stockholm’s most popular tourist attractions, the scene of many grand royal ceremonies through history, and in June it will be the centre of media attention when Crown Princess Victoria walks down the aisle with her man of the people Daniel Westling to give their wedding vows in front of the whole world.
But the Stockholm Cathedral has for many years been anything but the clean and shining masterpiece that people might expect when walking in through the doors to it in the Old Town just a stone’s throw from the Royal Palace. Instead it’s quite time-stained and dirty, with the last big clean up having taken place as far back as in the 1950’s, and the small parish not having the resources to do anything – until now that is. When it stood clear that the Crown Princess had booked it as her wedding church the parish leaders understood that something had to be done in order for it to be able to host a royal wedding and all the expected photographers, and with the royal booking it suddenly became easier to receive money grants to pay for it as well. (more…)
The great interest surrounding a royal wedding usually leads to a large production of various souvenirs for people to buy and remember the event with. It tends to be plates, mugs, egg cups, key chains, postcards, sweets, cans and any other odds and ends. When King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia were married there were lots of different kinds of souvenirs. The most famous was perhaps the white porcelain series with their classic black silhouettes on which could also be purchased via mail-order from fill-in forms in journal magazines, and which probably today leads a sleepy and dusty existence in many storages and attics around the country… (more…)
News and speculations about the upcoming royal wedding between Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling, scheduled to be held on 19 June in the Stockholm Cathedral, is constantly flowing in the media, blogs and among coffee break chit chats these days. The Royal Court has also released their fair share of official news around the wedding; one of those press statements came only recently and included the information that there will be four so-called lysnings-receptions for the bridal couple.
- Sunday 30 May at 11 AM – lysning in the Royal Chapel followed by a reception
- Tuesday 1 June 10 AM to noon – reception at the Royal Palace
- Tuesday 1 June 2 PM to 4 PM – reception at the Royal Palace
- Thursday 3 June 10 AM to noon – reception at the Royal Palace
Lysning is an old Swedish tradition that used to be mandatory by law in the old days before state authorities carried the public records and responsibilities of today (issuing marriage certificates for example) and the church was the institution that held the responsibility for everything from the wedding ceremonies to keeping records with information about important family facts like marriages, deaths, christenings and so on. (more…)
Archbishop Anders Wejryd
Born 8 August 1948. Educated at Uppsala University. Ordained in 1972. Bishop of The Diocese of Växjö 1995-2006. Archbishop since 29 August 2006. Married to Kajsa, has three grown up children. The Archbishop is the traditional conductor of royal wedding ceremonies and he will probably be the one who officiates the actual marriage wows if they follow tradition. (more…)
The heavy rainfall that had been circling over Öland during the day had stopped when Princess Madeleine and her fiancé Jonas Bergström stepped out to meet the gathered media outside Solliden Palace at 4 PM (CET) this afternoon. It was a happy and confident Princess who took the word and told the present journalists and people at home by their televisions or radios around the world that they had chosen the royal summer residence because of its connection to the location of the proposal.
It was in the beginning of the summer that the couple had travelled to the island of Capri in Italy where Madeleine had wanted to see Villa San Michele, the home of Queen Victoria’s (1862-1930) doctor and close friend Axel Munthe, and the place where the late German-born Swedish Queen who later had Solliden built spent time every year. Jonas Bergström took the opportunity of the beautiful location and the historic connection when he went down on his knees and proposed on 12 June, the Princess said she quickly answered “of course I will”.
During the press meeting, assistant merger and acquisitions lawyer Jonas seemed very happy and spoke with confidence and a clear voice when asking questions from the press. He said that it was Princess Madeleine’s beautiful blue eyes and her great laughter that he first fell for, and the Princess said that apart from the eyes Jonas is the sweetest person, very thoughtful and a wonderful friend. Princess Madeleine showed off her engagement ring and said this was the first day she could really wear it and that everyone could just imagine how much she had longed for this day.
A wedding date has not yet been decided but it will take place after Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding and the Swedish general elections in September 2010. It will be held in late autumn or winter. In connection to the wedding Jonas will be given the title Duke of Hälsingland and Gästrikland by the King but no further details or explanations about this has been given.
Yesterday the families of the happy couples enjoyed a crayfish party at Solliden and tonight there will be a private engagement dinner with the families.
After yesterday’s hullabaloo in Svensk Damtidning and other media the Royal Court of Sweden officially released the news early this morning, Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, is engaged to marry her boyfriend LL.M. Jonas Bergström.
King Carl XVI Gustaf has given his consent to the couple’s marriage and the Swedish government held a short extra cabinet meeting earlier today where they gave their formal consent – both formalities are required by the Act of Succession. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt gave the following statement in an official press release:
- I want to convey my warmest congratulations and best wishes to Princess Madeleine and Jonas Bergström.
Only six months after her older sister announced her engagement the couple has for some reason felt this was the right time, and for the second time in a row it was a news hungry reporter who got the scoop first – it was not a news bomb. This afternoon at 4 PM the couple is set to meet the press at the Royal Family’s summer residence Solliden on the island of Öland.
Nina Eldh, the Director of Press & Communication at the Royal Court, has commented to media that although the couple has not yet decided a wedding date they will not be getting married before Crown Princess Victoria or the Swedish general elections in September 2010. This means that we’re set to watch another long engagement period stretching for over a year. Nothing has been announced about any titles for Jonas Bergström, like it was for Daniel Westling in the Court’s press release, but it is believed that the handsome 30 year old will be able to continue working as associate lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions at law firm Vinge in Stockholm.
Engagement between Princess Madeleine and Mr. Jonas Bergström
Today, Tuesday 11 August 2009, the engagement between Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine and Mr. Jonas Bergström was announced.
After His Majesty The King of Sweden had given his consent to the marriage between the Princess and Mr. Bergström, His Majesty, in accordance with the procedures set out in the Swedish Constitution, requested the approval by the Swedish Government, which subsequently has been communicated to His Majesty.
The wedding date is not decided.
jane on 
Sofia on