This past Wednesday (17th December) Swedish ELLE released their first issue of 2010, featuring no other than Princess Madeleine on the cover. The magazine rarely writes about the Royal Family and the Princess does not give many interviews either, but when royal friend Josephine Zapata Genetay offered them a partnership that would land them an exclusive insight to Madeleine’s personality and work for World Childhood Foundation, the 14-page story and accompanying cover was a done deal.
The article is mainly about her work for the foundation, accompanying the texts are three news studio photographs and also photographs from Josephine’s and the photographer’s meetings and travels with Madeleine and Childhood staff all taken by photographer Mattias Edwall. It gives a little glimpse into what kind of person Madeleine is and what she actually does in her job. During her years as project manager it has been kept very under wraps and not much has leaked out about her journeys and work at the office. Something I appreciate is also that the clothes she wears in the studio photographs are labelled as private, not making her into some fashion poster woman for big designers as other royals have sometimes become in their glossy magazine spreads. (more…)
Swedish national newspaper Dagens Nyheter today published an article in their series “One day with” featuring Queen Silvia. Their reporter Lasse Granestrand followed Her Majesty during one of her normal working days, the day happened to be Crown Princess Victoria’s name day on 12 March. This is the article translated from Swedish by me.
ONE DAY WITH: QUEEN SILVIA
”I miss being able to be spontaneous”
33 years have passed since Silvia Sommerlath became Sweden’s queen. A role which in Sweden demands a carefully considered balance between openness and royal mystique. DN Sunday came with one day on the job.
A very special day 8.55 Queen Silvia opens the door and steps out in the snow glop outside her residence, Drottningholm Palace. We are to accompany (her) a day on the job. It turns out to be a meeting with a person who in a smooth way tries to unite the distance and carefulness that the role is deemed to demand with a certain openness.
But to ask what the Queen has eaten for breakfast turns out to be a too abrupt question in the context and the answer is not filmjölk, breakfast cereal or bulgur but eventually a reluctant “something healthy”. During the day in the Court’s world I understand that I should be happy, considering how other European royal houses generally safeguards the monarchic mystique with total silence. (more…)
For all those who don’t understand and speak Swedish but would like to be able to follow along, I have tried my best to make a transcript of the engagement press conference held at 5 PM after the announcement of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling’s engagement had been made on 24 February 2009.
Unfortunately it was quite difficult because of the bad sound in the room (it was impossible to hear the questions clearly, and the media made a lot of noise in their places) and the fact that there was so much laughs, giggles and so on from all parties. But I did manage to make some sort of transcript, loosely translated and with lots of gaps for unclear parts, noises and laughs. It doesn’t appear as good as it did on television, but I thought it might help someone who doesn’t speak Swedish to understand better, perhaps while watching the press conference again. The total time of the whole shebang was about 20 minutes (more…)
On Monday 23 February 2009, the day before the official announcement of the engagement between Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling, King Carl XVI Gustaf shared the news with the immediate family by doing the rounds via telephone. At least according to royal focused weekly magazine Svensk Damtidning.
They write that the first one to receive the news was his uncle Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg, the last surviving child of King Gustaf VI Adolf. When they called him up he said: - Victoria was at home here with us and presented Daniel. My impression is that Daniel is a very nice man. Now I hope heartfelt that they both will be very happy together. I also think it’s great that there will be a wedding now. In the midst of all the sad that is happening (financial crisis and recession) we need something fun and romantic to rejoice at.(more…)
This travel report article, following Victoria to Italy, is a translation by me from Svensk Damtidning’s issue nr 9 2009, out through 19-25 February. The original Swedish piece is written by Jenny Alexandersson who was joined by their photographer Charles Hammarsten on the trip.
44 hours with Victoria
Eight changes of clothes, one makeup artist, two cathedrals – and her life’s first award. Svensk Damtidning’s team followed the Crown Princess’ heals during two intense days on sunny Sicily. Here is their report! (more…)
This afternoon King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden’s annual Christmas speech to Swedes around the world was broadcasted on the national public service radio Sveriges Radio. It will be repeated again on radio this evening and also this evening at 19:45 (7:45 PM) the speech, recorded a few days before Christmas at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, will for the second year in a row also be televised on the national public service television Sveriges Television.
To listen to the speech you can go here and click on “Kungens jultal 2008″ after the tiny speaker icon on top of the page. Click below to watch the King speaking on television.
For those of you who are curious to know what His Majesty spoke about, this is my translation of the speech. (more…)
As the evening darkness has set over cottages and palaces alike and candles are burning for the little and not so little, hams are roasting in ovens across the country, trees are decked, and people are making their last preparations for Christmas peace tomorrow, Her Majesty Queen Silvia can this evening sit down at Drottningholm Palace and look back at a 65 year old life lived in three countries in different parts of the word.
It is said that her husband the King wanted the Queen to celebrate her birthday on a larger scale, but even if this birthday is more special than usual, Queen Silvia has chosen not to mark it in any special way. Instead she spent the day with her closest family and was celebrated with birthday song and cake in the morning, followed by presents and perhaps some Christmas preparations at Drottningholm Palace as well. In a birthday interview conducted with the Swedish news bureau TT a few days ago, the Queen commented about her age and not celebrating by saying: - It’s not that much to celebrate, it’s right between 60 and 70 years. (more…)
This past Wednesday (17th December) Swedish ELLE released their first issue of 2010, featuring no other than Princess Madeleine on the cover. The magazine rarely writes about the Royal Family and the Princess does not give many interviews either, but when royal friend Josephine Zapata Genetay offered them a partnership that would land them an exclusive insight to Madeleine’s personality and work for World Childhood Foundation, the 14-page story and accompanying cover was a done deal.
jane on 
Sofia on