Royal fashion on Nobel Day 2009 in Sweden, who was your favourite?

What the lucky invitees at the Nobel Prize Awarding Ceremony at the Concert Hall and following Nobel Prize Banquet at the City Hall are wearing is always a big topic of conversation each year on Nobel Day, 10 December, among both television watchers and media. Usually the night is followed by eager discussion among bloggers and at workplaces, and fashion résumés and judgements are quickly published in the evening tabloids. The Royal Family, who grace the events with their presence and gives them that extra bit of magic, are naturally extra interesting as the royal ladies wear pieces of historic jewellery from their collections and dresses from their favourite designers. Interesting for all who like beautiful things and royal glitter, fashionistas and those of us who are more deeply interested in royalty and historic connections in other words. (more…)

Menu at the Nobel Banquet 2008

* Entrée

Baked sole with Swedish shellfish and fennel, oyesterplant and shellfish dressing

Wine: Jacquart Brut Mosaïque Millésimé 2002, Champagne

* Main course

Swedish veal with porcini mushrooms, cellery crème, veal gravy with red wine and thyme potato terrine

Wine: Chateau Moulinet 2000, Pomerol

* Dessert

Poire Belle Hélène 2008. Ginger- and vanilla cooked pear with chocolate glazed almond base served with dark chocolate cream and vanilla ice cream and pear marmalade

Wine: Beerenauslese Chardonnay, Helmut Lang 2006, Neusiedlersee

Science and glam at the Nobel festivities

Pew! A marathon-day is over after following the Nobel Prize Awarding Ceremony in the Concert Hall and the following magnificent banquet in the City Hall. A huge team of florists had worked very hard to assemble the flowers and make them into beautiful decorations that can last an entire evening and the food staff had measured every place setting to the last millimetre. The waiters had watched videos and rehearsed the descending down the grand staircase to match the ticking clock with over 1,300 guests have to be served at the same time. Police and dogs had searched the facilities for anything remotely dangerous. And the menu, one of the most well-kept secrets together with the dresses on the royal ladies, had been in the working for months. When the TV cameras were turned on this afternoon it was easy to say that a gigantic organisation could only sit back and watch their creation, and for us watchers the annual Nobel Day climax began.
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Countess Bettina more stylish with every year

This year Countess Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg, daughter of the late Count Lennart (born Prince of Sweden, Duke of Småland) and Countess Sonja Bernadotte af Wisborg, attended the Nobel Day festivities for an eighth time.

The independent mother of two, who is boss of the Mainau family business since the beginning of the year, came together with her brother Count Björn and wore strong red colours both on the Nobel Day and to the King’s Nobel dinner yesterday. Bettina has a long period of business training and work as her mother’s executive secretary behind her, and now after marriage and two children the Countess looks better than ever!

Bettina and Björn used the Nobel festivities as a chance to promote their annual Nobel meeting in Lindau at the same time as they had a chance to spend time with their royal relatives. TV4 also grabbed hold of them for a short interview.

(Screencaps from TV4’s Nobel Day broadcast)

Nobel dinner number two

On Tuesday evening it was time for more beautiful dresses, glitter and good food when His Majesty opened the palace doors for his annual dinner for the Nobel Laureates the day after. Karl XI’s Gallery, where a thorough restoration and polishing has just been completed, once again stood host to a magnificent dinner with the best porcelain, decorations, silver and napkins folded in the most elegant ways. Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Carl Philip were also there but neither Princess Madeleine nor Princess Lilian was spotted. Princess Christina and Consul-General Tord Magnuson were also present.

The dresses were not new today, with the luck we had yesterday I suppose we have to stay happy for a while. The Queen recycled an old blue favourite that she also wore on the Nobel Day 2005, Princess Christina an turquoise favourite that also appeared at Nobel 2004 and Crown Princess Victoria an elegant oyster coloured creation seen many times, also for Nobel 2005.

As usual the menu was mighty impressive and sparked an appetite, or what about the following…

* Seafood terrine with saffron jelly, sweet and sour fennel and horseradish foam
* Oven baked cod with truffle risone and vegetable compote
* Whole baked outer fillet of deer with garniture
* Prince Vladimir tea fondant with grapefruit sorbet and fig chips

The King led Mrs Helma Birge Grünberg (wife to the German Physics Laureate) to the table, on his left side he had Mrs Laurie Fraser (wife of the American Medicine Laureate Dr Capecchi). The Queen was led to the table by the Laureate in Chemistry, Professor Gerhard Ertl and had the Physics Laureate Dr Peter Grünberg on her other side. Dr Grünberg led the Crown Princess to the table and on her other side was the Laureate in Medicine Professor Sir Martin J. Evans. Prince Carl Philip led Lady Judith Evans to the table and had Mrs Helma Birge Grünberg on his other side.

Delicious Nobel tables

The centre of attention at the annual Nobel festivities is the Royal Family with their glittering jewels, orders and decorations, and of course the Nobel Laureates whom the royals also rise for on this day (the only time they stand up for others). But there is also another star, one that creates the atmosphere and beauty of the ceremonies but may not always end up on the front pages of newspapers. I’m thinking about the flowers, of course.

For the eight consecutive year it was the professional florist Gunnar Kaj who was in charge for the floral decorations both at the Nobel Prize Awarding Ceremony at the Concert Hall and the Nobel Banquet in the City Hall. Together with a team of his own florists, a carpenter, a coordinator and a host of florist students, Mr Kaj has the handful job of making sure everything is in top shape for the Laureates, guests and TV cameras to enjoy during a very lengthy evening…

Every year the Italian town of San Remo donates the flowers and leafs needed to the Nobel Foundation, a gesture of friendship from the place where the great donor Alfred Nobel spent his last years in life. This year around 23,000 flowers and leafs were sent via special transport from Italy to Sweden after which they were stored in tempered greenhouses. The colour theme chosen this year was cerise, red and apricot for the Concert Hall and pink, cream beige and red for the City Hall. Roses, orchids, lilies, carnations and calla lilies were what the majority of the decorations consisted of.

The table of honour at the City Hall and the stage at the Concert Hall are of course the most important places for Mr Kaj and his team to get it right. That is where the photographers flock when they get their pool slots and the TV cameras slide over – but every public space during the Nobel festivities is important. The only rules the florists have is not to make the flowers too high at the table of honour, a maximum of 29 centimetres is allowed and nothing is allowed to shadow the guests. All so that the guests can see each other and the TV cameras are not disturbed.

This year the City Hall was decorated as one big tea party, the tables were adorned with beautiful cakes and sandwiches. The inspiration was the Royal Ballet but the theme remains secret.
- It’s a challenge to constantly renew oneself. It will be full hands until the last moments watering the flowers so that they are on top when the guests arrive. They have to stand for five-six hours, but then they are beat and just want to die, Gunnar Kaj told Dagens Nyheter a few days ago.

(Note: the pictures are screencaps from TV4, hence the bad quality)

What’s for dinner?

When the guests are expected sit sit and small-talk, watch the splendid decorations and enjoy the entertainment for several hours there is of course a culinary team working for almost a year to make sure that the food is of the best quality and taste. There are many tastings held by the Nobel Foundation assisted by experts and the final choices are kept secret until the banquet starts. About 26 minutes ago, when the procession down the stairs started, the menu was released. Here is what the 1,200 people will be eating tonight…

Entrée

* Homard en daube avec flétan à l´aneth et oeufs d´ablette de Kalix (lobster aspic with dill baked halibut and Kalix whitefish roe, served with cauliflower creme and apple salad)

Main course

* Duo de coquelet avec terrine de pommes de terre « Almond » et céleri-rave (cockerell with cockerel sausage flavoured with sage. Almond potatoes and turnip-rooted celery and silver onion puré, artichoke and red vine sauce)

Dessert

* Marquise aux pistaches, framboises et cassis, accompagnée de glace vanille (raspberry and blackberry turreen with pistagio bottoms and vanilla ice cream)

Vine

Jacquart Brut Mosaïque Millésimé 1996
Magnum

Corton Grand Cru Grèves Bourgogne 2002
Domaine Jean-Claude Belland

Tri de Vendange Coteaux du Layon 2003
Raymond Morin

Café
Remy Martin VSOP
Cointreau

Eau minérale Ramlösa