Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

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Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus) (born April 30, 1946, at Haga Palace, Solna, Uppland), is the head of state of the Kingdom of Sweden. He is the only son of the late Prince Gustaf Adolf (1906-1947) and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1908-1972). He is a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria through both his parents. He ascended to the throne on September 15, 1973, upon the death of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf.

He was Christened at the Royal Chapel on 7 June 1946 by the Archbishop of Uppsala, Erling Eidem. His Godparents were The Crown Prince of Denmark, The Crown Princess of Denmark, The Crown Prince of Norway, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, King Gustaf V of Sweden, Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, The Crown Prince of Sweden, The Crown Princess of Sweden, Count Folke Bernadotte af Wisborg, and Countess Maria Bernadotte af Wisborg.

[edit] Youth and education

Prince Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, Duke of Jemtia, was the youngest of five children and the only son of Sweden's Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla. His father's death in an airplane crash outside Copenhagen, Denmark on January 26, 1947 left the nine-month-old Prince second in line for the throne, behind his grandfather, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf. When great grandfather King Gustaf V died in 1950, the four-year-old Prince became heir apparent of Sweden.

In a speech in 2005<ref>http://wwwb.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,587642,00.html (Swedish)</ref>, His Majesty expressed some of his feelings about growing up without having known his father. His sister Princess Birgitta elaborated on these feelings in an interview around the same time, commenting that their mother and the strict Swedish royal court of the time didn't consider the emotional needs of the Prince Gustaf Adolf's children. In that era, she said, tragedy was seldom discussed with children. "Children’s questions were met with silence, children’s anxiety and fear with the same silence."

As a result, Carl Gustaf was seven years old before he had been told about his father's death. "It was Mother’s way of handling the situation, to handle living her life. Of course it was not good for us children. It would have been much better to be able to speak about Father’s death," continued Princess Birgitta. She said it had been difficult for the future king to come to grips with not having a father and not having the same memories of him as his older sisters.

After graduating from high school, the Crown Prince completed two and a half years of education in the Army, Navy and Air Force. He completed his exam as Officer of the Deck in 1968. He has also completed academic studies in history, sociology, political science, financial rights and economics at the universities of Uppsala and Stockholm.

To prepare for his role as head of state, Crown Prince Carl Gustaf followed a broad programme of studies on the court system, social organisations and institutions, trade unions, and employers' associations. In addition, he closely studied the affairs of the Riksdag, Government, and Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Crown Prince also spent time at the Swedish Mission to the United Nations and the Swedish International Development Agency, worked at a bank in London, the Swedish Embassy, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France, and at the Alfa Laval company factory in France.

[edit] Ascent to throne

Crown Prince Carl Gustaf was invested as King of Sweden at the Hall of State of the Royal Palace of Stockholm in September 19, 1973, four days after the death of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf.

King Gustaf VI Adolf was styled King of the Swedes, the Goths/Geats and the Wends. This title had been in use since 1540. Carl XVI Gustaf instead chose the title King of Sweden (Sveriges Konung), thereby changing and age old tradition.

King Gustaf VI Adolf was also the laste Swedish monarch styled "by Gods Grace" (av Guds Nåde)

[edit] Marriage and family

The King decided to marry Silvia Sommerlath, the half Brazilian daughter of a German businessman. Silvia met the then Crown Prince at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where she was an interpreter and host. The Wedding was held June 19, 1976 at Stockholm Cathedral and the act was performed by the Archbishop of Uppsala, Olof Sundby. The King and his family resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980, and uses the Royal Palace of Stockholm as their workplace.

They have three children:

1. HRH Princess Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (1977- )
2. HRH Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (1979-)
3. HRH Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (1982-)

Prince Carl Philip was born heir apparent. However a constitutional reform that was already under way at the time of his birth made his older sister, Victoria, the Crown Princess and heiress apparent on January 1, 1980, according to the principles of equal primogeniture. It should however be noted that Sweden is the only country, so far, to have practiced equal primogeniture retroactively.

[edit] Royal duties and personal interests

The King's duties are, according to the constitution, of a representative and ceremonial nature. He pays State Visits abroad and receives those to Sweden, opens the Annual Session of the Parliament, Chairs the Special Council held during a change of Government, holds regular Information Councils with Ministers, Chairs the meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council, and receives and signs credentials of foreign ambassadors to Sweden - and signs those of Sweden to other countries. The King holds the highest ranks in the three branches of the Swedish Armed Forces.

The King is passionate about the environment, technology, agriculture, trade, and industry. In 1994, he delighted Swedes by reportedly saying, in response to the clubbing of baby seals in neighboring Norway, that a prime minister who couldn't take care of baby seals couldn't be very good at taking care of a country. The Norwegian response was a comment on his well known interest in elk hunting. On his initiative, an international symposium on the environment is held regularly. He is the protector of the Swedish Royal Academies, and takes active part in the proceedings of a few of them.

[edit] Scouting

He also is the Honorary Chairman of the World Scout Foundation, and often participates in Scout activities both in Sweden and abroad. He attended the National Scout jamboree in Virginia, USA in 1981 and was awarded the Bronze Wolf, the only distinction of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting, in 1982.

Worldwide, Carl XVI Gustaf is probably best known as the presenter of the Nobel Prizes each year. He also hands over the Polar Music Prize.

Like many members of the royal family the King has an interest in automobiles. In the summer of 2005 he was involved in a traffic accident in Norrköping. The accident was described as a "fender bender", with no serious personal injuries claimed. Nevertheless, the incident caused national headlines.<ref>Swedish king crashes car, The Local, 25 August, 2005.</ref>

[edit] Dyslexia

For many years, it was widely rumoured that the king had dyslexia. Journalists noted that he misspelled his name when signing his accession document, and in 1973, when visiting a copper mine in Falun, he misspelled his name when signing it on a rock wall. In an interview on Swedish television in 1997, however, the condition was admitted publicly when his wife addressed the issue. "When he was little, people did not pay attention to the problem," she said. "He didn't get the help he needed." She also noted that the couple's children have "a bit of" dyslexia themselves.

[edit] Criticism and protest against the king

The King of Sweden and his family have been heavily criticized by Westboro Baptist Church for allowing the arrest of Ake Green a Swedish preacher that condemned homosexuality. <ref>The Tyra Banks Show. Shirley Phelps-Roper discusses how God punished Swedes using the 2004 Asian Tsunami. Retrieved on 2006-11-29.</ref> A website created by the church, godhatessweden.com, labels the king as "King of Sodomite Whores" and says, "You are drippings from the Devil's own penis - a veritable sperm bank for Satan's queers."<ref>Westboro Baptist Church. God Hates Sweden and the Royal Family!. Retrieved on 2006-11-29.</ref>

[edit] Style of reference

Carl XVI Gustaf is normally not referred to as "Your Majesty" but simply as "the King" (Kungen).

[edit] See also

• Swedish Royal Family
• Carl XVI Gustaf's ancestors
• List of state visits made by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
• List of national leaders

[edit] External links

• Royal Court of Sweden - Official site

[edit] Notes and references

<references />

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