“Half a Millennium Solo: Sweden’s Royals Throw a 500-Year Freedom Fiesta!”🥳🇸🇪👑
TL;DR;
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia lead the Swedes in a half a millennial throw-down, marking 500 years since Sweden broke up with Norway and Denmark and became its own boss. The royals first stopped in Strängnäs, the exact spot where Gustav Vasa said “I do” to being Sweden’s King in 1523, ending the Kalmar Union. 🏰🇸🇪🎉
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Well, isn’t this a piece of royal cake! 👑🍰 Sweden’s finest, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, kick-started the country’s 500th independence anniversary with quite a hoopla, starting in Strängnäs, where it all began. It’s here that Gustav Vasa went from “Who’s that guy?” to “All hail the King!” and Sweden shrugged off the 14th-century baggage of the Kalmar Union with Norway and Denmark.
Talk about coming full circle! The royals, alongside PM Ulf Kristersson and Andreas Norlen, the speaker of Sweden’s parliament, were sighted at the Gothic-style cathedral that’s almost as old as the country’s independence.🏛️🇸🇪 Isn’t it wild that a town of just 13,000 gets to host such a monumental event? 🤔
Meanwhile, Crown Princess Victoria and her hubby, Prince Daniel, were dishing out free passes in Stockholm to their downtown castle and its museums. The entire Swedish royal fam was out and about, and hundreds of visitors, some waving Swedish blue-and-yellow flags, couldn’t resist the royal charm! 🏰🇸🇪🎟️
Did you know, the throne was a man’s world until 1980 when the succession order was changed, making Victoria, the eldest of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s three children, first in line? 💁♀️👑 Talk about girl power! How’s that for a “modern national state”?
The day wrapped up with the monarch cruising downtown Stockholm in a horse-drawn carriage to Skansen, an open-air museum showcasing Sweden’s rich history, from every part of the country. 🐴🏰
King Carl Gustaf, who’s been reigning since 1973 (longest in Swedish history, mind you), is expected to speechify there. This 77-year-old king is also about to celebrate 50 years on the throne later this year.
In a country where egalitarianism is the norm, it’s impressive to see the popularity and widespread support that the monarchy enjoys. But hey, wouldn’t you love a royal family that throws epic celebrations like this?🎉👑🥳
So, how’s this for a thought: What does the continuing popularity of the monarchy in such an egalitarian society like Sweden say about human nature? 🤔
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