Royal Guests and Relatives from around Scandinavia joined the Swedish Royal Family to celebrate King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Golden Jubilee this week, with the festivities culminating at last night’s spectacular Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, following a Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre and the Te Deum in the Chapel of the Royal Palace. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is the first Swedish Monarch to celebrate his Golden Jubilee.

Jubilee Gala | Jubilee Service | Jubilee Banquet

While King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations have been going on all year, Nordic Royal Guests and Relatives, as well as the Presidents and First Ladies of Finland and Iceland, joined the Swedish Royal Family to celebrate this week, which marks the 50th Anniversary of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Accession to the Swedish Throne, with the festivities culminating at last night’s spectacular Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, following a Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre and the Te Deum in the Chapel of the Royal Palace.

The leading guest at the Jubilee was Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the first cousin of King Carl XVI Gustaf, who took the lead in the Processions and was escorted by King Carl XVI Gustaf at the State Banquet, having the seat of honour beside him not only as his cousin but as the most Senior and longest-reigning Scandinavian Head of State.

Queen Margrethe II (wearing her Wedding Earrings and Pearl Brooch) was accompanied by her sister, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, for the Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre and the Te Deum in the Chapel of the Royal Palace, at which she wore her Diamond Daisy Brooch, made from diamonds belonging to her late grandmother, Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden. 

For the Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, Queen Margrethe choose the Pearl Poiré Tiara and Khedive of Egypt Parure, her most important Tiara rarely worn abroad, with the Swedish Order of the Seraphim. This combination of jewels echoed Queen Margrethe’s previous jewellery choices in Sweden, having been notably worn for her grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf’s, 90th Birthday Celebrations in 1972, the Danish State Visit to Sweden in 1973, and the Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in 2010.

King Harald V of Norway is a more distant cousin of King Carl XVI Gustaf, but he and Queen Sonja also had a central position beside Queen Margrethe and the Presidents and First Ladies of Finland and Iceland. King Harald and Queen Sonja were barely visible during the Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre, as they drove up directly to the theatre due to the King’s mobility issues, and while they did not take part in a portion of the procession, they were seated across from the Swedish Royal Family during the Te Deum in the Chapel of the Royal Palace, followed by an appearance on the Palace Balcony.

For the Banquet in the evening, King Harald (wearing the Collar of the Swedish Order of the Seraphim with the Sash of the Norwegian Order of St. Olav) entered the Rikssalen with Queen Silvia, while Queen Sonja was on the arm of the Icelandic President. Queen Sonja wore the Norwegian Emerald Parure, that was in the Swedish Royal Family for almost seven decades, having been inherited along with the Braganza Tiara worn by Queen Silvia, in 1873.

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece is the younger sister of Queen Margrethe II and another first cousin of King Carl XVI Gustaf, who is the same age. She attended not as an Official Representative of Greece but just as the King’s cousin, staying with the Danish Royal Family on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog, and joining Queen Margrethe for both the Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre and the Te Deum in the Chapel of the Royal Palace.

Queen Anne Marie wore the Khedive of Egypt Tiara, Queen Alexandrine’s Diamond Sautoir Necklace, and Queen Ingrid’s Diamond Earrings along with the Greek Order of the Redeemer for the Jubilee Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, choosing one jewel from her late grandmother, Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden, and another from her mother, the Swedish-born Queen Ingrid of Denmark.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark are very close to the Swedish Royal Family, and were seen close to Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel during the Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre (at which the Crown Princess was wearing the Danish Antique Turquoise Earrings) and the Te Deum in the Chapel of the Royal Palace.

For the Jubilee Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, Crown Prince Frederik (wearing the Order of the Seraphim) was pictured alighting the Royal Yacht Dannebrog. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore her Wedding Tiara and Aquamarine Earrings with the Swedish Order of the Polar Star, being escorted by Prince Daniel, who was celebrating his 50th Birthday.

Crown Prince Haakon served as the Regent of Norway for much of the celebrations, only arriving in time to attend the Jubilee Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, for which he wore the Swedish Order of the Seraphim with the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. Crown Princess Mette-Marit was supposed to have joined King Harald and Queen Sonja for the entirety of the Jubilee Celebrations, but had to pull out on advice of doctors, due to her chronic illness.

And just to finish us off, let’s just touch on the Swedish Royal Family and their jewels! As expected, Queen Silvia was wearing the Braganza Tiara, the grandest Tiara of the Swedish Royal Collection, while Crown Princess Victoria wore the Baden Fringe Tiara with the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Brooch, and the Duchess of Albany’s Sapphire Bracelet.

Princess Sofia debuted a new Citrine version of her Wedding Tiara, Princess Madeleine wore the Modern Fringe Tiara and Pink Topaz Earrings, while Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson was in the Connaught Diamond Tiara.

Jubilee Gala | Jubilee Service | Jubilee Banquet

Jubilee Gala

Jubilee Service

Jubilee Banquet