King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 80th Birthday Banquet

Royal Guests and Relatives joined the Swedish Royal Family for a magnificent Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm to celebrate the 80th Birthday of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on April 30th, which follows a Dinner at the Royal Palace of Stockholm and a series of celebrations earlier in the day.

Following a Te Deum in the Chapel of the Royal Palace, the Changing of the Guard, an Armed Forces Salute, and Lunch at the Stockholm City Hall, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia held a Banquet to celebrate the King’s 80th Birthday at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

View this post on Instagram

The King and Queen led Royal Guests and Heads of State though the Royal Palace of Stockholm, where the Banquet was held in the famed Rikssalen.

The Queen and I would like to welcome you all to the Royal Palace.

Many of you have travelled far, from Thailand and Europe, to celebrate my birthday and for that we are truly grateful. I hope you will enjoy these early spring days in Stockholm.

To our Nordic neighbours, including the Nordic Heads of State, your journey may have been shorter, but our appreciation is equally sincere.

And to our guests from Sweden: we are honoured that you have set aside your own traditional celebrations to join us this evening. As you may know, tonight is Walpurgis Eve when we gather around bonfires to mark the passing of winter.

Turning eighty invites reflection and perhaps also a certain amazement at how swiftly time passes. As the saying goes: time flies when you’re having fun, and in this wonderful company I have a feeling the evening will slip by all too quickly.

I am so grateful for the life we share and for all the years we have spent together building something meaningful and lasting. It is a true joy to see our love reflected in our wonderful children and their families, who enrich our lives in so many ways.

Yes, dear Carl Gustaf! Our lives have been filled with happy years! I know that what once was still exists: a we, a then and a present.

We are here tonight to celebrate my father, His Majesty the King.

As king, he has dedicated his life to serving his country.

As a father, he has given me and my siblings the gift of truly understanding what that service is: a great responsibility – but also a joy and an honour.

I know that all of you, who are here tonight, share that understanding of what it means to serve your country. And I know how much it means to my father to have you here as his guests.

At the end of the evening, the Swedish Royal Family and the Royal Guests viewed a performance by the Royal Guard.

King Carl XVI Gustaf (in the Order of the Seraphim) and Queen Silvia of Sweden (wearing the Braganza Tiara)

King Frederik X (in the Order of the Seraphim) and Queen Mary of Denmark (wearing Queen Louise of Sweden’s Floral Bracelet as a Tiara with the Antique Diamond Earrings and one of Queen Josefina’s Diamond Brooches)

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway (in the Norwegian Emerald Parure)

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium (wearing her Laurel Wreath Tiara and Graff Diamond Necklace)

Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg (in the Aquamarine Tiara)

King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida of Thailand (wearing the Thai Diamond Fringe Tiara)

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (in the Baden Palmette Tiara)

Queen Sofia of Spain (wearing the Mellerio Shell Tiara)

Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands (wearing the Dutch Diamond Bandeau)

Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein (in the Habsburg Fringe Tiara)

Princess Benedikte of Denmark (wearing the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara)

Crown Princess Victoria (in the Connaught Diamond Tiara, Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure and the Duchess of Albany’s Sapphire Bracelet) and Prince Daniel of Sweden with Princess Estelle

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden (in her Wedding Tiara and the Napoleonic Amethyst Parure)

Princess Madeleine of Sweden (wearing the Modern Fringe Tiara and Pink Topaz Parure) and Christopher O’Neill with Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania (wearing the Romanian Greek Key Tiara) and Prince Radu of Romania

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia

Franz, Duke of Bavaria and Thomas Greinwald

Hereditary Prince Filip and Hereditary Princess Danica of Serbia

The Prince and Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (wearing the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Turquoise Tiara)

Prince Leopold and Princess Ursula of Bavaria

Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson (in the Six-Button Tiara)

Countess Madeleine Bernadotte (wearing the Von Rosen Tiara)

Baroness Christina Silfverschiöld (in Queen Louise’s Diamond Tiara)

Princess Désirée of Hohenzollern (wearing Princess Birgitta’s Pearl Circle Tiara and Princess Sibylla’s Five-Strand Pearl Necklace)

Countess Jill Bernadotte (wearing Countess Estelle Bernadotte’s Diamond Tiara)

View this post on Instagram

In the morning, King Carl XVI Gustaf and the Swedish Royal Family were joined by the Royal Guests and Heads of State for a Te Deum in the Chapel of the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

View this post on Instagram

Following the Te Deum, the King viewed the Changing of the Guard in the Courtyard of the Royal Palace.

The Armed Forces traditionally attend the King’s birthday at the Outer Courtyard. During the ceremony, the Armed Forces standard will be paraded.

The current high guard comes from the Life Guard. The outgoing high guard is from the Jämtland Field Ranger Corps. Bands from the Swedish Armed Forces perform during the ceremony.

Royal Guests joined the Swedish Royal Family on the Lejonbacken Terrace of the Royal Palace of Stockholm for an Armed Forces Salute and Air Force Flyover, followed by a Singer’s Tribute.

View this post on Instagram

Later, the Swedish Royal Family and the Royal Guests attended a Lunch at the Stockholm City Hall.

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden (wearing the Pearl and Diamond Ivy Brooch and King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Portrait Brooch)

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden

Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O’Neill

Princess Christina and Tord Magnuson

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway

King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark

Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg (in her Diamond Earrings)

King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida of Thailand

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (wearing her Diamond Daisy Brooch)

Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg

Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein and Prince Joseph Wenzel

Princess Benedikte of Denmark (in her Diamond Stars)

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia

Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania and Prince Radu of Romania

Franz, Duke of Bavaria and Thomas Greinwald

The Prince and Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Hereditary Prince Filip and Hereditary Princess Danica of Serbia

Prince Leopold and Princess Ursula of Bavaria

In the evening, the Swedish Royal Family will be joined by the Royal Guests and Heads of State for King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 80th Birthday Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.