King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973.
He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Vasterbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. His father died on 26 January 1947 in an airplane crash in Denmark when Carl Gustaf was nine months old. Upon his father's death, he became second in line to the throne, after his grandfather, the then Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf. Following the death of Carl Gustaf's great-grandfather, King Gustaf V, in 1950, Gustaf Adolf ascended the throne and thus Carl Gustaf became Sweden's new crown prince and heir apparent to the throne at the age of four.
Shortly after he became king in September 1973, the new 1974 Instrument of Government took effect, formally stripping Carl XVI Gustaf of his remaining executive power. As a result, he no longer performs many of the duties normally accorded to a head of state, such as the formal appointment of the prime minister, signing off on legislation, and being commander-in-chief of the nation's military. The new instrument explicitly limited the king to ceremonial functions and, among other things, to be regularly informed of affairs of state. As head of the House of Bernadotte, Carl Gustaf has also been able to make a number of decisions about the titles and positions of its members.
The King's heir apparent, after passage on 1 January 1980 of a new law establishing absolute primogeniture, is Crown Princess Victoria, the eldest child of the King and his wife, Queen Silvia.
Before the passage of the law, Crown Princess Victoria's younger brother, Prince Carl Philip, was briefly the heir apparent, as of his birth in May 1979. Carl XVI Gustaf is the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history, having surpassed King Magnus IV's reign of 44 years and 222 days on 26 April 2018.
Early Life
Carl Gustaf was born on 30 April 1946 at 10:20 in Haga Palace in Solna, Stockholm County. He was the youngest of five children and the only son of Sweden's Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla. He was christened at the Royal Chapel on 7 June 1946 by the Archbishop of Uppsala, Erling Eidem.
He was baptized in Charles XI's baptismal font, which stood on Gustaf III's carpet; he lay in Charles XI's cradle with Oscar II's crown beside him. The same christening gown in white line batiste which the prince carried had been worn by his father in 1906 and would later be worn by his three children. His godparents were The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark (his paternal uncle and aunt), The Crown Prince of Norway, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, the King of Sweden (his paternal great-grandfather), The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his maternal uncle), The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Sweden (his paternal grandfather and step-grandmother), and Count Folke and Countess Maria Bernadotte of Wisborg.
Prince Carl Gustaf was also given the title of the Duke of Jamtland. His father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Vasterbotten, was killed in an airplane crash on 26 January 1947 at Copenhagen Airport. His father's death had left the nine-month-old prince second in line for the throne, behind his grandfather, then Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf. When his paternal great-grandfather, Gustaf V died in 1950, the four-year-old prince became the heir apparent of Sweden.
Carl Gustaf was seven years old before he was told about his father's death. He expressed his feelings about growing up without knowing his father in a speech in 2005.
Youth and Education
His earliest education was received privately at the Royal Palace. The young prince was then sent to Broms school, and then on to Sigtuna boarding school. After graduating from high school in 1966, Carl Gustaf completed two-and-a-half years of education in the Swedish Army, the Royal Swedish Navy, and the Swedish Air Force. During the winter 1966-1967, he took part in a round-the-world voyage with the mine-laying vessel Alvsnabben. The Crown Prince received his commission as an officer in all three services in 1968, eventually rising to the rank of captain (in the army and air force) and lieutenant (in the navy), before his ascension to the throne. He also completed his academic studies in history, sociology, political science, tax law, and economics at Uppsala University and later economics at Stockholm University.
To prepare for his role as the head of state, Crown Prince Carl Gustaf followed a broad program of studies on the court system, social organizations 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 Cooperation Agency (SIDA), worked at a bank in London and at the Swedish Embassy there, at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France, and the Alfa Laval Company factory in France. In 1970, he represented the King at the head of the Swedish delegation to the World Exposition in Osaka, Japan. Since his youth the present monarch has been a strong supporter of the Scout Movement in Sweden.
Carl Gustaf has dyslexia, as do his daughter Crown Princess Victoria and his son Prince Carl Philip.
Reign
On 15 September 1973, Carl Gustaf became King of Sweden upon the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf. On 19 September, he took the required regal assurance (Sweden: Konungaforsakran) (English: King's Oath) during an extraordinary meeting of the cabinet. Afterwards, he appeared before the parliament, diplomatic corps, court, etc. in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace where he was enthroned on the Silver Throne and gave a speech. Both the cabinet meeting and ceremony at the Hall were broadcast live on television. Following the ceremonies, he appeared on the balcony to acknowledge gathered crowds. At the cabinet meeting, the King declared that his regnal name would be Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden. He adopted "For Sweden-With the times" as his personal motto (For Sverige-i tiden).
When Carl Gustaf ascended the throne, plans were already in place to replace the 1809 Instrument of Government, which made the King de jure chief executive. Though the King was a near-autocrat on paper, the Riksdag's authority grew steadily into the early 20th century, culminating in the definitive establishment of parliamentary government in 1917.
The new 1974 Instrument of Government first took effect on 1 January 1975 and formally stripped the new King of his remaining formal political powers, though these powers had effectively died with Carl Gustaf's great-grandfather, Gustaf V, in 1950. The new document made the King's role entirely ceremonial and representative in nature, while codifying a number of practices and conventions dating from 1917. Previously, the King formally appointed the Prime Minister, though in practice he was almost always the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Riksdag. Since the adoption of the current Instrument, a prospective prime minister is nominated by the Speaker of the Riksdag, and if that candidate is elected by the Riksdag, the Speaker signs the commission (Swedish: forordnande). (English: Preordinance). Additionally, bills passed by the Riksdag do not need royal assets to become law.
He is the foremost representative of Sweden and pays state visits abroad and receives those to Sweden, he opens the annual session of the Riksdag, chairs the Special Council held during a change of Government (Swedish: skifteskonselj), (English: Probate), holds regular Information Councils with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (Swedish: informationskonselj), chairs the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (Sweden: Utrikesnamnden) (English: The Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs), and receives Letters of Credence of foreign ambassadors to Sweden and signs those of Sweden to foreign nations.
As a figurehead, he also voluntarily abstains from voting in Swedish elections.
King Carl Gustaf holds the highest ranks in the three branches of the Swedish Armed Forces; this is due to the fact that he was, as stipulated by 14 of the 1809 Instrument of Government in effect at the time of his accession to the throne in 1973, the Commander-in-Chief (Swedish: Hogste Befalhavare; not to be confused with the military professional holding the position of Supreme Commander) and therefore he was promoted ex officio from his earlier ranks of captain (Army & Air Force) and lieutenant (Navy), to general and admiral. Under the provisions of the Instrument of Government of 1974, which became effective on 1 January 1975, the King no longer holds this constitutionally-mandated position, but he kept his ranks a al suite since he no longer has any military command authority, except over His Majesty's Military Staff.
Worldwide, Carl XVI Gustaf is probably best known as the presenter of the Nobel Prizes each year; the first Nobel laureate who received the prize from his hands was Leo Esaki. He also hands over the Polar Music Prize. The King holds honorary doctoral degrees from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the Stockholm School of Economics and from the Abo Akademi University in Finland.
Distinctions
Swedish Honors
-Lord and Master (and Knight with Collar) of the Order of the Seraphim
-Lord and Master (and Commander Grand Cross) of the Sword
-Lord and Master (and Commander Grand Cross) of the Order of the Polar Star
-Lord and Master (and Commander Grand Cross) of the Order of Vasa
-Lord and Master (and Knight) of the Order of Charles XIII
National
-Sweden: Recipient of the 90th Birthday Medal of King Gustaf V
-Sweden: Recipient of the 85th Birthday Medal of King Gustaf VI Adolf
-Sweden: Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Crown Princess Victoria to Daniel Westling
Foreign
-Argentina: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin (1998)
-Austria: Grand Star of the Order of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria, Special Class (1967)
-Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (1977)
-Brazil: Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross (2007)
-Brunei: Recipient of the Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei (2004)
-Bulgaria: Sash of the Order of Stara Planina
-Chile: Collar of the Order of Merit
-Croatia: Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav (2013)
-Denmark: Knight with Collar of the Order of the Elephant (12 January 1965), Grand Commander of the Dannebrog (1975)
-Egypt: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Nile
-Estonia: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (1995), Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Star (2011)
-Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose (1974)
-France: Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor
-Germany: Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
-Ducal Family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: Knight Grand Cross of the Ducal Royal Saxe-Ernestine Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House Order
-Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
-Holy See: Knight with the Collar of the Order of Pope Pius IX
-Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
-Iceland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon
-Indonesia: Star of the Republic of Indonesia, 1st Class (2017)
-Italy: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1991)
-Japan: Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
-Jordan: Grand Cordon with Collar of the Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali
-Latvia: Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (1995), Grand Cross of the Order of Viesturs
-Lithuania: Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great (1995)
-Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
-Malaysia: Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (1996)
-Mexico: Collar of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (2004)
-Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange, Commander of the Order of the Golden Ark
-Norway: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St. Olav (1974)
-Poland: Knight of the Order of the White Eagle
-Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Saint James of the Sword, Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (1987)
-Romania: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (2003)
-Saudi Arabia: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud
-Slovakia: First Class of the Order of the White Double Cross
-Slovenia: Recipient of the Decoration for Exceptional Merits
-South Africa: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Good Hope (1997)
-South Korea: Recipient of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa (2012)
-Spain: 1,183rd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (1983), Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Charles III
-Thailand: Knight of the Order of the Rajamitrabhorn (2003), Knight of the Order of Ramkeerati (2008)
-Tunisia: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Republic
-Turkey: Collar of the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey (2013)
-Ukraine: Member of the Order of Liberty (2008), Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Officer of the Order of Merit, 1st Class
-United Kingdom: Stranger Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (963rd member since the order's inception; 1983), Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain (8 July 1975)
-Yugoslavia: Order of the Yugoslav Great Star (1976)
Awards
Foreign
-United Nations Peace Medal (1976)
-World Organization of the Scout Movement: Bronze Wolf Award (1982)
-Japan: Golden Pheasant Award of the Scout Association of Japan (1980)
-Philippines: Mount Makiling Award
Honorary Military Positions
-Honorary Admiral, British Royal Navy (seniority: 25 June 1975)
Patronages
-African Medical and Research Foundation Sweden (AMREF)
-Allmanna Idrottsklubben: Swedish) (English: The Public Sports Club)
-Barnens Dags Riksforbund (English: Children's Day National Association)
House: Bernadotte
Religion: Church of Sweden
Titles and Styles
30 April 1946-7 June 1946 His Royal Highness Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden
7 June 1946-29 October 1950: His Royal Highness Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden, The Duke of Jamtland
29 October 1950-15 September 1973: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Sweden, The Duke of Jamtland
15 September 1973-present His Majesty The King of Sweden
