The Swedish royal family gathered in Stockholm on Tuesday for the annual opening of the Riksdag, the nation’s parliament, with the Bernadotte ladies wearing jewels that paid tribute to the ceremony’s glittering past.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia were joined by Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine, and Christopher O’Neill for the annual Riksdag opening festivities, which begin with a service at Stockholm’s cathedral. Princess Sofia, who is on maternity leave, was the only working royal not in attendance.
After the service at the cathedral, the family headed to Parliament House for the official opening of the Riksdag. The building is a short walk from Storkyrkan, but the King and Queen arrive in a horse-drawn carriage for the event. Above, the royal anthem is sung. Next, the King delivers his speech, during which he declares the session officially open, before the Prime Minister outlines the government’s priorities for the year to come.
Today, the opening of parliament in Sweden is a fairly simple ceremony, but it once was a glittering event on par with the grand state ceremony still held in Britain today. Before 1974, the Riksdag opening was held in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, with the uniformed monarch sitting on a throne and the ladies of the royal house watching in full court dress from a nearby balcony.
The photograph above was taken during the ceremony in January 1935. In the image, King Gustaf V sits on the throne with the crown placed at his right hand. On either side are the royal princes: his grandsons, Prince Gustaf Adolf and Prince Sigvard, to the King’s right, and his brothers, Prince Carl and Prince Eugen, to his left. In the balcony above are Princess Ingeborg, wearing her grand emerald parure, and Princess Sibylla, who appears to be wearing the Connaught Diamond Tiara, with Prince Carl Johan beside her. (Crown Prince Gustaf and Crown Princess Louise were traveling through Asia with Princess Ingrid at the time of the ceremony.)
The ceremony remained in its elevated form for decades. Here, in January 1966, King Gustaf VI Adolf sits on the throne, with his son, Prince Bertil, on his left and his grandson and heir, Prince Carl Gustaf, on his left. The crown is still part of the ceremony here, too, placed between the King and Carl Gustaf. You’ll also note that the ermine-trimmed coronation robes of King Oscar II are draped over the King’s throne.
In 1974, a new Swedish constitution radically changed the format of the opening of the Riksdag. The old ceremony was held for the final time on January 11, 1974. It was the first and only time that King Carl XVI Gustaf, who had inherited the throne on his grandfather’s death just months before, presided over the ceremony at the Royal Palace. By this time, the Swedish royal family had dwindled precipitously. The only royal lady present to support the young King during the ceremony was his sister, Princess Christina. She wore the Baden Fringe Tiara and the Napoleonic Amethyst Necklace with her gown and robes as she watched from the balcony.
Here’s a closer look at the traditional robes and jewels worn by the Bernadotte ladies at court. Traditional court dress consisted of a black velvet dress with white sleeves, ermine-trimmed velvet robes, a lace veil, and a whole lot of jewels and decorations. In this image, Crown Princess Louise wears the Leuchtenberg Sapphires with diamonds that belonged to Queen Sofia and Queen Victoria of Sweden.
Today, the ladies of the royal family pay tribute to the court dress of the past by wearing black and white to the opening of the Riksdag, usually paired with pearl and diamond jewelry. (The men generally wear dark business suits.) For Tuesday’s ceremony, Queen Silvia wore a black and white tweed ensemble.
She accessorized with antique pearl earrings from the family vaults, a pearl necklace, and a classic pearl cluster and drop brooch (plus a whole lot of bracelets). She wore the same combination of jewels for the Riksdag opening last September.
Crown Princess Victoria observed the black-and-white dress code with her polka dot dress and black accessories, plus a headpiece that was also trimmed in black and white.
She opted for pearl cluster earrings and several silver-toned bracelets, plus a special brooch from her personal collection. The little diamond rose brooch was a gift from her great-uncle and great-aunt, Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian.
And here’s a look at the elegant black belted ensemble worn by Princess Madeleine, which echoes the New Look silhouette popularized by Dior in the 1950s.
Madeleine wore a bold headband with a net veil for the ceremony, but she kept her jewels simple, wearing a trendy pair of yellow gold statement earrings and her engagement and wedding rings.
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