Sweden fetes king's 80th birthday with flypast, banquets

STOCKHOLM: Sweden feted its longest reigning monarch King Carl XVI Gustaf's 80th birthday on Thursday with a choral tribute, a flypast and a gala banquet to be attended by royals from around the world.
The king, the longest reigning monarch in Swedish history, took part in a morning thanksgiving celebration, called a Te Deum, at the palace chapel.
It was to be followed by a military honour guard, a flypast over the palace and a royal salute and a choral tribute before a lunch at City Hall.
A banquet was to be held in the evening, with a number of European royals and dignitaries invited, as well as Thailand's royal couple.
Attendees at the events include King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; King Rama X and Queen Suthide of Thailand; Queen Sofia of Spain; and King Frederik, Queen Mary, Queen Margrethe and Princess Benedikte of Denmark.
In a recent interview with daily Svenska Dagbladet, the king — who was known in his youth as a car-mad boy — spoke of the burden of responsibility that comes with his role.
'It is heavy,' he said. 'I am king all the time. You have to be.'
Speaking on Swedish Radio on Thursday, the king recalled a moment in 1966 when he, then prince, was in Sydney while sailing around the world with the Swedish navy.
The king, whose role has been purely ceremonial since constitutional reform in 1974, celebrated his golden jubilee in 2023.
He was the world's youngest monarch when he was crowned aged 27 in 1973 following the death of his grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf.
Born on April 30, 1946, Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus Bernadotte was only nine months old when his father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, died in a plane crash in Denmark.
A poll by the Ipsos institute in 2024 showed that 66 per cent of Swedes wanted to maintain the monarchy and 20 per cent wanted to abolish it.
However, the poll also indicated that 42 per cent thought it was time for the king to abdicate and pass the throne to his 48-year-old daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, compared to 38 per cent who thought he should stay on.
He has however made it clear he has no plans to step down, telling Svenska Dagbladet he would stay on 'as long as I have the strength.'
He paid tribute to Victoria, known for her down-to-earth attitude and diligence.
'She is ambitious,' he said. 'Preparing herself enormously in various fields, most recently as an officer in the different branches of the armed forces. That's tough.' — AFP