The Swedish royal palace has released stunning new portraits of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia ahead of a historic year for the couple.
The images, taken by Elisabeth Toll at Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, show the royals in white-tie attire as they pose against the baroque splendor of the royal residence.
King Carl XVI Gustaf is dressed in his military uniform with his medals and royal family orders on display, while Queen Silvia looks elegant in a deep green lace and satin gown.
The queen, 82, wears the spectacular diamond Braganza tiara, which was commissioned by Pedro I of Brazil for his second wife, Amelie of Leuchtenberg. When Amelie died, the jewels were passed on to her sister, Princess Josefina, who was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to 1859. The headpiece has been part of the Swedish royal family’s jewellery collection ever since.
The portraits have been released to mark two major milestones for King Carl and Queen Silvia. The monarch will turn 80 on 30 April, with a thanksgiving service scheduled to take place on the day as well as a gala dinner.
The couple will also mark their 50th wedding anniversary on 19 June. Celebrations for their Golden wedding anniversary will take place on 13 June, including a church service and a horse-drawn carriage procession through Stockholm.
© Elisabeth Toll/The Royal Court of SwedenSilvia Sommerlath was working as a training manager for Olympic hostesses when she met then Crown Prince Carl XVI Gustaf at the 1972 Games. Their engagement was announced four years later, with the pair tying the knot at Stockholm Cathedral on 19 June 1976.
© Elisabeth Toll/The Royal Court of SwedenIt was the first marriage of a reigning Swedish monarch since King Gustav IV Adolf married Princess Frederica of Baden in 1797, with Silvia becoming the country’s first queen consort since 1965.
Silvia wore a silk duchesse satin gown with a high neck and long sleeves, which was designed by Marc Bohan for Dior. She borrowed a lace veil that had belonged to Queen Sofia and the Cameo Tiara.
© GettyCarl XVI Gustaf ascended the throne in 1973 before his marriage to Silvia, after the death of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf. His father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, tragically died in a plane crash in Denmark when Carl XVI Gustaf was just nine months old.
The couple have three children – Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine – and nine grandchildren.
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