For Sweden’s royals, the new season doesn’t truly begin until the Riksdag does. King Carl Gustaf and his family have been back at work since August, but the annual opening of parliament remains the turning point of the royal calendar, and one of the few days each year when the Bernadottes appear side by side. This year, the reunion carried a heavier weight.
Weeks ago, the family stood together in public to say goodbye to King Harald of Norway, a monarch who was especially close to them. His death was followed by that of his sister, Princess Astrid, another beloved member of the Norwegian royal family.
It’s no surprise, then, that this latest gathering was shaded by the memory of a very sad September.
The ceremony unfolded with its familiar pageantry. As is tradition, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia arrived at the Riksdag by carriage, followed by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in a historic horse-drawn coach of their own. Speaker of Parliament Andreas Norlén greeted them at the entrance, where they paused to pose for photographs.
© Getty ImagesPrince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine joined them with their spouses. For Princess Sofia, it was a return to one of the year’s most meaningful dates after she missed last year’s ceremony while on maternity leave. Princess Madeleine revived the tradition for herself in 2024, when she moved back to Stockholm after years of living in the United States. She’s always accompanied by her husband, Chris O’Neill, who has no official royal duties but hasn’t missed the occasion since relocating to Sweden.
This year’s session opened under unusual circumstances. Parliament began its work two weeks after the general election, and the political parties have yet to reach an agreement to form a government. That meant that, unlike in previous years, there was no prime minister in a position to deliver a speech following the King’s.
© AFP via Getty ImagesThe deadlock set the tone inside the chamber. King Carl Gustaf drew applause when he joked about the sheer number of new faces in the room, before leaving a clear message for the country’s incoming leadership: “My wish is that this parliamentary year will be characterized by sensitivity, honesty and a long-term vision.”
“That you listen to one another even when you don’t share the same opinion, and that you seek common solutions. And that you demonstrate the leadership that the people have the right to expect from their elected representatives.”
Why black and white?
As always, the women of the royal family followed the ceremony’s strict black-and-white dress code, a tradition dating back to the 18th century, when King Gustav III introduced the first court dress, worn at the opening of the Riksdag.
Over time, that costume evolved into a formal black velvet gown, but in the 1980s, Queen Silvia herself chose to bring the old custom back.
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