Wednesday, 12 August 2009

Miscellaneous about the Swedish engagement

The engagement of Princess Madeleine and Jonas Bergström is naturally the biggest story in most Swedish newspapers today. The tabloids Expressen and Aftonbladet spend fifteen and sixteen pages respectively on it, while the quality newspapers are more guarded – four pages in Svenska Dagbladet and two in Dagens Nyheter, which is more sceptical towards the monarchy.
On the title issue the Royal Court has confirmed to Svensk Damtidning that Jonas Bergström will keep his surname even when he becomes Duke of Helsinga and Gastricia. The Court has no information about what titles their children may get.
There is of course a lot of speculation about when and where the wedding will take place and also where they will live. Catarina Hurtig, a royal reporter with little knowledge of the topic, is for some reason quoted as an expert in several newspapers. Her guess is a wedding at Seglora Church at Skansen in Stockholm in November, while TV4’s more knowledgeable court correspondent Roger Lundgren believes the Palace Church in Stockholm is more likely and guesses at 7 December 2010. Expressen points to Öland and the churches Gärdslösa or Räpplinge. Räpplinge Church was where Crown Princess Victoria was confirmed in 1992, while Gärdslösa was where Princess Christina was confirmed in 1958 and where Princess Margaretha married the late John Ambler in 1964, but the church can seat only 210 people. As Roger Lundgren points out it will also be difficult to house all the wedding guests, staff, media etc. at Öland.
Catarina Hurtig believes they may live at Rosendal Palace at Djurgården, which is out of the question – it has been a museum dedicated to King Carl XIV Johan for nearly 100 years and it is not possible to make a modern home in this very small palace without destroying its beautiful Empire style interiors. Princess Christina’s former home Villa Beylon at Ulriksdal is again mentioned, while Jenny Alexandersson in Aftonbladet suggests a villa in Djursholm or at Djurgården. Roland Johansson and Johan T. Lindwall of Expressen speculate about a villa close to Steninge Palace which was bought in May by a company belonging to a friend of King Carl Gustaf and which they claim the King has recently “inspected”.
Aftonbladet writes that yesterday’s engagement dinner at Solliden Palace was attended by the King and Queen, Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling, Prince Carl Philip, Jonas Bergström’s parents and brothers, and Princess Madeleine’s great-uncle Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg with his wife Gunnila.
The same newspaper also has a family tree showing the closest family and ancestors of Jonas Bergström – the genealogy is also available at their website:
http://gfx.aftonbladet-cdn.se/multimedia/archive/00994/tradet_994698w.jpg

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