Grattis! Sweden’s Queen Silvia celebrates her 75th birthday on Sunday, 23 December 2018.
So far, two official celebrations were held to mark this special occasion, but reports say Queen Silvia will celebrate in private with family and friends.
The Royal Family and representatives from the Queen’s Foundations paid tribute at a Seminar, focusing on her charities, in the Oscar Theatre on Tuesday, 18 December 2018, followed by a reception.
Invited guests had the opportunity to personally congratulate Queen Silvia and wish her a ‘happy birthday’.
The Riksdag (Parliament), including the Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, and other government representatives attended a reception held in the Queen’s honour at the Royal Palace, along with representatives from various organisations, including charities and foundations.
The Prime Minister, First Vice President Åsa Lindestam and Speaker Andreas Norlén presented a brass table lamp on behalf of the Parliament and government.
The designer Folkform, consisting of Anna Holmqvist and Chandra Ahlsell, designed the table lamp, similar to a larger one given to Queen Silvia in 2013 for her 70th birthday.
Munich Olympic Games Royal Romance
Silvia Sommerlath was born 23 December 1943 in Heidelberg in Germany, the third child (and only daughter) of Walther Sommerlath and his Brazilian wife Alice Soares de Toledo.
Queen Silvia has two older brothers, Ralf and Walther and a younger brother Jörn.
She spent her childhood in Germany except when her family moved to Sao Paulo in Brazil from 1947 to 1957.
After graduating from high school in Düsseldorf in 1963, she studied at the Munich School of Interpreting, majoring in Spanish, before working at the Argentinian consulate in Munich.
She met Crown Prince Carl Gustaf whilst working as a hostess during the Munich Olympic Games between 1971 and 1973.
The Crown Prince ascended the Swedish throne as Carl XVI Gustaf on 15 September 1973, following the death of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf.
They married at Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) on 19 June 1976, following a Royal Variety Performance where ABBA sang, ‘Dancing Queen’ in the bride’s honour.
King Carl Gustaf said in 2016, during an interview to mark their 40th Wedding Anniversary, that they just ‘clicked’ when they first met.
The newlyweds began married life in an apartment at the Royal Palace, before moving to Drottningholm Palace in 1982.
They have three children: Crown Princess Victoria (born 1977); Prince Carl Philip (born 1979) and Princess Madeleine (born 1982) and seven grandchildren.
Interests
Queen Silvia enjoys the nature and the great outdoors, an interest she shares with King Carl Gustaf, loves skiing in Storlien, gardening, theatre, opera and concerts.
She speaks Swedish, German, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
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