Swedish Royal Family

Swedish Royal Family
HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Crown Princess HRH The Duke of Västergötland HRH The Duchess of Östergötland HRH The Duke of Värmland HRH The Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland HRH Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern

The Swedish Royal Family - Kungahuset - since 1818 has consisted of a number of persons in the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. Today those who are recognized by the government are entitled to royal titles and style (manner of address), and perform official engagements and ceremonial duties of state. The extended family of the King - kungliga familjen - consists of other close relatives who are not royal and thus do not represent the country officially.

History

The Swedish Royal Family (including extended family members) in 1905.

A Swedish royal family has been able to be identified as existent from as early as the 10th century A.D., with more precise detail added during the two or three centuries that followed. Historically confirmed monarchs are listed officially by the Swedish Royal Court.

Until the 1620s Swedish provinces were granted as territorial appanages to royal princes which, as dukes thereof, they governed semi-autonomously. Since then, these provincial dukedoms exist in the royal family only nominally, albeit each prince and princess traditionally maintains a special public connection to, and sometimes a secondary residence in, "his or her duchy".

The son of a Swedish king has usually held the princely title as a royal dynast (such as HRH Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland), but on a rare occasion also as a rank of nobility (such as Fursten Prince Frederick William of Hessenstein), or as a courtesy title for an ex-dynast (such as Prins Oscar Bernadotte).

Current members

Some of the governmentally recognized (royal) members of the Swedish Royal Family in 2012.

According to the Swedish Government, the Royal Family includes the following:

• TM King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia (the King's wife)
  • TRH Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland (the King's elder daughter and her husband)
    • HRH Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland (the Crown Princess's and Duke of Västergötland's only daughter)
  • HRH Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (the King's only son)
  • HRH Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (the King's younger daughter)
• HRH Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern (the King's second sister; estranged from husband)

Extended family

Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson (especially titled) and her husband belong to the extended family of the King whose non-royal members only unofficially represent Sweden.

Not recognized by the Swedish government as members of the Royal Family, but officially considered part of the King's extended family (kungafamiljen) are:

• Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler (the King's oldest sister)
• Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld (the King's third sister), married to Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld
• Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson (the King's youngest sister), married to Tord Magnuson
• Countess Marianne Bernadotte of Wisborg (the King's aunt, widow of Count Sigvard Bernadotte)
• Countess Gunnila Bernadotte of Wisborg (the King's aunt, widow of Count Carl Johan Bernadotte)
• Kristine, Princess Bernadotte (widow of the King's grandfather's cousin, Prince Carl Bernadotte)

According to Elisabeth Tarras-Wahlberg, Christopher O'Neill, who married the King's younger daughter Princess Madeleine in 2013, is also a member of kungafamiljen.

See also

• Monarchy of Sweden
• Dukes of Swedish Provinces

External links

• Swedish Royal Court
• Complete list of Swedish royals, chronologically, on Swedish Wikipedia.