On Thursday, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 80th birthday is being celebrated with great pomp and circumstance. The day began with a church service in the Royal Chapel and will continue with various events, concluding in the evening with a gala dinner in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

King Carl XVI Gustaf was born at Haga Palace in Solna in 1946 as the only son of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla. When he was just nine months old, his father died in a plane crash at Kastrup, which meant that Carl Gustaf grew up with his mother and four sisters at Haga. He was baptized in the Royal Chapel that same year and was given the title Duke of Jämtland. After his grandfather Gustaf V’s death in 1950, he became crown prince.

His youth was shaped by education, military service, and an early responsibility as heir to the throne. Carl Gustaf underwent both civilian and military training, with a particular focus on the navy, but he also learned to fly jet planes. He developed interests such as outdoor life, motors, photography, and a strong engagement with the scouting movement. During the Munich Olympics in 1972, he met Silvia Sommerlath, whom he married in 1976. The couple had three children: Victoria (1977), Carl Philip (1979), and Madeleine (1982).

He became king at the age of 27 in 1973 after the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf. A couple of years later, the new Instrument of Government came into effect, making the king’s role mainly ceremonial. He opens the parliamentary session, leads councils, receives ambassadors, and represents Sweden at state visits. With the change in the Act of Succession in 1980, his eldest child Victoria became heir to the throne. Carl XVI Gustaf is also active in environmental issues and international scout work and, since 2018, is Sweden’s longest-reigning monarch.

Festivities All Day

The 80th birthday on Thursday also means a public flag day. In the morning, the royal family attended a thanksgiving service in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace. Afterwards, the Armed Forces traditionally paid tribute to the king on his birthday in the Outer Courtyard.

After the changing of the guard, the king walked onto the Lejonbacken terrace as a salute was fired from Skeppsholmen. The air force then performed a flyover.

At 2 PM, the city of Stockholm hosts a lunch in the king’s honor at City Hall, and at 7:30 PM a larger gala dinner takes place for invited guests at the Royal Palace.

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