Hej, Olá – Swedish State Visit to Brazil

Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have completed a state visit to the South American nation of Brazil, the country where Queen Silvia spent her childhood. The duo were invited by Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Arriving a few days early, the King and Queen began their visit unofficially on March 22nd at the Suape Harbour in Ipojuca and then in Recife Antigo, where they visited the IT centre Porto Digital. Queen Silvia then moved on to the Juvenile Court to inspect new evidence rooms funded by her World Childhood Foundation‘s Brazilian sector. She rejoined her husband for a lunch at the Palace of Campo das Princesas, hosted by the Governor of Pernambuco, Eduardo Campos.

The following day, March 23rd, saw the official welcoming ceremony in Brasilia herald the start of the visit. The King and Queen’s plane had to be redirected due to severe weather, and caused the ceremony to be delayed for three hours. They were greeted by President da Silva and his wife, Marisa, before King Carl Gustaf inspected the customary guard of honour. A meeting with the Swedish business delegation accompanying the state visit followed, and in the evening an informal dinner at the Presidential Palace.

On March 24th, the King and Queen began their day with a visit to the Brazilian Supreme Court. They then moved on to the National Congress, where demonstrators blocked their royal couple’s exit from the building leaving them to exit via a back door. A luncheon at the Itamaraty Palace (also the Ministry of External Relations) was hosted by the President and First Lady, where both heads of state gave speeches. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia were then treated to a meeting with the Brazilian indigenous, where the King’s translation head set suffered a technical malfunction (which did nothing to improve the King’s usual unimpressed facial expressions). The Swedish Ambassador held a buffet reception for the visitors in the evening at his residence.

Thursday saw King Carl Gustav receive a medal of honour during a business seminar in São Paolo, while Queen Silvia attended the ‘Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation in Brazil’ conference with First Lady da Silva. The conference was hosted jointly by the Swedish Embassy, the Swedish Institute, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Brazilian Ministry of Justice, with Queen Silvia holding the opening speech – “It is important that everyone get involved and even such a large country like Brazil.” Expressen caught up with the Queen while in São Paolo, and the Queen revealed that over the years she has met with paedophiles in conjunction with her work. “It was not easy,” she said. That evening, the King and Queen held the state visit’s only black-tie dinner at the Hotel Tivoli.

The final day was Friday March 26th, which began with the Queen’s visit to the University of São Paolo’s Faculty of Medicine. She then moved on to São José dos Campos where she spoke with the Mayor and attended a presentation by the World Childhood Foundation. During the afternoon, both the King and Queen visited Embraer, the world’s third largest aircraft manufacturer.

Click here to view the State Visit thread at TRF.

Filed under Sweden
Tagged Brazil, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Conference, President da Silva of Brazil, Queen Silvia of Sweden, State Visit, World Childhood Foundation.