Swedish Opening of Parliament 2011

King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine attended a church service in Great Cathedral before the opening of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm on September 15, 2011.

There is a tradition at the Church Service for the royal ladies to wear black.

The tradition was re-introduced after the opening of parliament became a little too casual for the tastes of the royal family. In 1983, Queen Silvia decided that this ceremonial aspect should once again be apart of the opening. It currently has the royal carriage ride, the grand entrance and the formal dress code. The Black-and-white theme was chosen to pay respect to the full-length Court Dress which was black velvet with black-and-white sleeves, accompanied by ermine trains and a tiara to the Opening of Parliament at its former location in the Hall of State at Stockholm Palace.

At Stockholm Cathedral, The Royal Family were met by Speaker of the Riksdag Per Westerberg and Dean Åke Bonnier. The Dean then led a multi-faith service, together with Bishop of Växjö Jan-Olof Johansson, Rabbi of Stockholm David Lazar and Imam Othman al Tawalbeh.

The King opened the Parliamentary Session, mentioning the terrible events in Norway of 22 July in his speech: “The response of open democratic society to such events must be that hatred and terror will be met by more openness, and by greater democracy. We must continue to argue for tolerance and freedom. And we all have a responsibility to support the positive initiatives taken for mutual understanding and cooperation.”

Filed under Sweden
Tagged Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Parliament, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Prince Daniel of Sweden, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden.