Nobel Prize Ceremony 2011

The Swedish Royal Family has marked the 2011 edition of the Nobel Prize, with the gala ceremony held yesterday evening at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

TM King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and TRH Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel and Prince Carl Philip were all present for the ceremony, which featured the traditional awarding of the prizes – a diploma and Nobel Medal – by the King and performances by tenor Joseph Calleja. Also attending were HRH Princess Christina and her husband, Mr Tord Magnuson, and TRH Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, who flew up to Sweden to celebrate with the Luxembourger laureate, Professor Jules Hoffmann.

This year’s laureates were: Professor Bruce Beutle, Professor Jules Hoffman and Mr Ralph Steinman for Physiology/Medicine; Professor Saul Perlmutter, Professor Brian Schmidt and Professor Adam Riess for Physics; Professor Dan Shechtman for Chemistry; Mr Tomas Tranströmer for Literature; and Professor Thomas Sargent and Professor Christopher Sims for Economic Sciences. Professor Steinman is the only laureate since 1974 to be awarded a Nobel Prize posthumously, as the Nobel Committee was unaware of his death three days prior to the announcement of the Physiology/Medicine prize. The rules were changed in 1974, stating the laureates must be alive at the time of the announcement. Professor Steinman’s widow, Mrs Claudia Steinman, accepted the prize on her late husband’s behalf.

Following the ceremony, a gala banquet was held at the Concert Hall, where guests feasted on lobster with pickled winter vegetables, Guinea hen with mushrooms and lingonberries, and mousse on cinnamon-spiced cake. Several of the laureates gave speeches.

Queen Silvia this year wore a repeated gown, first worn at the pre-wedding concert for the Crown Princess Couple in June 2011, an apricot-coloured floral gown. She accessorised with Queen Sophia’s Diamond Tiara, aka the Nine Prong Tiara. Crown Princess Victoria, who is expecting her first child in March and spent a portion of the evening rubbing her stomach as the baby kicked to the music, wore a midnight blue sequined evening gown (reportedly by either Elie Saab or Malene Birger) alongside an altered Six Button Tiara, with a new diamond base. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa also recycled her Elie Saab gown, a wine red off-the-shoulder number with a gigantic bow front and centre. The gown was first worn in April, for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s pre-wedding dinner. The Grand Duchess wore the Chaumet Emerald Tiara.

Festivities continue today, with a dinner hosted by the King at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

Click here to read more about the 2011 Nobel Prize.

Filed under Luxembourg, Sweden
Tagged Awards, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Fashion, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Nobel Prize, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Prince Daniel of Sweden, Princess Christina Mrs Magnuson, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Tord Magnuson.