Swedish State Visit to Australia; November 7-12, 2005

[Huddo]

Originally Posted by rop81

Has ever queen Elisabeth recieved the foreigned royalties that has come to australia for a state visit, or has it always been that the governor-general?

its always been the Governor Genral who recieves foreigh heads of state to Australia

[GrandDuchess]

'Swedish royalty will pay us a visit'

South Australia is about to experience some Swedish royalty. King Carl Gustaf XVI and Queen Silvia will arrive here on November 10.

Premier Mike Rann said more than 200 of SA's business, industry and education leaders, as well as representatives from Swedish and regional communities would be invited to meet the royal couple at a state dinner.

"This is the state's first visit by Swedish royalty and it will generate massive publicity for South Australia in Sweden," he said yesterday.

Full story here

[Scanorama]

From today's The Sydney Morning Herald

Swedish visit may put heat on PM
The King of Sweden is forbidden by law from talking about politics and prevented by custom from saying anything too critical, but on the subject of global warming he chafes at these restraints.

"I am an objective monarch. I don't interfere, but I can always raise the question - it's not forbidden to ask a question," said King Carl XVI Gustaf.

And he is considering asking about global warming when he visits Australia next month on his third visit in 22 years.

Australia and the United States are the only developed countries that have refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement aimed at reducing carbon emissions, suspected of being a source of global warming.

In an interview in one of the 608 rooms in Sweden's 250-year-old palace, the third-biggest in Europe, the king and his wife, Queen Silvia, posed a number of questions on the environment.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...775959894.html

[justi]

I hope he pushes in relation to his questions about the Kyoto Protocol (Off topic I know)

Uluru should be interesting for them. Sweden isn't a hot place is it?

[Daneborn]

Originally Posted by Scanorama

Any idea of if they will charter a plane to fly down here? Would be great to see Scandinavian Airlines makes its appearance at Sydney Airport, even a small size plane will do.

The government and the king have their very own plane, Swede Force 21.
http://www.k4.mil.se/photo.php?id=76464&nid=22541

If they use it probably even the useless, incompetent and sad excuse for a secretary of state, Laila Freivalds, will travel with the King and the Queen on the plane and if there is a lot of people coming along they will travel in regular airplanes via Kuala Lumpur, Heathrow or Frankfurt. Just a guess.

There was a public outcry in Sweden some time ago when it was discovered that the somewhat pompous prime minister (Göran Persson) had used Swede Force 21 to go to Thailand and back, while the King and the Queen sometime in the same month flew back and forth to Thailand on a regular flight. The King even said it was more comfortable to fly in Business Class, plus he saved the court a lot of money.

scanorama > The most direct way Stockholm - Sydney I believe is with Malaysian Airlines via Kuala Lumpur. That's only one stop. Any other route with SAS, British Airways, Finnair and others demands two stops. (Which I'm allergic to since I hate the landing and the take-off procedure.) There must also be one-stoppers available from Stockholm to Australia via Bangkok (Thai) and Beijing (Air China) ?? It's embarrasing however that SAS can't offer direct flights from Stockholm to Asia, and they are losing a lot of customers because of it.

[rop81]

Originally Posted by Fagerborn

The government and the king have their very own plane, Swede Force 21.
http://www.k4.mil.se/photo.php?id=76464&nid=22541

If they use it probably even the useless, incompetent and sad excuse for a secretary of state, Laila Freivalds, will travel with the King and the Queen on the plane and if there is a lot of people coming along they will travel in regular airplanes via Kuala Lumpur, Heathrow or Frankfurt. Just a guess.

That was an very harsh comment about Laila Freivalds, witch i find inopropiet (?) in a forum such as this one, don´t you think

[Pink Tulip]

From yesterdays Sunday Mail:

November 10, 10:40am:
The King and Queen will visit the National Wine Centre. A reception to follow.

11:05am:
The King will visit Origin Energy. The Queen will visit Alzheimers Australia SA where she will observe sessions, meet renowned author Mem Fox and Open a Sensory Garden.

11:55am:
The King will tour SAAB systems Pty Ltd.

12:15pm:
The Queen visits Klemzig Primary School, where representatives from Can-Do-4Kids, the Cora Barclay Centre and the Auslan Bilingual Learning program will make presentations.

3.05pm:
The King and Queen will visit the Barossa.

8:05pm:
A State Dinner hosted by Premier Mike Rann



I will post the accompanying article soon.

[Pink Tulip]

Hello, your highnesses.
Visiting monarchs give the royal seal of approval to South Australia - and our wine.

Elissa Doherty

They represent two of the worlds oldest royal families and are separated by a huge cultural divide. But next month both will descend on South Australia for a spot of sightseeing. The red carpet will be rolled out for the King and Queen of Sweden on November 10, for their whirlwind 23 hour visit. A week later, on November 17, the ruler of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, his Highness Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qassimi, will make a fleeting visit to Adelaide in his private jet.

As the government works hurriedly behind-the-scenes to ensure they run smoothly, news of the visits is sending a ripple of excitement among those who will meet the dignitaries. The contrasts between the two visiting parties could not be more stark.

The royal couple presides over one of the worlds oldest monarchies. Their three unmarried children have all the royal requirements – movie star looks, breeding and culture. While their official residence is the lavish waterfront palace of Drottningholm, King Carl Gustav XVI and his German born wife, Queen Silvia, are among the more laidback members of European royal families. They have been known to arrive unannounced to Swedish pubs and mingle with their subjects. They will have only a modest entourage during their visit.

….

Premier Mike Rann said it was exciting to be welcoming such regal visitors to the state. “I was delighted that the Swedish royal couple specifically requested that South Australia be part of their itinerary on this tour,” he said. “Royal visits like this are especially important to out State at a time when we are strongly targeting overseas markets for our export products”.





More to come. It is a very long article so I will only include the parts about the Swedish royals. The article is a two page spread in the Sunday Focus section and their is a huge photo, about half a page, of the Swedish royal family (looks fairly recent). There are also short biographies of the Arab and Swedish royals about their countries, families, wealth, etc.

[Pink Tulip]

…

Security will be tight during both visits, but the itineraries will vary dramatically. King Carl Gustav XVI has made a special request to visit Australia’s famed Barossa Valley wine region. The royal couple will be flanked by both Swedish and Australian security and an entourage of 15 people including a coterie of minders, the Swedish Ambassador to Australia and the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs. They will arrive by their own charter plane and possibly stay at the Hyatt hotel. It will be the first royal visit to SA since the Queen (of Great Britain) came to Adelaide briefly following the 2002 state election.

Much of the morning will be reserved for official visits to schools, companies and organizations, leaving the afternoon free for wine tasting and a tour of the environmental practices at the Yalumba Wine Company, Angaston as well as a wine-blending laboratory, Heggies Vineyards and Moppa Winery. Sweden is major importer of South Australian wine and the Royals will also visit the National Wine Centre, where they will view a photographic art exhibition based on the sexuality of plants.

Barossa Council mayor Brian Hurn who was not aware of the royal visit, said the news was “marvellous” for the region. “They will be able to go home to Sweden and extol the virtues of the Barossa,” he said. “They will certainly receive the good Barossa hospitality. I think there will be some excitement when people hear”. Mr Hurn hosted a dinner for the Queen during her visit in 2002 and recalled locals lining the streets of Tununda and Nuriootpa to catch a glimpse. While South Australians are not as familiar with Swedish royalty, he expected locals to be curious once news of the visit filtered through.

National Wine Centre banquet and event co-ordinator Carly Thomas said there was a buzz of excitement among the staff who new about it. “People are wanting to work here on the day,” she said. “Its pretty full on making sure everything is in its place. Its still in the planning process”. The Barossa Wine & Tourism Association was not informed of the tour, but many high-profile visits were kept under wraps.

In the evening the royals will be guests of honour at a State Dinner at the Hyatt hosted by Mr Rann and his fiancé, Sasha Carruzzo, feasting on a menu strongly featuring South Australian wine and cuisine. Mr Rann said the government was keen for the Swedish royals to visit as South Australia had strong links with the country, including the Collins Class submarines and SAAB systems.” … “Another strong link has been through our wine industry. In the mid-1980s, the Australian wine export success started in Sweden, and not in the UK as many believe".


The rest of the article was about the royal from the UAE.

[Daneborn]

Originally Posted by rop81

That was an very harsh comment about Laila Freivalds, witch i find inopropiet (?) in a forum such as this one, don´t you think

Well, if you can compile a list of things Laila Freivalds has accomplished successfully in her two years as Secretary of State I am all ears.

Unfortunately she's mostly known for her imcompetence in foreign affairs and her ability to avoid responsibility.

But she's loyal to Göran Persson, which is her no#1 merit to get the position, I believe.

[pollyemma]

hmmm....a good friend who's unqualified for a post. we're just hearing that everywhere these days.

[Danielle]

Please remember this thread is reserved for the discussion of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia's impending visit to Australia - not to air your personal opinions on political figures. Discussion of politics is not allowed on this forum!

Thank you for your co-operation,

Danielle
Royal Forums Moderator

[Australian]

Well Their Majesties are due in Australia in two days now, i hope they get a fair amount of coverage!

I can't seem to find any latest news of their pending arrival here and is strange because they are going to be here very soon.

[Pink Tulip]

Yes Australian. Hopefully at least SBS will be covering some of their activities, they showed some breif footage when CP Victoria was here.

[Yennie]

When will they leave Sweden? Its quite a long way to Australia so perhaps they´ll make a stop on the way there?

[Australian]

Its my guess that they will probably make a stop in Asia somewhere :)

[Pink Tulip]

I guess if they arrive on Monday 7th then they should be leaving either tonight (5th) or on Sunday 6th. Its about 24 hours flying time, (without stopovers) and they will have to land in Asia, like in Singapore or Malaysia for a few hours before continuing to Australia.

[purple_platinum]

Does anyone has their schedule for this royal visit ?

[sara1981]

No Aussie prince for Swedish princesses
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/no-...823434412.html

[purple_platinum]

and so it begin....

the 1st pics for ANP of the arrival at canberra airport :