The Staff and Court of the Royal Family


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King Carl Gustaf has appointed Alan Gilbert as Court Kapellmeister. Music Director of the Royal Swedish Opera since 2021 and Conductor Emeritus of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Gilbert is a Swedish and American citizen and has been living with his family in Stockholm for many years.
Gilbert says: “I am deeply honored and grateful for the appointment as Court Kapellmeister from His Majesty the King. My musical work in Sweden is close to my heart, and I am so happy to receive such recognition for the close musical and personal connection I have to Sweden’s wonderful musicians”.
Court Kapellmeister is an honorary title awarded by the King at the suggestion of the Royal Swedish Opera.
Alan Gilbert – ny hovkapellmästare* _ Kungahuset
Alan Gilbert appointed by King of Sweden as Court Kapellmeister - Enticott Music Management
 
The governing parties and the Social Democratic Party give assignments to investigate visitation zones and anonymous witnesses
The government also commissions to investigate the possibility of introducing the use of anonymous witnesses in Swedish legal processes. The investigator will be the Marshal of the Realm and former president of the Court of Appeal, Fredrik Wersäll. A first proposal is to be presented in October next year.
Regeringspartierna och SD ger i uppdrag att utreda visitationszoner och anonyma vittnen _ SVT Nyheter
Regeringen utreder system med anonyma vittnen - Regeringen.se
Sweden starts work on stop-and-search zones and anonymous witnesses
 
The Deputy Director of the Royal Court's Information Department, Irene Beertema Strömmer, ended her work at the Royal Court in December. She is now the Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Culture at Government Offices. She is married to Gunnar Strömmer, the Minister for Justice.
Gunnar Strömmers fru ny stabschef på kulturdepartementet

The new Deputy Director of the Court's Information Department is Johan Tegel, the former Information Officer.
Media Centre _ Kungahuset
 
On Karl's Day 28th January, the King decided on the awarding of H.M. The King's Medals.

The Royal Court Parish at its Instagram
H. M. The King has decided to award his gold medal in the 8th size in the Order of Seraphim ribbon to the Reverend, Court Chaplain and Rector of the Royal Court Parish Michael Bjerkhagen, for meritorious efforts as a pastor in the Court Parish.
- I am both happy and honored. The position as a reverend in the Court Parish is a varied, stimulating and fun assignment, says Michael Bjerkhagen, who, in addition to his role as vicar and Court Chaplain, conducts doctoral studies in church history at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.
The medal will be presented personally by His Majesty the King in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen at a medal ceremony at the Royal Palace.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn8428fo1SZ/
 
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Queen Silvia's lady-in-waiting baroness Christina von Schwerin had her 80th birthday in the beginning of March.
 
Andreas Norlén, the Speaker of the Riksdag, celebrates today his 50th birthday. He arranged on Thursday a party, as guests from the Royal Court were:
Information officer Pernilla Eldblom (she started at her job at the Court in March and was previously the Speaker's press secretary)
The Marshal of the Court Andreas Ershammar (Head of HM The King's Household)
The First Lady of the Court Anna Hamilton
The Governor of the Royal Palaces Staffan Larsson
The First Marshal of the Court Göran Lithell
The Director of the Information Department Margareta Thorgren
The Marshal of the Court Isabella Törngren (Head of HRH The Crown Princess's Household)
The Mistress of the Robes Kirstine von Blixen-Finecke
The Marshal of the Realm Fredrik Wersäll
Hemliga gästlistan till talman Andreas Norlén kalas - de får komma på festen _*Svensk Dam
 
The Royal Court has 350 rental apartments that they can use freely. They are part of the royal right of disposition and the majority of the villas and apartments are in Stockholm; from Djurgården and Östermalm to Haga Palace. Single residences are also found at the castles in Tullgarn, Gripsholm, Rosersberg and Strömholm Palace outside Västerås. But to get one of the country's most exclusive tenancies, you have to meet the court's criteria. The Governor of the Royal Palaces Staffan Larsson has the final say when the residences in the royal house's housing queue are to be distributed.
Han bestämmer över kungahusets bostadskö_ ”Kulturpersonligheter ringer och vill ha en bostad” - Hem & Hyra
Translation
 
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Margareta Thorgren, the director of the information department, celebrated her 60th birthday last Thursday. She attends usually the Victoria Concert, but now she was on holiday.
 
From the guest list to yesterday's Jubilee performance, we see, that the court has a new Grand Master of Ceremonies:
Grand Master of Ceremonies ambassador Anders Ahnlid
Anders Ahnlid (63) is a Swedish diplomat. Since 2020, he has been Director General of the National Board of Trade. Ahnlid was in 2016-2020 the ambassador of Sweden to Finland.
Gästlista vid jubileumsföreställning Drottningholm _ Kungahuset

The former Grand Master of Ceremonies was ambassador Johan Molander (74).
 
:previous: I met him once when he was Ambassador in Helsinki!:D A charming, courteous gentleman, very well suited to the position.

Is the Grand Master of Ceremonies only an honorary position?
 
:previous: I met him once when he was Ambassador in Helsinki!:D A charming, courteous gentleman, very well suited to the position.

Is the Grand Master of Ceremonies only an honorary position?

The Grand Master of Ceremonies doesn't "work" at the events very often.
Usually we see Odd Zschiedrich, the Master of Ceremonies, at the royal events. For instance, yesterday evening he walked in front of the Heads of State and the royals when they arrived to Drottningholm Palace Theatre. Also today, when the members of the Swedish Royal Family arrived to the Royal Chapel, Odd Zschiedrich walked in front of them.

But in 2021 at the State Banquet of the Spanish State visit, Johan Molander, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, announced solemnly every guest to the royals when they came to greet.
 
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Peder Ohlsson the new Chief of HM the King's Military Staff
Brigadier General Peder Ohlsson has been appointed by the government to be the First Aide-de-Camp and Chief of HM the King's Military Staff.
The government decided on September 14, that Peder Ohlsson will be the new Chief of HM the King's Military Staff from October 1, 2023. The staff supports the Head of State and the Royal Court in defense-related activities.
Peder Ohlsson has a long career in the Swedish Armed Forces, both nationally and internationally. His most recent role was as the Chief of Communications and Public Affairs of the Swedish Armed Forces. Prior to that, Peder Ohlsson has, among other things, been Deputy Chief of the Navy and Chief of Naval Tactics.
Peder Ohlsson is promoted upon taking office on 1 October to major general. He succeeds the current Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Jan Salestrand.
Peder Ohlsson ny chef för H.M.*Konungens stab _ Kungahuset

Peder Ohlsson is 61 years old. 69-year old Jan Salestrand was the Chief of HM the King's Military Staff for five years.
Peder Ohlsson has previously also been Crown Princess Victoria's aide-de-camp 2010-2012 and King Carl Gustaf's aide-de-camp 2013-2020.
 
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Fredrik Wersäll, the Marshal of the Realm, was interviewed on Svenska Dagbladet on 15th September. Unfortunately it is a paywall article.

"I call very often and talk to the King"
Closed doors, secrecy and royal flair. The top lawyer who became the King's closest man talks about the constant contact with the Head of State and the Crown Princess. And reveals what he sees as a failure.
Every Tuesday, the doors to the King's own meeting room at the Palace are closed. Inside, a specially invited group of people gathers. The Royal couple, the Crown Princess couple, staff and the Marshal of the Realm. Their mission: Plan what the court should do and not do. They also go over what went well the previous week - and what went less well.
Kungen firar 50 år på tronen_ Kungens rådgivare om kontakten med kungafamiljen _ SvD

Some photos from the interview session
TT gallery
 
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Lieutenant General Mertil Melin, 78, passed away on October 20.
For twelve years 2003-2015 he was the Crown Equerry, the Head of the Royal Stables.
Margareta Thorgren says that they have been reached by the death notice and that their thoughts are with Mertil's wife and the rest of the family: "Sad that Mertil Melin has passed away. He was a valued employee at the Royal Court. Condolences are sent to Mertil's wife Margareta and our thoughts are with her and the family."
At Victoria and Daniel's wedding, Melin rode behind the crown princess couple in the cortege through Stockholm.
In the obituary the mourners are asked to think of Queen Silvia's charity Childhood and the Mounted Guards with donations.
Generallöjtnant Mertil Melin är död – sörjs av familjen _ Kungligt _ Expressen
 
Fredrik Wersäll, the Marshal of the Realm, was interviewed on Svenska Dagbladet on 15th September. Unfortunately it is a paywall article.

"I call very often and talk to the King"
Closed doors, secrecy and royal flair. The top lawyer who became the King's closest man talks about the constant contact with the Head of State and the Crown Princess. And reveals what he sees as a failure.
Every Tuesday, the doors to the King's own meeting room at the Palace are closed. Inside, a specially invited group of people gathers. The Royal couple, the Crown Princess couple, staff and the Marshal of the Realm. Their mission: Plan what the court should do and not do. They also go over what went well the previous week - and what went less well.
Kungen firar 50 år på tronen_ Kungens rådgivare om kontakten med kungafamiljen _ SvD

Some photos from the interview session
TT gallery
can u post the interview in english for us
 
Colonel Håkan Hedlund has been the the Crown Equerry and Head of the Royal Stables from 1st October 2023.

The former Crown Equerry, colonel Ulf Gunnehed (66) has obviously retired. He was at his office from 1st September 2015 to 30th September 2023.
 
Liisa Hartikainen, the Head of the Linen Chamber (Första Fatbursjungfru), has been interviewed last autumn in Finnish HS Theme Magazine "Kuninkaalliset".
Hartikainen moved from Finland to Sweden in the beginning of 1980's, she started as a cleaning lady at the Royal court in 1986. She is an educated psychiatric nurse.
65-year old Hartikainen retired from her job in March 2023.

Hartikainen was responsible for the linens of the Royal Palace and the Court, napkins, the bedding of the royal family and state guests, all the court's cultural-historical textiles used for celebrations.
She was also responsible for the cleaning of five royal castles. Hartikainen says that cleaning and textile maintenance are usually thought of as more trivial "women's tinkering", but in the court's organization, she was a director at the same level as, for example, the directors of the IT or security departments. Tablecloths and napkins are valuable, the oldest ones date back to 1891. They stay in shape with the help of precise routines.
Hartikainen has been responsible for textiles for state visits and royal parties. At large festive dinners, there can be 170 guests at a table over 40 meters long. Then you need 170 napkins and 6-7 tablecloths that are almost three meters wide and eight meters long. The biggest party that Hartikainen was organizing was the wedding of Victoria and Daniel, there were well over 500 guests. Hartikainen says that Victoria will be a good queen for Sweden.
During the lunch of his visit, Prince Charles had admired the napkins and wondered how they were so beautiful and in such good condition, Hartikainen considers it a success: the carefully nurtured textiles in Sweden even caught the attention of Britain's heir to the throne.
All members of the royal family know Hartikainen by name, she had good professional relations with them. They are not friends, royals have their privacy, as does Hartikainen. The royals are polite, interested and friendly, always greeting the employees. They work very hard for Sweden.
Hartikainen has lived in Sweden for 40 years, she once moved for love. She had many plans with her husband, but he died in 2002. Hartikainen immersed herself in her work after his death.
20-30 Finns work at the court, about 10% of the entire staff. Finns are highly respected in Sweden.
Every Christmas, the king and queen invite the court employees to a Christmas lunch. They draw lots to see who gets to sit at their table. Hartikainen has sat at the same table with all members of the royal family. Despite all the glamour, it was still just a job. Hartikainen says that it is still nice to go to lunch for the last time in Christmas 2023.
 
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The King and Queen attended on November 24 at the funeral of their friend count Hans-Gabriel Trolle-Wachtmeister. He was the husband of Alice Trolle-Wachtmeister, the former Mistress of the Robes.

According to Kristianstadsbladet, count Trolle-Wachtmeister's will was signed in 2021. His assets have previously been measured at SEK 588 million.
Kirstine von Blixen-Finecke (78), the Mistress of the Robes of the Royal Court, gets 10 % of the count's financial assets. Her husband, count Trolle-Wachtmeister's half-brother's son Hans von Blixen-Finecke (81), gets 20 %.
Så delas miljonerna upp efter Silvias tårar _*Svensk Dam

Kirstine von Blixen-Finecke is very close to Queen Silvia. She is a member of the Board of the World Childhood Foundation Sweden and the Global Child Forum.
 
The Royal Palaces at its website:
We are looking for employees for the summer season at our royal castles: guides, hosts, shop and cafe assistants with a sense of service and teamwork!
At the royal castles, you are part of a team that works to give the visitor an experience of the highest quality.
We are looking for staff for Gripsholm Castle, Drottningholm Palace and Chinese Pavilion, Ulriksdal Palace, Tullgarn Palace and the Royal Palace.
Säsongspersonal sökes - Kungliga slotten
 
The Royal House has dumped Marabou as a Purveyor to the Court. The court's press department confirms this to TT in an email: "The Royal Court and the company in question do not currently have any business relationship. The Purveyor to the Court Committee decided in the end of last year not to renew the Purveyor to the Court contract".
The Marabou brand's owner Mondelez was blacklisted in 2023 by the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention as a result of its operations in Russia. Several stores removed the goods from their shelves and actors such as SJ, SAS and the Armed Forces have boycotted the company.
Kungahuset bryter med Marabou _ Kungligt _ Expressen
 
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The former First Lady of the Court, Louise Lyberg, passed away on February 7 at the age of 91. She was the First Lady of the Court in 1993-2003. After having resigned from her office, she was often a guest at the big royal family celebrations, like at Estelle's christening in 2012.
Louise's funeral is held in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace.
Drottning Silvia i sorg – efter oväntade dödsfallet _*Svensk Dam
 
Odd Zschiedrich (75) has resigned from is office as the Master of Ceremonies at the turn of the year.
According to the website of the Royal Court, the former Deputy Master of Ceremonies, baron Otto von Platen, is now the Master of Ceremonies, the head of the ceremonial state.
Ambassador Anders Ahnlid is the Grand Master of Ceremonies.
Hovmarskalksämbetet _ Kungahuset
 
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