"Carl XVI Gustaf - The Reluctant Monarch" by T. Sjöberg (2010) & other books of T.S.


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Esmerelda said:
A summary in English:
King: It was a long time ago - The Local
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"The book also tells of an alleged year-long love affair the King had with singer Camilla Henemark, a founding member of the band Army of Lovers who was born to a Nigerian father and Swedish mother. The relationship reportedly lasted about a year in the late 1990s with the knowledge of Queen Silvia."

Hmm. So Silvia was accepting, if ever she knew.

Nina Eldh said today according to Helsingin Sanomat, that refers to Aftonbladet, that the royal court is not going to have a trial against the book writers.
 
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Perhaps the couple have a good working relationship and stay together for the sake of the monarchy? Just like in Spain at the moment and in many/most royal marriages of the previous generations?
 
nascarlucy said:
I've read many books about royalty. The more modern day royals look like boy scouts or the guy who sings in the church choir if you compare them to Monarchs of the past. There is nothing nowadays that is scandalous or shocking since everything is pretty much out in the open. The public has heard it all, I think. 100 years ago it might be shocking but not so much today.
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Yes, indeed it might not be all too shocking news for us modern citizens. But one should never take certain vows to light-heartedly, especially not from a head of state that has made the following oath:"[...] We shall [...] throughout a legal, just and lenient Reign, seek to by Our utmost ability to advocate the veritable interests and welfare of the Realm and that of each of its inhabitants, [...] We thus confirm this by the written signature of Our name, and by a lively oath, that this We shall adhere to and carry out, so truly help Mine God to life and mind."

Besides this oath, HM The king of Sweden has also vowed, through his marriage vows, to be faithful to his wife. (Sexual faithfulness is not directly addressed in the marriage vow itself, but Christian tradition has accepted that if one is having an extramarital affair, one is guilty of breaking the marriage vow) According to the book The King of Sweden has repeatedly and systematically broken this vow.

If certain narratives mentioned in the book are true it becomes quite worrying that a head of state takes a vow so light-heartedly.
 
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Zonk said:
That being said, I am not sure I understand what the point of this book is...other than to embarass the King and Queen and possible wound the monarchy. If this is true, and by the King's statement/actions it might be, does the Queen need to relive this (if she didn't know before), do the children (although grown) need to be reminded of maybe a not so pleasant time of their childhood? Do we need to know this? And why?

Yes, the King is a public figure but is the purpose to show that he is human and not perfect? Or that he had a point in his marriage where all was not well but they survived it and their union is better now than before the hiccups, or that because of these hiccups the King is just like us, and therefore Sweden doesn't need the monarchy?

I don't get it.
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That's what I'm thinking about. What's actually the point of this book? I don't get it either. Yeah, there were times in their marriage when not everything was working well and he cooped with it the way he did, but show me one marriage where everything is working perfectly all the time. It was a long time ago and it looks that they've already moved on. So what's the point of draging it out at this time? I don't think that one book about infidelity and visits to strip clubs can bring down a monarchy, they've survived far worser things.

I think ones private life should be kept private, unless he or she decides to share it. And it does not matter if he's king, president, pop star or ordinary citizen.
 
So That's not lie about this affairs and sex parties??? I'm shocked, I've never heard about any rumours and of course we couldn't believe in everything what media show us. I've lost my all respect for him. But, anyway, he seems to be a good king. To be honest, I'm glad that Victoria is going to be Queen. She and her husband are lovely couple, for some maybe boring, but good role model and doing their job well.

I wouldn't complain if all this old, severe looking but not so moral kings like Gustav or Juan Carlos go away but unfortunalety I have to wait for some time...
 
Belgian king Albert has had affairs too, even a child was born out of wedlock. In later years he and his wife grew together again and they now seem to be a very happy couple.

Personally I think the king sort of admitted he cheated on his wife but apparently they worked it out together. More problish would be his connectios to dubious business people or maffia.
 
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All the papers are screaming how the King admitted cheating his wife and wanted to "move on". What a simplistic interpretation... Let's think for a moment what he actually said. He said he's seen a few headlines and they were not pleasant. He then said he has not read the book, has discussed the book with his family and feels there's nothing to discuss and wants to move on. In any case the events happened a long time ago.

What if the headlines he happened to see are not the most rude ones? I doubt HM has the time to hang around newsstands reading the headlines and probably his staff is not very eager to present him with the worst ones. He might have only seen/heard that the headlines are about him not wanting necessarily to be a monarch (I'm sure he did have other career ambitions in the past, who wouldn't have had) and partying quite a bit when he was young. He might not know specifically what he's accused of (meaning adultery, sex parties etc.). So, what he meant to say was that he did have other dreams (before he grew into his role), party as a young man but those days are gone and there's no need to discuss them anymore. People who are dyslexic often think differently than others which also means that they're not always able to convey their thoughts to others in a way that they would be understood correctly.

I wish all this mud slinging would end soon. I find it particularly amusing that in the Swedish press when they are discussing the matter some people truly do feel that the royal family cannot and should not have any kind of private life. :eek: Some even turn this scandal into some sort of feminist issue... :bang: I've noticed reading people's comments that many Swedes are very harsh on their royals. I find it weird. If they only knew how much worse it would be if they had a president instead... :whistling:
 
Catharina said:
All the papers are screaming how the King admitted cheating his wife and wanted to "move on". What a simplistic interpretation... Let's think for a moment what he actually said. He said he's seen a few headlines and they were not pleasant. He then said he has not read the book, has discussed the book with his family and feels there's nothing to discuss and wants to move on. In any case the events happened a long time ago.

What if the headlines he happened to see are not the most rude ones? I doubt HM has the time to hang around newsstands reading the headlines and probably his staff is not very eager to present him with the worst ones. He might have only seen/heard that the headlines are about him not wanting necessarily to be a monarch (I'm sure he did have other career ambitions in the past, who wouldn't have had) and partying quite a bit when he was young. He might not know specifically what he's accused of (meaning adultery, sex parties etc.). So, what he meant to say was that he did have other dreams (before he grew into his role), party as a young man but those days are gone and there's no need to discuss them anymore. People who are dyslexic often think differently than others which also means that they're not always able to convey their thoughts to others in a way that they would be understood correctly.

I wish all this mud slinging would end soon. I find it particularly amusing that in the Swedish press when they are discussing the matter some people truly do feel that the royal family cannot and should not have any kind of private life. :eek: Some even turn this scandal into some sort of feminist issue... :bang: I've noticed reading people's comments that many Swedes are very harsh on their royals. I find it weird. If they only knew how much worse it would be if they had a president instead... :whistling:
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Dear Catharina, can you please elaborate a bit more on the second part of your post. I do not understand what you mean. Are you trying to say that the King was not responding in his press conference to the claims of adultery, attending sex parties and having connections with the mafia, which took place in the 80's until the end of the 90's when he was a King and Head of State? (Since 1973)

As response to the last part of your post I would like to comment the following: Try to imagine another head of state of any country (excluding banana-republics, some African states and Berlusconi off course) that has systematically behaved amorally by attending dubious parties hosted by mafia members and having affairs with pop singers. Isn't it normal that people, organisations, and other stakeholders are shocked and that they would like to communicate with each other about these portrayed events surrounding such behaviour? This all has become even more shocking since the King isn't denying anything. If I was a Swedish citizen I would perhaps be slightly embarrassed by this.
 
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bartholomeus said:
Dear Catharina, can you please elaborate a bit more on the second part of your post. I do not understand what you mean. Are you trying to say that the King was not responding in his press conference to the claims of adultery, attending sex parties and having connections with the mafia, which took place in the 80's until the end of the 90's when he was a King and Head of State? (Since 1973)

As response to the last part of your post I would like to comment the following: Try to imagine another head of state of any country (excluding banana-republics, some African states and Berlusconi off course) that has systematically behaved amorally by attending dubious parties hosted by mafia members and having affairs with pop singers. Isn't it normal that people, organisations, and other stakeholders are shocked and that they would like to communicate with each other about these portrayed events surrounding such behaviour? This all has become even more shocking since the King isn't denying anything. If I was a Swedish citizen I would perhaps be slightly embarrassed by this.
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Well, technically the King has not admitted or denied any single thing that he has been accused of. Probably because he is not aware of all the specific things they accuse him of. My guess is that the reason they stated earlier that they'd be commenting on this at the press meeting was because the court felt they need to comment on it (due to the new 'open' policy with the press). After that they probably realized they didn't have enough time to properly prepare themselves to answering questions. Denying everything not knowing all the details would have been foolish, so they tried to come up with some kind of comment on the subject.

To answer your question, yes I do think the King was not responding to all the claims since he was not prepared well enough and didn't know the specifics.

How should I express this regarding the last part of my previous post... Every person does right and wrong things in their lives regardless of what is expected of them and what they do for living. Heads of states are no different from anybody else. To think that such behaviour doesn't exist elsewhere than in the places you excluded would be naive. Yes, that might shock people but I feel it's not relevant unless it strongly affects the way a person does his/her work. I haven't read the book so I really cannot comment on any mafia connections (note that you can be considered having a 'mafia connection' even if you only attend a party where one of the attendants is part of the mafia and even if you do not know the person and his/her background) and I really could not care at this point. I don't think the citizens as a whole have anything to be embarrassed about.
 
I wonder why he was very hard on Daniel not thinking he was good enough for Victoria and himself had all this hidden from everyone. Rather deceitful. Is he must better than Jonas now I wonder?
 
Catharina said:
Well, technically the King has not admitted or denied any single thing that he has been accused of. Probably because he is not aware of all the specific things they accuse him of. My guess is that the reason they stated earlier that they'd be commenting on this at the press meeting was because the court felt they need to comment on it (due to the new 'open' policy with the press). After that they probably realized they didn't have enough time to properly prepare themselves to answering questions. Denying everything not knowing all the details would have been foolish, so they tried to come up with some kind of comment on the subject.

To answer your question, yes I do think the King was not responding to all the claims since he was not prepared well enough and didn't know the specifics.

How should I express this regarding the last part of my previous post... Every person does right and wrong things in their lives regardless of what is expected of them and what they do for living. Heads of states are no different from anybody else. To think that such behaviour doesn't exist elsewhere than in the places you excluded would be naive. Yes, that might shock people but I feel it's not relevant unless it strongly affects the way a person does his/her work. I haven't read the book so I really cannot comment on any mafia connections (note that you can be considered having a 'mafia connection' even if you only attend a party where one of the attendants is part of the mafia and even if you do not know the person and his/her background) and I really could not care at this point. I don't think the citizens as a whole have anything to be embarrassed about.
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Thank you Catharina,

A King should be above such things, and should never have connections of the sort that have been presented in this case.

His PR person should be fired.
 
Of course one can not blame anyone for his/her private life but he is a "King" and not chosen by people, in this era monarchy is not the most popular thing on earth and he should have behaved better for the sake of the future of monarchy in his country. There will be outcomes of his behaviour. His people are paying taxes for him to keep monarchy, I think they deserve a better explanation.
 
bartholomeus said:
Yes, indeed it might not be all too shocking news for us modern citizens. But one should never take certain vows to light-heartedly, especially not from a head of state that has made the following oath:"[...] We shall [...] throughout a legal, just and lenient Reign, seek to by Our utmost ability to advocate the veritable interests and welfare of the Realm and that of each of its inhabitants, [...] We thus confirm this by the written signature of Our name, and by a lively oath, that this We shall adhere to and carry out, so truly help Mine God to life and mind."

Besides this oath, HM The king of Sweden has also vowed, through his marriage vows, to be faithful to his wife. (Sexual faithfulness is not directly addressed in the marriage vow itself, but Christian tradition has accepted that if one is having an extramarital affair, one is guilty of breaking the marriage vow) According to the book The King of Sweden has repeatedly and systematically broken this vow.

If certain narratives mentioned in the book are true it becomes quite worrying that a head of state takes a vow so light-heartedly.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with your point, Bartholomeus. However, I don't agree that faithfulness isn't explicit in wedding vows - sometimes it's not stated directly (and then, as you say, it's implicit), but oftentimes there's a promise of faithfulness. I couldn't find the order of service for the Lutheran Church of Sweden, but in Norway, both people are asked if they will "love and honor and be faithful to" their spouse. I would assume the Swedish vows are similar. :flowers:

I sort of agree with the person who said that they would be embarrassed if they were a Swedish citizen. I say "sort of" because I'm not sure that's the best word - I wouldn't necessarily be embarrassed as a Swede because I didn't have anything to do with it and it's not a reflection on me personally. However, I would certainly be appalled, offended, and rather disgusted because I would view it as a disgrace to my monarchy. (And yes, I know that like all monarchies the Swedish monarchy has been disgraced by all kinds of this stuff for centuries, but that doesn't make it any better to disgrace it again in the present.)

I haven't read the articles mentioned that try to make it a feminist issue, so they mmay have a totally different take on it than me, but I can definitely see it as a women's issue. When a guy behaves like this, to me it's very much a reflection on how he views women. Men who respect women don't act like this. To me it implies that a person sees women, or at least all the women he's slept with, as disposable sex objects.

I think the King simply had to know that the biggest, hairiest part of the accusations and headlines were about adultery. If he thought it was simply a book about how he was reluctant to become king, then he's been living under a rock.
 
Maura724 said:
I haven't read the articles mentioned that try to make it a feminist issue, so they mmay have a totally different take on it than me, but I can definitely see it as a women's issue. When a guy behaves like this, to me it's very much a reflection on how he views women. Men who respect women don't act like this. To me it implies that a person sees women, or at least all the women he's slept with, as disposable sex objects.
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I agree here. If the King really did visit seedy clubs with scantily clad women catering to him, then he's a sleazy person.

It makes me wonder if the King's behavior drove Queen Silvia to obsessive plastic surgery. Since she supposedly knew about the affairs, that had to have made her insecure about her appearance, and now look at her.

Not that I want to make this thread a discussion of the Queen's plastic surgeries, but I just wanted to make a point.
 
Catharina said:
If they only knew how much worse it would be if they had a president instead... :whistling:
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The difference here is that it is a lot easier to vote a president out of office than it is to depose a king.
 
This book is highly lucrative

Book reviewers is talking about the book's grammar and compares it with the gossip columns. You should remember that there is not one person who stepped forward and verified "the truth" again.. However, a retireed bodyguards, who is no longer in the service of His Majesty the King, who can vouch for that they have never seen the King of the situations the book says. One of King's closest friends admit that his friends have been misguided in their jokes when King was a young prince, but that Carl-Gustav himself did not participate in any activities of the book makes big fuss. But this book is highly lucrative for the so-called "writers". They now earn 1.4 million Swedish kronor per day.
 
i wonder if this isnt a way to push him aside. i think they want a glam new queen
 
How should You feel in the same situation

Anyone thinking of investing in this book should only invest a few minutes by thinking how it would feel in the same situation. Yeah, imagine that you would be king by all means, and if you were king, would you not have done any stupid things during adolescence? And would you want to be accountable for things that your friends have done, just because your friends happen to know you? And would you like someone wrote a biography about you, but you got so much comment on the content?

It's undeniably American. Just bury themselves properly in someone else's life and then throw it up for public display. Actually it does not matter what you will find, if it is good or bad is not what this is about. That's the thing, to crush another's privacy for what? Prove something? I actually get a little disgusted. :bang:
 
I am surprised there is such a fuzz about the book. Maybe only for the fact that for the first time somebody has collected all the stories that have been going around for ages and published them?

All the stuff like CG not being confident or even reluctant towards the role, leading a womanizer/playboy lifestyle, driving fast cars etc etc has been well known for many years. He was seen as the idiot in charge with the bossy wife behind him but sometimes things different than they look from the outside. CG doesnt look like the wild man he apparently is and has always been but at the end of the day is no different than many of his counterparts like JC of Spain or Prince Philip, this is a men's world but very discreet and not remotely thinking that the media would ever go public with what most people know anyway.

When I read through the thread I couldnt help but thinking that Carl Philip is not very different from his Dad and gets away with it, its all about fast cars and the company of tacky women.
 
Gossip

Duke of Marmalade said:
I am surprised there is such a fuzz about the book. Maybe only for the fact that for the first time somebody has collected all the stories that have been going around for ages and published them?

All the stuff like CG not being confident or even reluctant towards the role, leading a womanizer/playboy lifestyle, driving fast cars etc etc has been well known for many years. He was seen as the idiot in charge with the bossy wife behind him but sometimes things different than they look from the outside. CG doesnt look like the wild man he apparently is and has always been but at the end of the day is no different than many of his counterparts like JC of Spain or Prince Philip, this is a men's world but very discreet and not remotely thinking that the media would ever go public with what most people know anyway.

When I read through the thread I couldnt help but thinking that Carl Philip is not very different from his Dad and gets away with it, its all about fast cars and the company of tacky women.
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Anyone who is writing a biography, the authors of the book claim to have done, must be careful with the sources. It's not enough to whet your tongue and speak up. As long as you can not get anyone to stand on what you are trying to impose one should keep opinions to herself. If not then there is The Royal Forums ...



 
To the world at large, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden is the *perfect 21st-century *monarch. A charming man of quiet *dignity, loved by his people as an ordinary family man, his main hobby is Scouting.
His only acknowledgement of a racier world is the stable of fast cars he enjoys driving. As for his 34 years of marriage with Queen *Silvia, this is held up in *libidinous Sweden as a *wonderful example of what *marriage should be.
At least, that’s how it was. But suddenly the 64-year-old King’s bespectacled image of almost dull respectability has undergone a remarkable transformation.
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Read more: How King Carl Gustaf of Sweden enjoyed wild sex parties with strippers | Mail Online
 
Oh, good God, another mistress named Camilla.
 
What sources?

What sources has the newspapers in other countries? They may be called "Le Figaro" or whatever! Well, the foreign press reviews about the Swedish press and the articles you can read here. No one has ever presented the source to the various allegations. In a democratic country with a functioning judiciary is a fundamental requirement that you should have witnesses willing to testify before you shed a verdict. It is unfortunate that this form of American squalor press found us up to Scandinavia. We have had the habit of letting the private be private. And when we present something that we call "the biography "we have at least become accustomed to the source again research is published and reviewed.
 
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