Finnish State Visit to Sweden: April 23 - 24, 2024


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The King invited president Alexander Stubb and and mrs Suzanne Innes-Stubb to a state visit to Sweden on 23-24 April at his official congratulation to president Stubb at his first day at the office yesterday:

President Stubb confirmed at his first press conference yesterday, that he is making his first state visit to Sweden on 23-24 April.

The state visit has been put to the court's calendar:

Alexander Stubb
Suzanne Innes-Stubb

On 23–24 April, President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb, together with wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb, will pay a state visit to Sweden at the invitation of HM the King. The president is accompanied by a delegation of government and business representatives.
The tradition of a newly elected Finnish president making his first state visit to Sweden is an expression of the special relationship that exists between Sweden and Finland. The state visit confirms the close connection and togetherness.
The state visit will be the seventh incoming state visit from Finland since the King's accession to the throne. The King has made five state visits to Finland.
The visit takes place over two days and takes place in Stockholm and Gothenburg.
A more detailed program will be published in connection with the visit.

In addition to meeting the Royal Family, the programme includes meetings with the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament and the Prime Minister. President Stubb will also attend a business event and meet with students.
 
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The King, the Queen, Victoria, Daniel and Carl Philip attended today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' presentation before the state visit from Finland.
Officiella program _ Kungahuset
 

Program for the state visit from Finland​

Tuesday 23 April​

Ceremonial welcome ceremony
The state visit begins when the royal couple meet the presidential couple at the Royal Stables for the procession to the Royal Palace.
At the solemn welcome ceremony in the Inner Courtyard, the President and the King inspect the Grenadier Company from the Life Guard and national anthems are played. In the Hall of State, the presidential couple is then presented to representatives of the Riksdag and the government. The royal couple greets the Finnish delegation at the same time.
The King and the President then give a press statement in Lovisa Ulrika's dining room.

Bernadotte Library
The Queen and Mrs Innes-Stubb visit the Bernadotte Library at the Royal Palace.

Meeting with Speaker
President Stubb is received by Speaker Andreas Norlén in the Riksdag. After their meeting, the president gives a speech in the Chamber of Deputies, in the presence of the royal couple and Mrs Innes-Stubb.
The speech is webcast on the Riksdag's website.

Lunch
The royal couple invites the presidential couple to lunch at the Royal Palace.

Meeting with the Prime Minister
After lunch, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson receives President Alexander Stubb in Rosenbad. After bilateral deliberations with a security policy focus, a press conference is held in the government's press room. The press conference is webcast on the government's website.

Visit to Sven Harry's Art Museum
Mrs Innes-Stubb and the Queen visit Sven Harry's Art Museum and the exhibition "Carl-Fredrik Hill and Fanny Churberg - towards a new landscape". They are received by the museum's director Dragana Kusoffsky Maksimovic. The Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand represents the government.

Sätraskolan
Mrs Innes-Stubb and the Queen visit Sätraskolan for a presentation about Mentor Sweden and the collaboration between Mentor Sweden and Sätraskolan. They are received by the secretary general of Mentor Sweden Cecilia Bernard and Sätraskolan's principal Margareta Forsman. Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed represents the government and vice mayor Emilia Bjuggren represents the city of Stockholm.

Business seminar
The King and President Alexander Stubb give speeches in connection with the business seminar which is arranged at Grand Hotel, with the aim of further strengthening the good business exchange. The overarching theme of the seminar is innovation and strengthened competitiveness with a focus on how Finland and Sweden can improve the countries' regional competitiveness in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. Questions about deepened cooperation in defense innovation, energy, critical minerals and bio-based materials and how the countries can continue to develop leadership in telecom and AI are discussed. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industri Ebba Busch and the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Trade Johan Forssell participate.

Gala dinner
The first day of the state visit ends with the royal couple giving a gala dinner at the Royal Palace.

Wednesday April 24​

Wednesday's program takes place in Gothenburg. The government will be represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström, Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin and Minister for Infrastructure and Housing Andreas Carlson.

Gothenburg University
The presidential couple and the royal couple visit Gothenburg University. They are received by University rector Malin Broberg and the Chair of the Municipal Council Aslan Akban with wife Shickran Barkarmo. After an introduction to the university, President Stubb gives a speech, which is followed by a question and answer session with the university's students with Lisbeth Aggestam as moderator.

Lunch
County Governor Sten Tolgfors is hosting a lunch at the residence.

The Port of Gothenburg
The afternoon's program begins with a presentation of the Port of Gothenburg and its operations, during a trip on board the M/S Hamnen. The presidential couple and the royal couple are received by the port's managing director Göran Eriksson.

4th Marine Regiment
The presidential couple and the royal couple visit the 4th Marine Regiment. They are received by Colonel Fredrik Herlitz, head of the regiment. After an introduction about how the external situation affects the western part of Sweden and Gothenburg's garrison, a demonstration of disembarkation and equipment is given. The presidential couple and the royal couple also talk to soldiers and recruits.

The presidential couple's reception
President Alexander Stubb and Suzanne Innes-Stubb give a reception in honor of the royal couple at Gothenburg Art Museum.

Farewell
The state visit ends when the royal couple bid farewell to their guests at a ceremony at Landvetter Airport.

About the program at the website of the President of Finland:
 
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It seems that now the normal thing is for state visits to last two days.
 
It seems that now the normal thing is for state visits to last two days.
Sauli Niinistö, the former President of Finland, made two state visits to Sweden, both lasted two days.

Any thoughts on why they picked Gothenborg as the destination for the second day? Are there any specific Finnish interests?
Perhaps because the former President's both state visits have been done to Stockholm and its surroundings.
President Stubb is the Supreme Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces and therefore interested in defence. He said at his speech in his inauguration that "the main duty of the President of the Republic under any circumstances is to ensure that we in Finland can live in peace". So a visit to a Marine Regiment is surely interesting. In Finland we talk quite a lot about defence nowadays. Before his presidency, president Stubb was the Director & Professor at the School of Transnational Governance at European University Institute in Florence. He has many times told how he liked teaching and discussing with his students very much. So a visit to a university is a must. At his visit to Kyiv he visited also Taras Shevchenko National University, opened the meeting with a presentation titled “the New World Disorder” and discussed with the students. During his work at the School of Transnational Governance he made numerous video lectures at the School's STG series:
 
Any thoughts on why they picked Gothenborg as the destination for the second day? Are there any specific Finnish interests?

I guess in a time in which both Finland and Sweden recently joined the NAVO, some emphasis on the military makes sense.
 
Press release from the Riksdag today:
On April 23, Speaker Andreas Norlén receives the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, in connection with the President's state visit to Sweden. In addition to the Speaker, the President also meets the party's group leaders.
Issues that will be discussed are the war in Ukraine, current NATO issues and bilateral relations between Sweden and Finland.
During his visit to the Riksdag, President Stubb will give a speech at 11.45 with the title "Sweden and Finland – similar, different, inseparable".

Business Sweden will co-host the Finland-Sweden Business Seminar at Grand Hotel, exploring a broad range of collaboration opportunities in defence, renewable energy, bio-based materials, critical minerals, telecom and AI. With innovation and regional competitiveness as the key theme, the seminar invites a delegation of more than 50 business representatives from Finland and Sweden to take part in discussions. HM King Carl XVI Gustaf, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will be in attendance.

President Stubb and King Carl Gustaf have met before, for example in November 2014 when Alexander Stubb was the prime minister and the King was in Finland on a Royal Technology Mission.
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The County Administative Board of Västra Götaland at its press release among other things:
After lunch at the residence, a boat trip along the river is organized to take a closer look at Gothenburg's harbour. During a walk from the residence on Södra hamngatan to the boat M/S Hamnen, the public will have the opportunity to welcome visitors to Gothenburg. The timing for this will be around 13.30-14.00.
- I am happy that part of the state visit to Sweden has been moved to Gothenburg. Western Sweden has a central role in foreign, security and defence policy cooperation, which is high on the agenda during the visit. The Port of Gothenburg is a Scandinavian gateway to the rest of the world, which is of great importance militarily but also in terms of trade policy, says Governor Sten Tolgfors.

President Stubb shared sad news at his social media yesterday, their cat Nala passed away. The Stubb family took two rescue cats, Nala and Milo, in 2016 from an animal protection association.
"It is a sad week for our family. Our dear Nala has passed away. A tumour was found in her brain and there was nothing that could be done. You can never be prepared for something like this. Everything just happened so fast. There were no symptoms the day before. Thank you Nala for bringing your light into our lives for eight years. You will always live in our memories. Our buddy"
 
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President Stubb and his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb met in 1994 when they both were studying at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. They started dating, got engaged in 1997 and married in 1998. They have two children: Emilie, 22, living and studying in England and Oliver, 20, doing his military service at the moment.
President Stubb is bilingual, he spoke Finnish with his late mother and still speaks Finnish with his brother. With his father Göran Stubb he always speaks Swedish. The President and his wife speak Swedish with their children and mostly Swedish and English with each other.
President Stubb has lived abroad half of his life: Studying in USA, France and Belgium. Working in Bruges and Brussels in Belgium, in Luxembourg and in Florence in Italy.
Both President Stubb and his wife have passion for sports. They have both competed in triathlon. President Stubb is the European Champion in M50-54 Triathlon's Long Distance in 2022 and competed in the legendary Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii in 2016. When he was young, he was a member of the Finnish National Youth Team in golf and played even once at the National Team.
Suzanne Innes-Stubb has worked since 2017 at KONE, where she has led the Global Compliance team as Vice President. The Office of the President told at a press release in March that she resigned from her position and will continue to work for KONE until 14 June.
Suzanne Innes-Stubb has been appointed as Executive in Residence for business law at Aalto University. She will, for example, teach optional courses in business law at Master’s level. Innes-Stubb’s three-year part-time contract will begin on 1 September 2024. She believes that her new job will give her a better opportunity to serve Finland as the President’s spouse. At the same time, she can continue to pursue a career in law.
The President and his family

President Stubb is the sixth president of Finland making a state visit to Sweden during King Carl XVI Gustaf as the Head of State. Times change, during the first state visit in 1975 President Kekkonen was 46 years older than the King, now President Stubb is 22 years younger than the King.

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Leader: NATO bases on Gotland? Learn from President Stubb
Sweden's friendship and community with Finland is one of our greatest national treasures.
The Swedish government should learn from Alexander Stubb's optimistic realism about Putin and Russia.

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Welcome to the Royal Palace on Tuesday 23 April to attend when the King and Queen receive the President of Finland Alexander Stubb and wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

Unlike President Macron, who chose to stay at the chic Hotell Bank in Stockholm with his giant delegation, Finland's Head of State can look forward to spending the night royally:
- The presidential couple lives at the Royal Palace during the state visit, says Margareta Thorgren.
Part of the Palace has now been converted into a "royal hotel", and the magnificent guest floor of the Palace, 11 rooms, has been put in order.

Preparations at the Royal Palace yesterday:

Live broadcast of the welcome ceremony at 09.45.
At the website of YLE, The Finnish Public Service Media Company

Live broadcasts/photos updated at the websites of other media:

The sun is shining in Stockholm, but it is quite cold (In Helsinki and other parts of Finland we have had a lot of snow last night and it's still snowing).

Meeting at the Royal Stables
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The Queen and Suzanne Innes-Stubb
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The Royal Family with their guests. Colours of Finland well seen, when Victoria in her blue outfit stands beside Suzanne Innes-Stubb and her white outfit:
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Queen Silvia and mrs Innes-Stubb visited the Bernadotte Library.
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Live broadcast from the Riksdag, where President Stubb gives a speech:

The Royal Court published a video of the King and the President's statements

Suzanne Innes-Stubb wore an outfit designed by Finnish designer Katri Niskanen. Niskanen's representative confirms it to IS.
- The outfit is a unique custom job, including the dress and coat. The material is thin wool.
The wool comes from the fabric shop Villsilki. Innes-Stubb's black hat is from the Helsinki hat shop HopeHat.

Victoria looks good.
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As new NATO members, Sweden and Finland have an important role in contributing to peace, believes Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
- The best way to avoid war is to talk less and prepare more, says Stubb in the Riksdag.
In a speech in the Riksdag, the President emphasizes the affinity between the two countries.
- Today, more than ever, we stand together. Sweden's cause is ours. Finland's cause is yours, says Stubb.

The President's speech at the Riksdag:
President Stubb thanks the King and Queen at his X:
"I thank Your Majesties for the warm reception today in Stockholm.
I am grateful and happy to be one of the chain of Finnish presidents who visit Sweden shortly after being installed in office."

Queen Silvia and Suzanne Innes-Stubb visit the exhibition "Carl-Fredrik Hill and Fanny Churberg - towards a new landscape" at Sven-Harry's Art Museum, together with Swedish Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand and Finnish Minister of Education Anna-Maja Henriksson.
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President Stubb arrived to the meeting with prime minister Ulf Kristersson.
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President Stubb and prime minister Kristersson have a press conference after their discussions, live broadcasts:

Queen Silvia and mrs Innes-Stubb visited Sätraskolan school, which has collaboration with Mentor Sweden.
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Queen Silvia has problem with her eye
The Finnish reporters noticed also queen Silvia's hearing aid.

Victoria and Daniel attended with the King and the President the Finland-Sweden Business Seminar at Grand Hotel.
Profimedia

 
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Finnish YLE has a live broadcast from the arrivals to the gala dinner

The King and the President, the Queen and mrs Innes-Stubb
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Victoria and Daniel
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Sofia and Carl Philip
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Great that they are showing from the dinner too. It seems they are showing the speeches too.

Princess Christina and Tord Magnuson
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The King was on a very good mood yesterday, he was smiling and laughing, he seemed to have a very good time with President Stubb. Our President is social, relaxed, fun, youthful and smart cosmopolite.

Our President spoke a lot about his close personal relationship with Sweden, at the Riksdag he said among other things:
"One of my mother tongues is Swedish, or as many here in Sweden call it, Moomin-Swedish. Half of my schooling was in Swedish.
I grew up with Pippi Longstocking, Emil in Lönneberga and The Brothers Lionheart. And it just so happens, that last Saturday I went to see a production of Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter at Svenska Teatern in Helsinki. Yes, Astrid Lindgren has been a part of my life, very much like a member of the family.
Since I was young, I have listened to Eva Dahlgren, Tomas Ledin and Ulf Lundell. My “Heja Sverige” (Go Sweden) playlist on Spotify contains, among others, Veronica Maggio, Melissa Horn and Hov1.
During the war, my father spent half a year in hospital here in Stockholm. The ferries between Finland and Sweden and the amusement park Gröna Lund in Stockholm are among my first memories. My aunt and cousins live in Skåne. My best man was a friend of mine who lives in Stockholm."

Short video from the gala dinner:

Swedish writer and journalist Ebba von Sydow (known also as a style expert specializing in royalty) commented on Suzanne Innes-Stubb's outfit, by saying that she looked like a perfect royal among royals, the outfit was a stylish choice, minimalistic and modern.
Ebba reminds that the president's spouse has a great opportunity to do important work in presenting Finnish fashion and design. The beginning looks promising.
Mrs Innes-Stubb's evening gown was also designed by Katri Niskanen, Kleberg von Sydow commented it "Wow, high Hollywood level". The suit's muted green, shiny shade was a wonderful match for the asymmetric cut.


Legion-Media gallery
Legion-Media gallery
Legion-Media gallery
Legion-Media gallery
Legion-Media gallery

 
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Finnish YLE has a live broadcast from the arrivals to the gala dinner

The King and the President, the Queen and mrs Innes-Stubb
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Has Queen Silvia borrowed Queen Margrethe's pink gowns. The first lady looks quiet elegant. Which Order did she get. Isn't it usally the Polar Star which is given to wives of Presidents?
 
Has Queen Silvia borrowed Queen Margrethe's pink gowns. The first lady looks quiet elegant. Which Order did she get. Isn't it usally the Polar Star which is given to wives of Presidents?
It looks like the same gown worn at the Dutch State Visit.

According to the Royal Court the First Lady has been awarded the Order of the Polar Star, now in the black sash.
 
It looks like the same gown worn at the Dutch State Visit.

According to the Royal Court the First Lady has been awarded the Order of the Polar Star, now in the black sash.
Thanks. I had forgotten that they changed the sash color of the Order of the Polar Star. Pity. I preferred the old colors, the black looks a bit depressing
 
Thanks. I had forgotten that they changed the sash color of the Order of the Polar Star. Pity. I preferred the old colors, the black looks a bit depressing
I like the black sash.

About Suzanne Innes-Stubb's gorgeous necklace:
It is from Finnish jeweler Robert Tarkkanen's Roots–Juuret masterwork collection.
Photo:
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The collection's main piece is the necklace seen on the First Lady, worth 100,000 euros. The jewelry is decorated with Ukrainian heliodors and diamonds.
- The main diamond in the jewelry was cut in Ukraine just before the war started. It was also dug up in Ukraine. I wanted a piece of jewelry with a sunflower pattern, because it is the national flower of Ukraine. It reflects the future glory that Ukraine will reach in the future, says Tarkkanen.
Mrs Innes-Stubb had on arrival gold and diamond-decorated earrings from the same collection.
The jewelry is on loan at Innes-Stubb.
Tarkkanen says that the jewelry order came as a surprise to him, and is a great honor.


Articles from the whole day

The Royal Court about the first day, among others:
The President was then welcomed to the Royal Palace's guest floor, where the presidential couple live as guests of the King during the state visit.
As is tradition for state visits from Finland, the President was received there by the Court staff who have roots in Finland.

Guest list at the gala dinner

The King's speech at the gala dinner:
The President's speech at the gala dinner:

The King's speech at the business seminar:
 
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Queen Silvia in Nine Prong, and Princess Sofia's tiara has a new gem: they are black!

What happened with Silvia's left eye?!
 
Photos from the gala dinner:




 
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Has Queen Silvia borrowed Queen Margrethe's pink gowns. The first lady looks quiet elegant. Which Order did she get. Isn't it usally the Polar Star which is given to wives of Presidents?
She got the Order of the Polar Star, whose sash is now black both for foreigners and Swedes alike.
 
The second day of the state visit starts soon in Gothenburg. The President gives a speech at the Gothenburg University, the theme of the speech is the new world order and an era of disorder. Live broadcasts at the websites of the Finnish media:

Suzanne Innes-Stubb and Queen Silvia in Gothenburg
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Photos of mrs Suzanne Innes-Stubb's necklace yesterday at the gala dinner, from the website of its designer Robert Tarkkanen.
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Very interesting to follow this state visit. The new presidential couple of Finland seems to bring new vitality to the scene, not that there was anything wrong with the previous one. I am liking the style of the new First Lady, the necklace last night is very interesting with a beautiful backstory.

I am curious to hear more about something that President Stubb said last night. He revealed he has some sort of a family connection to Swedish court that he has revealed to Their Majesties, in other words, he is related to the royal family. If I understood it correctly, he was unable to divulge anything more right now and the reason is that he took part in the Finnish version of Who Do You Think You Are and the episode will only air next autumn.

I would also like to know more about Princess Sofia's new tiara toppers. Are they sapphires?
 
Very interesting to follow this state visit. The new presidential couple of Finland seems to bring new vitality to the scene, not that there was anything wrong with the previous one. I am liking the style of the new First Lady, the necklace last night is very interesting with a beautiful backstory.

I am curious to hear more about something that President Stubb said last night. He revealed he has some sort of a family connection to Swedish court that he has revealed to Their Majesties, in other words, he is related to the royal family. If I understood it correctly, he was unable to divulge anything more right now and the reason is that he took part in the Finnish version of Who Do You Think You Are and the episode will only air next autumn.
Yes, President Stubb told at his speech "As you know, one of my mother tongues is Swedish and my contacts with Sweden have always been close. In fact, I was recently on a television programme that explores the ancestry of public figures. In Finnish it is called “Sukuni salat”, I guess you could call it “Secrets of my family”. The programme revealed something that was new to me: My distant connection to the Royal Court of Sweden. Now, unfortunately, this is top secret information. The Royal Family is the only one who has this top secret information about our family ties, the rest of you will have to wait until next autumn."
Many times at "Sukuni salat", the connection to a royal family has been in distant past, hundreds of years ago. But about Stubb's connection, we will find it out in the autumn, when the new season of Sukuni salat will be aired. I think it has been filmed before the President took office.

After his speech at the Gothenburg University, President Stubb answered to the students' questions.

Profimedia gallery

County Governor Sten Tolgfors hosted a working lunch at the residence.
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Next a presentation of the Port of Gothenburg and its operations, during a trip on board the M/S Hamnen. The presidential couple and the royal couple walk from the residence to the boat and are received by the port's managing director Göran Eriksson.

Live broadcast of the walk from the residence to m/s Hamnen.

Arriving to m/s Hamnen, the President went to talk with the people.
- Hello, how are you, president Stubb asked the citizens and wrote autographs for the citizens, especially for children. Stubb also posed for group photos with citizens, especially children.
- He is so modern, king Carl Gustaf commented, laughing.
The children also asked the king for group photos, but according to etiquette, the king did not come in the photos.
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Next they visit the Marine Regiment.

I am curious to hear more about something that President Stubb said last night. He revealed he has some sort of a family connection to Swedish court that he has revealed to Their Majesties, in other words, he is related to the royal family. If I understood it correctly, he was unable to divulge anything more right now and the reason is that he took part in the Finnish version of Who Do You Think You Are and the episode will only air next autumn.
More info about president Stubb at "Sukuni salat" -programme. It's host Marja Hintikka posted photos to her Instagram (at the third photo the President and Marja Hintikka are with the President's father Göran Stubb and his spouse Pirkko Mannola):
"Yesterday in Stockholm, at the Royal Palace, it was revealed: the president of the republic, Alexander Stubb, is participating in the third season of the Sukuni salat program. ✨
He told about it yesterday during his state visit at the gala dinner at the Royal Palace.
We found a strong connection to the Swedish court in the President's ancestry. Now this interesting documentation on the subject has also been presented to the Swedish royal family. So Carl Gustaf and Silvia already know the secret of the president's family, but the rest of us have to wait until next fall. That's when "Sukuni salat" secrets season 3 hits the screens very hard on MTV.
Thank you @alexstubb for trusting us to reveal the secrets of your family. It was a great pleasure and honor!

The royal couple and presidential couple arrived to the Marine Regiment, live broadcast:

Arrival
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The presidential couple and the royal couple stayed to listen to more about the activities of the marine regiment. Robot 17 anti-ship missiles to be sent to Ukraine were presented. The regiment closely monitors the functionality of trade routes and the impact of conflicts on maritime traffic. The port of Gothenburg is extremely important from a defensive point of view. The media had to move outside.

Suzanne Innes-Stubb's outfit today comes from the new collection of Finnish fashion designer Samu-Jussi Koski's Jeans & Towels brand. Jeans & Towels office confirmed it to IltaSanomat. The Lontano jacket costs 290 euros and Autunno pants 220 euros.

President Stubb was asked at the press conference for the Finnish press this evening before the return reception, if there were some silent times at the car when he and the King were taken from one place to another. President Stubb said that he is quite talkative by nature, so awkward silences are filled quite quickly. The discussions have gone very well and been nice. It varies from experiences to examples. For humor and family matters. It's very sincere.
Stubb states that perhaps the nicest moment of the trip was lunch with the royal family. He says that the conversations there were very open, warm and contained a lot of laughter.
The President praises the experience and knowledge of both the King and the Queen, they have an absolutely amazing bank of knowledge and experience. It must be remembered that the king has been in office since 1973. And what has surprised him in a really nice way is Queen Silvia's sense of history, understanding and expertise. You actually get excited about it, you like to listen for hours when she tells about various world events, royal lineages or events, said the President.
The President told that his father used to write finnish icehockey league news for Swedish Göteborgs Posten newspaper, so today was like being at home. He said that, in general, two new things have opened up for him from Gothenburg during the day. He emphasized the importance of Gothenburg for security of supply and especially for the transport of fuel. The importance of the port of Gothenburg, the largest port in the Nordic countries, to Finland's security of supply is very important and significant. The second is the importance of the Swedish navy and landing forces for the defence of Finland as well.
It has been a pleasure to be able to meet the Royal Family like this and spend a lot of time together, Stubb concluded.

The President and mrs Innes-Stubb welcomed the King and Queen to a reception at the Gothenburg Art Museum.
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President Stubb thanked governor Tolgfors for the luncheon:
A big thank you Governor Sten Tolgfors for your hospitality and the interesting discussions about Gothenburg's importance also for Finland's emergency supply security.

The farewell ceremony at Landvetter Airport should begin soon. The King and Queen are leaving with the Government plane and the presidential couple with a Finnish Air Force plane.
Live broadcast:

Farewell
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President Stubb and mrs Innes-Stubb had asked singer Miriam Bryant to sing at their reception at the Gothenburg Art Museum today. Miriam lives in Sweden, but has a Finnish mother and british father, and she speaks Finnish. She has now made a version of her big hit Mi Amor in Finnish, "Mustelmia".
Photos from Stories of Instagram of the Royal House:
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SPA's video

About the visit at Court website

Photo gallery at Flickr of the Office of the President

President Stubb on a state visit to Sweden: "For Sweden and Finland - together, now and always"

Finland's president got to see soldiers secure the port with the robot Sweden gave to Ukraine. Alexander Stubb wanted to emphasize how the port of Gothenburg plays a tangible security policy role also for Finland as the Nordic's major emergency supply hub.
- Let us with lions stick together, said Colonel Fredrik Herlitz to the President in farewell and handed over a coat of arms as a memorial gift from the Marine Regiment. He made a connection with the gift, now that Sweden and Finland belong to the same NATO security team, precisely the regiment's coat of arms with a crowned lion of gold with a sword in the right front paw; a similar one is found in the Finnish national coat of arms.
The presidential couple left to Gothenburg Art Museum for the farewell reception in honor of the royal couple and King Carl Gustaf answered DN's question about how the two-day state visit has been in one word.
- Nice!


The Queen and Suzanne Innes-Stubb arriving to the governor's residence yesterday:
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Suzanne Innes-Stubb described the reception the presidential couple received as very warm.
"Everything is new, but it has been a really wonderful visit. It has been a great honor to represent Finland in Sweden."
The visit gave her a better understanding of the very good relations between Sweden and Finland.
The banquet at the royal palace was incredible. The visits to the Sätra school and the Bernadotte library were also interesting.
Suzanne's style was widely praised. She says that the attention "feels a bit over the top". She highlights a necklace designed by master goldsmith Robert Tarkkanen. The necklace came first, then the gown.
She is considering her role as the president's spouse and what she could dedicate herself to. She'll start working on themes that are important to her when she has more time in the autumn.

A beautiful map book from 1663 was in focus, Suzanne Innes-Stubb was shown her hometown as it looked 361 years ago. Palace librarian Arvid Jakobsson showed the unique map to her. There in the middle is the town of Solihull. Jakobsson tells that it is a tradition to look up the visitors' birthplaces on these visits.
Jakobsson shows a book of watercolors painted by Gustav III in southeastern Finland and tells that there are over 100,000 books in the library, sorted by each regent.
Suzanne asks the Queen if the King is also a big collector of books. The Queen smiles widely and tells that the King has many books.

 
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I read on German Tv-text from TV station ARD (which i consider reliable) that there have been some worries about Q.Sylvia's health because at the recent state visit she was photographed showing 'a red bloodshot eye', but the cause turned out pretty harmless because she had been 'exposed to a draft' and apart from the eye everything is well.
 
Was there a Return reception last night?

A few photos from the Finnish departure
PPE Agency
 
Was there a Return reception last night?
Yes, the Presidential couple hosted the return reception at the Gothenburg Art Museum, as I have written at my previous post. Singer Miriam Bryant performed at the reception.
Photos from the return reception at court website's article:

Singer Miriam Bryant posted to her Instagram

The Presidential couple left Gothenburg at the plane of the Finnish Air Force at 19.30.

President Alexander Stubb published his thanks for the royal couple:
"Thank you for a nice state visit to Sweden Your Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
Finland and Sweden are mostly the same. Sometimes maybe slightly different, but always inseparable. Today - more than ever - we stand together. Sweden's cause is ours. Finland's cause is yours."

The President thanks for all the nice messages he and his wife have gotten, with this beautiful photo of them:
"Thank you for all the friendly messages. It was an honor for us to represent Finland on our first state visit to Sweden."


Photos of Victoria and Daniel arriving to the Finland-Sweden Business Seminar with the King and the President at Grand Hotel on Tuesday. Victoria is greeted by Jacob Wallenberg, chairman of the board of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.
Gallery

The Royal Court shared today at its Instagram two videos from the second day:
At the Marine Regiment
At the Presidential Couple's return reception

Sven-Harry's Art Museum at its Instagram
"Sven-Harry’s Art Museum had the honor of being part of the Finnish state visit. We welcomed Mrs. Innes-Stubb and H.M. Queen, as well as Ministers Anna-Maja Henriksson and Parisa Liljestrand."

Sätraskolan has at its Facebook many photos

Mentor Sweden:
During the state visit, the Finnish delegation, led by Mrs. Innes-Stubb and with H.M. Queen Silvia at the helm, had a rewarding and inspiring day with a focus on immersing oneself in Mentor Sweden's activities at Sätraskolan. The delegation participated in meetings and conversations where the importance of mentoring and the benefits of outdoor life were highlighted.
Students at Sätraskolan had the opportunity to share their personal experiences and tell how mentoring and involvement in outdoor life has strengthened their faith in the future, increased their power to act and contributed to a strengthened and broadened network.

The County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland County:
Sunshine and seriousness when the Finnish president visited Gothenburg

The Finnish Minister of Culture Anna-Maja Henriksson at her Instagram
"Fantastic dinner at the palace last night. A great honor to sit next to His Royal Highness Prince Daniel. And the atmosphere was so warm and cordial."
"During the state visit to Sweden, I had the great honor of receiving the insignia Commander with the grand cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star from H.M. The king.
Humble Thanks!"
"I also had the pleasure of participating in Mrs. Innes-Stubb and H.M. The Queen's visit to the exhibition "Carl-Fredrik Hill & Fanny Churberg - towards a new landscape" and Sven-Harry Karlsson's art collection. Then we visited Sätraskolan outside Stockholm's inner city. There, they have invested, among other things, in mentoring for teenage students. Very interesting concept. We also had the opportunity to talk to students at the school."

The Swedish-Finnish school at its Instagram
"Our children were there to welcome President Stubb to Sweden."

The Government of Sweden about the President's meeting with the Prime minister
The Finnish Embassy at its Instagram:

The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs about the business seminar:

Business Sweden about the business seminar:

Colonel Fredrik Herlitz from the Marine Regiment
- It is a great honor for the regiment and the garrison to be visited by the President of Finland together with the royal couple. Choosing to visit the west coast and Amf 4 on his first state visit shows the strategic importance of Gothenburg's port, and emphasizes the seriousness of important ports in the Nordic continuing to be protected with amphibious capabilities.

Finnish Minister of Education Anna-Maja Henriksson's column at Åbo Underrättelser newspaper, she writes among other things:
I had the pleasure of participating in the first state visit of the President of the Republic Alexander Stubbs and his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb to Sweden. It has been an incredibly nice experience. I feel that the relationship between Sweden and Finland is stronger than ever.
The state visit was a great success.
Knowing languages is always an asset. During the state visit, it was a very nice experience to listen to Miriam Bryant, who performed singing in Swedish and Finnish during the presidential couple's reception for Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. In Sweden, there is currently an upswing for Finnish and Finland. Together we are stronger, and we must always remember this.

Gothenburg Art Museum at its Instagram

 
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There was no official welcome ceremony at the airport on the arrival, because president Alexander Stubb and mrs Suzanne Innes-Stubb arrived to Stockholm already in the afternoon on Monday April 22, by a Finnair regular flight.
They had wanted to meet Finns living in Sweden and there was a reception at the Embassy in the evening.
Counsellor Anna Yletyinen posted this photo of the Presidential couple with the Embassy staff to her X (Finnish Ambassador to Sweden Maimo Henriksson beside mrs Innes-Stubb):
Pic

The Presidential couple stayed the first night at the Grand Hôtel and the second night at the Royal Palace.

Minister of Education Anna-Maja Henriksson posted this photo of her with the Presidential couple at the return reception to her X:
Pic

Anna-Maja Henriksson spoke about the visit "Behind the Scenes" at her podcast:
She says that there was so strong sense of community during the whole visit.
She sat beside Daniel at the gala dinner and says that Daniel was very nice, polite, talkative and very interested the whole evening. They talked about very common and everyday things, everything from the relations between Finland and Sweden and the common history of the countries to school, today's children, the importance of exercise, social media, the EU election (Daniel had been told that Anna-Maja will run for EU and asked what are her top three issues). Daniel was very interested and they talked also about the situation in the world right now. Daniel was also very politically correct, he didn't take a political stand on anything. They also talked about families, Daniel asked about Anna-Maja's family and her daughters and Daniel talked about his family and how wonderful it is to be a father. There was such an incredible family atmosphere. On the other side Anna-Maja had Tord Magnuson and with him she also had good discussions and warm feeling. It felt like a fairy tale, that here you are sitting, representing Finland, socializing with the royal family in Sweden a little as if you were old acquaintances even though you weren't.
Anna-Maja has met the royal couple and Victoria before and she was also able to talk to Queen Silvia on a school visit and they talked about the school and the children.
And in Gothenburg Anna-Maja sat next to the king at lunch, it was also an experience, very relaxed conversation. The royals are just as open and honest and good as you get the image of them from interviews on TV.
Anna-Maja tells also a lot about all the things and events she attended at the state visit, she was at the Riksdag and says that President Stubb's speech was so good, beautiful and touching and many Swedes had told her that the President's speech was much appreciated.
About the Presidential couple's return reception Anna-Maja says that Miriam Bryant was absolutely fantastic, she sang both in Finnish and in Swedish. It was such a nice event at the Art Museum. It was a great end to the visit. The state visit was so good and we Finns can be proud of our President and our Presidential couple.

It was great to listen to minister Henriksson telling about the visit.

On the cover of Finnish family magazine Apu
Pic

The 4th Marine Regiment at its Instagram


Master jeweller Robert Tarkkanen, Finland's only third-generation goldsmith, spoke at MTV News morning about the necklace Suzanne Innes-Stubb wore at the state banquet.
 
This article at the website of the Finnish Embassy in Stockholm gives another view of the state visit. Anni Tapani, an intern at the Embassy since March, tells about her work in connection with the state visit.

She participated in the preparations for the state visit, carried out various assignments and ongoing matters. She wrote a summary of a sight that the official delegation would pass in Gothenburg, looked for possible patisseries that could make vegan chocolate pralines for the return reception and checked the journalists' names when they arrived for the press meeting. Now she knows a surprising amount about Älvsborg's old fortress and knows several Gothenburg pastry shops. A state visit as a big puzzle where all the pieces should fit together. Every little detail must be thought out and planned so carefully. Even the pens that the president and the guests signed their name in a guest book were thoughtful and carefully selected.
It was even more special to meet the president and his wife in person. The president told Anni that he himself had practiced at the Finnish embassy in Washington at the beginning of his career and also then the president of Finland had been on a state visit. Anni has often to give various group presentations and always wants notes as support, and she was struck by how good speaker President Stubb is. She would really like to learn his way of public speaking.

Some photos from the state visit by photographer Ida Åkesson:
Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 ** Pic 6 ** Pic 7 ** Pic 8 ** Pic 9
 
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