Sweden‘s royal family put on a solemn display today as they attended Princess Birgitta’s funeral at the Royal Cemetery in Hagaparken, Stockholm.
The late royal, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden’s second sister and the widow of Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern, who resided in Mallorca, died on December 4 aged 87.
Today, the royal household honoured Birgitta, a member and commander of the Royal Orders of Knighthood and a member of the Seraphim Order, at Riddarholmskyrkan Church.
Inside the funeral, a framed picture of Birgitta and candles stood at the front of the Church as soldiers in tall bearskin hats played instruments.
Dressed dark colours for the emotional occasion, Queen Silvia, 80, and King Carl Gustaf, 78, led the family out of the Royal Cemetery following the burial.
Trailing closely behind was Crown Princess Victoria, 47, and her husband Prince Daniel, 51, with Princess Madeleine of Sweden, 42, Christopher O’Neill, 50, and Princess Sofia of Sweden, 40, who appeared to attend without her husband, Prince Carl Philip.
After the event, Victoria, dressed in a long black coat, suede boots and a matching headband, was photographed sweetly picking flint of her husband’s jacket.
The palace shared news of Birgitta’s death on Instagram on 4 December, writing: ‘Princess Birgitta was the widow of Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (1932–2016) and then lived abroad for a long time. The princess leaves three children with families.
Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf led the family out of the Royal Cemetery in Hagaparken following Princess Birgitta’s funeral
Crown Princess Victoria dutifully picked lint off of Prince Daniel’s coat outside the Royal Cemetery
‘On the occasion of the passing of H.K.H. Princess Birgitta, H.M. The King makes the following statement:
‘With great sadness today, I have received the news that my sister, Princess Birgitta, has died. My sister was a colourful and straightforward person who will be deeply missed by me and my family.
‘Together with my entire family today I send my condolences to Princess Birgitta’s children and grandchildren.’
With her art historian husband, Birgitta, who trained in gymnastics at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, went on to have three children, Prince Carl, Princess Desiree and Prince Hubertus.
Unlike her sisters, Birgitta retained her royal title after marriage because she married someone of her status.
Birgitta was born in 1937 at Haga Castle and was the second oldest child of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla.
The royal spent time raising money for charitable pursuits and co-founded the HELP Foundation, which helps vulnerable children around the world.
She took a keen interest in golf and held her own golf competition at her home course in Spain, called the Princess Birgitta Trophy.
Carl Gustaf’s second sister, Princess Birgitta (pictured), who lived in Spain, died on 4 December aged 87
Pictured (from front L to R to back L to R): Princess Sofia, Princess Victoria, Prince Daneile, Princess Madeleine, and Christopher O’Neill leave after Princess Birgitta’s burial
At the front of the Church, soldiers in tall bearskin hats played instruments to honour Princess Birgitta
Sweden’s royal household announced Princess Birgitta’s passing via Instagram on 4 December
Pictured: Princess Birgitta’s coffin arrives at the burial ground in Hagaparken for Sunday’s burial
According to Kungahuset, Birgitta said in her Summer Program in P1 2009: ‘As I always say when people ask what I want to do for charity; I then answer that only if it is about children, because the children are our future after all.’
Birgitta separated from her husband in 1990, but the pair remained married. Johann moved to Munich while the royal resided in Spain. Johann died in 2016 in Munich aged 83.
The family have continued to carry out royal duties during the emotional time, and last week, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden attended the Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall.
The royal, 47, joined her parents, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and husband, Prince Daniel, 51, on the stage at the event.
Victoria put on an elegant display in a deep purple off-the-shoulder ballgown, sparkling tiara, and sophisticated clutch bag.
She added to her look with glamorous make-up, complete with a smoky eye and a touch of blusher.
The Crown Princess is a panellist at the Nobel Prize Summit, an Honorary Board member of the International Paralympic Committee, and an alumnus of the UN Sustainable Development Goals advocate.
She studied Political Science and History at Yale University and is a graduate of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Diplomatic Programme.
Unlike her sisters, Birgitta retained her royal title after marriage because she married someone of her status, Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern
Princess Birgitta was a member and commander of the Royal Orders of Knighthood and a member of the Seraphim Order
Queen Silvia and attendees carried a single white rose during Princess Birgitta’s burial at the Royal Cemetery in Hagaparken
Queen Silvia, 80, opted for a similarly dazzling navy sequin dress featuring long sleeves.
Meanwhile, King Carl Gustaf, 78, dressed in a dapper suit and tailcoat, presented the Nobel laureate in Chemistry to American chemist and computer scientist John Jumper.
The monarch also presented the Nobel laureate in literature to South Korean writer Han Kang, 54, during the Nobel Prize 2024 award ceremony.
Afterwards, crowds were pictured enjoyed a glittering banquet. Royals were mixed in with Nobel laureates, and appeared to enjoy conversations amid the stunningly decorated tables.
Golden tableware was teamed with a myriad of different glasses and dozens of flowers.
On the menu was a goat cheese dish, served with ‘Swedish beets, honey and quince glaze, along with roasted pumpkin seeds’ for starter, a ‘quenelle of chicken’.
It comes after a man carrying a knife, handcuffs, tape, protective mask and ‘dummy gun’ was arrested outside the residence of Sweden‘s Royal Family earlier this month.
Crown Princess Victoria, her husband, Prince Daniel, and their two children, Princess Estelle, 12, and Prince Oscar, eight, are based in Haga Palace, located in the Haga Park, Solna Municipality, in Stockholm.
Birgitta spent time raising money for charitable pursuits and co-founded the HELP Foundation, which helps vulnerable children around the world
Pictured: Princess Madeleine and other guests on their way to Princess Birgitta’s burial at the Royal Cemetery in Hagaparken
The late royal was born in 1937 at Haga Castle and was the second oldest child of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla
It was reported that royal guards spotted the man behaving ‘strangely’ near the gates last night in Sweden.
‘It is a man who has been in the area and behaved strangely and who was then checked. A knife was found,’ confirmed Per Fahlström, a spokesperson for Stockholm Police.
Officers discovered handcuffs, tape, a protective mask and a ‘dummy gun’ on him, media outlet Aftonbladet reported.
The Swedish outlet also claimed the man had a list containing the names of high-ranking officials from a prominent company.
The man is suspected of violating the Knife Act and preparation for serious assault.
The alarm was raised at 5pm and officers were deployed to the scene, just metres away from where the princess, who is heir to Sweden’s throne, lives.
Margareta Thorgren, head of information for the Royal Court, told Aftonbladet: ‘Last night at 5pm, a man was outside the gates at Haga Castle and behaved differently.
‘The guards, who are always on site, saw fit to call the police. ‘The police arrived and arrested the man, and thus it is a police matter.’
Investigations are ongoing and police have not disclosed further details about the suspect.
