Swedish royal family put on a solemn display at Princess Birgitta’s funeral as King Carl Gustaf bids farewell to his beloved sister in Stockholm

The Swedish 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

Today the Royal Household honored Birgitta, member and commander of the Royal Orders of Knighthood and member of the Seraphim Order, at the Riddarholmskyrkan Church.

During the funeral, a framed photo of Birgitta and candles stood in front of the church, while soldiers in top hats made of bearskin played instruments.

Queen Silvia, 80, and King Carl Gustaf, 78, dressed in dark colors for the emotional occasion, led the family out of the royal cemetery after the funeral.

Followed closely by 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 be in attendance without her husband, Prince. Carl Filip.

After the event, Victoria, wearing a long black coat, suede boots and a matching headband, was sweetly photographed picking flint from her husband’s jacket.

The palace shared the news of Birgitta’s death on Instagram on December 4, writing: ‘Princess Birgitta was the widow of Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (1932–2016) and subsequently lived abroad for a long time. The princess leaves behind three children with families.

‘On the occasion of the death of HRH Princess Birgitta, HM The King makes the following statement:

‘It is with great sadness that I received the news today that my sister, Princess Birgitta, has passed away. My sister was a colorful and outspoken person who will be greatly missed by me and my family.

“Today I, together with my entire family, express my condolences to the children and grandchildren of Princess Birgitta.”

With her husband, an art historian, Birgitta, who trained in gymnastics at the Swedish School for Sports and Health Sciences, had 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 Haga Castle in 1937 and was the second eldest child of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla.

The royal family spent time raising money for charity activities and co-founded the HELP Foundation, which helps vulnerable children around the world.

She had a keen interest in golf and held her own golf competition at her home course in Spain, called the Princess Birgitta Trophy.

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 only answer that when it concerns children, because after all, the children are our future.’

Birgitta divorced her husband in 1990, but the couple remained married. Johann moved to Munich while the royal family lived in Spain. Johann died in Munich in 2016 at the age of 83.

The family has continued to perform royal duties during this emotional time, and last week Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden attended the Nobel Prize ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

The royal, 47, joined her parents, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and husband, Prince Daniel, 51, on stage at the event.

Victoria presented herself elegantly in a deep purple ball gown with off the shoulders, a sparkling tiara and a refined handbag.

She completed her look with glamorous makeup, complete with a smokey eye and a hint of blusher.

The Crown Princess is a panelist at the Nobel Prize Summit, an honorary board member of the International Paralympic Committee and an alumnus of the UN Organization for the Sustainable Development Goals.

She studied political science and history at Yale University and graduated from the diplomatic program of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Queen Silvia, 80, opted for an equally dazzling navy blue dress with sequins and long sleeves.

Meanwhile, King Carl Gustaf, 78, dressed in a smart suit and skirt, presented the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry to American chemist and computer scientist John Jumper.

The monarch also presented the Nobel Prize winner for literature to South Korean writer Han Kang, 54, during the 2024 Nobel Prize ceremony.

Afterwards, the audience could enjoy a wonderful banquet. Royals mingled with the Nobel Laureates and seemed to enjoy conversations at the beautifully decorated tables.

Gold tableware was combined with countless different glasses and dozens of flowers.

The menu included a goat’s cheese dish, served with ‘Swedish beets, honey and quince glaze, along with roasted pumpkin seeds’ as a starter, a ‘quenelle of chicken’.

It comes after a man armed with a knife, handcuffs, tape, a protective mask and a ‘dummy gun’ was arrested outside the Swedish royal family’s residence earlier this month.

Crown Princess Victoria, her husband, Prince Daniel, and their two children, Princess Estelle, 12, and Prince Oscar, eight, are based in the Haga Palace, located in Haga Park, in the municipality of Solna, in Stockholm.

It was reported that royal guards saw the man acting ‘strangely’ at the gates last night in Sweden.

‘It concerns a man who has been in the area and behaved strangely and who has subsequently been checked. A knife has been found,” confirmed Per Fahlström, spokesperson for the Stockholm police.

Officers discovered handcuffs, tape, a protective mask and a ‘dummy gun’ on him, media said Aftonbladet reported.

The Swedish newspaper also claimed that the man had a list of the names of senior officials from a prominent company.

The man is suspected of violating the Knife Act and preparing for serious assault.

The alarm was raised at 5 p.m. and officers were deployed to the scene, just meters away from where the princess, heir to the Swedish throne, lives.

Margareta Thorgren, head of information at the Royal Court, told Aftonbladet: ‘Last night at 5pm a man stood outside the gates of Haga Castle and behaved differently.

‘The guards, who are always on site, thought it wise to call the police. “The police arrived and arrested the man, so it is a police matter.”

The investigation is still ongoing and police have not released any further details about the suspect.