Queen Silvia of Sweden

Silvia (born Silvia Renate Sommerlath; 23 December 1943) is Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf. She has held this title since her marriage to Carl Gustaf in 1976. The king and queen have three children: Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine.

Silvia
Queen Silvia in June 2023
Queen consort of Sweden
Tenure	19 June 1976 – present
Born	Silvia Renate Sommerlath (1943-12-23) 23 December 1943 (age 80) Heidelberg, Germany
Spouse	Carl XVI Gustaf ​ (m. 1976)​
Issue	Crown Princess Victoria Prince Carl Philip Princess Madeleine
Father	Walther Sommerlath
Mother	Alice Soares de Toledo
Signature

Childhood and parentage

Silvia Renate Sommerlath was born in Heidelberg, Germany, on 23 December 1943,^[1] the only daughter of Alice (née Soares de Toledo) and Walther Sommerlath. Her father was German and her mother was Brazilian.^[2]

She has one older brother: Ralf Sommerlath (born 1929). Her other brothers were Walther Sommerlath, who died in 2020, and Jörg Sommerlath, who died in 2006. The Mother-Child House Jörg Sommerlath in Berlin, operated by Queen Silvia's World Childhood Foundation,^[3] is named after her brother.^{[citation needed]}

She attended grammar school in Düsseldorf, finishing her Abitur in 1963; and attended the Munich School of Interpreting from 1965 to 1969, majoring in Spanish.^[1]

She has some fluency in Swedish Sign Language, a national sign language used by the deaf community in Sweden.^[4] She is a trained interpreter and Swedish is her sixth language. She speaks her native German, her mother's language of Portuguese, as well as French, Spanish, and English.^[2]

Marriage and family

Main article: Wedding of Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath

During the 1972 Summer Olympics, Silvia Sommerlath met Crown Prince Carl Gustaf. At the time, she was leading a marketing campaign for the city of Munich. Sommerlath and the other Olympic hostesses wore sky-blue dirndls to promote Bavarian cultural identity.^[5][6][7][8] After the death of King Gustaf VI Adolf on 15 September 1973, Carl XVI Gustaf succeeded to the throne.

He and Silvia announced their engagement on 12 March 1976 and were married three months later, on 19 June 1976 in Stockholm Cathedral ("Storkyrkan Cathedral") in Stockholm.^[9] It was the first marriage of a reigning Swedish monarch since 1797. The wedding was preceded, the evening before, by a Royal Variety Performance, where the Swedish musical group ABBA performed "Dancing Queen" for the very first time, as a tribute to Sweden's future queen.^[10]

The King and Queen of Sweden have three children and eight grandchildren:

• Crown Princess Victoria, Duchess of Västergötland (born 14 July 1977), who is married to Daniel Westling and has two children
• Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (born 13 May 1979), who is married to Sofia Hellqvist and has three children
• Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, (born 10 June 1982), who is married to Christopher O'Neill and has three children

In February 2021, Silvia was taken to hospital after she fractured her right wrist in a fall.^[11]

Father's Nazi links

In July 2002, the Queen became the subject of international curiosity when an article published in the syndicalist newspaper Arbetaren reported that German state archives record that the Queen's father, Walther Sommerlath, joined the Nazi party's foreign wing, the NSDAP/AO, in 1934, when he was living in Brazil and working for a German steel company.^[12] In December 2010, Queen Silvia wrote a letter of complaint to Jan Scherman, the CEO of TV4, the network that had aired a documentary about her father's alleged Nazi past.^[13]

Queen Silvia commissioned a report from World War II expert Erik Norberg, a choice that was criticised due to Norberg having ties to the royal family. In his report, Norberg argued that the Queen's father had in fact helped the owner of the steel-fabrication plant, a Jewish businessperson, escape from Germany by taking over the factory.^[14] In a December 2011 interview for Sweden's public service broadcaster Sveriges Television, Silvia called the media's handling of the information about her father "character assassination".^[15]

 

First Lady Michelle Obama and Queen Silvia meet in the Yellow Oval Room in 2009.

Charity involvement

 

Queen Silvia visits Gustav Adolfi Gümnaasium in Tallinn, Estonia in 1992

Queen Silvia established Mentor International in 1994 in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Her vision was to offer mentoring as inspiration, empowerment, and motivation for young people to make healthy life choices and view their futures more positively. Mentor's work has been recognized by the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime, the Organization of American States, and the Council of Europe. She is now an honorary board member of Mentor Foundation.^[16]

She was also a co-founder of the World Childhood Foundation in 1999, having been inspired by her work as Patron of the first World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children held in Stockholm.^[17] She has also been involved in the Global Child Forum, which she helped initiate, as a keynote speaker in several forums.^[18][19]

Her commitment to the work with dementia and the care of the elderly at the end of life is also well known and respected. On her initiative, Silviahemmet was established in Stockholm. It works to educate hospital personnel in how to work with people suffering from dementia, and also initiates research in the area.^[20]

She chairs the Royal Wedding Fund, which supports research in sports and athletics for disabled young people^[21] and the Queen Silvia Jubilee Fund for research on children and disability.^[21]

Queen Silvia holds honorary positions in the Swedish Amateur Athletic Association, the Children's Cancer Foundation of Sweden and Save the Children Sweden.^[21]

Honours and arms

See also: List of honours of the Swedish Royal Family by country

National

Styles of Queen Silvia
Reference style	Her Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty

•   Sweden:
  •   Member and Commander of the Royal Order of the Seraphim, in diamonds (LoKavKMOmbr)
  •   Member of the Royal Family Decoration of King Carl XVI Gustaf
  •   Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf^{[citation needed]}
  •   Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Crown Princess Victoria to Daniel Westling
  •   Recipient of the Ruby Jubilee Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf
  •   Recipient of the 70th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf^{[citation needed]}
  •   Recipient of the Golden Jubilee Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Foreign

•   Argentina: Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín
•   Austria: Grand Star of the Order of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria^[22]
•   Belgium: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold I
•   Brazil: Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
•   Brunei: Member of the Family Order of Laila Utama
•   Bulgaria: Grand Cross of the Order of the Balkan Mountains
•   Chile: Grand Cross of the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins
•   Croatia: Grand Cross of the Grand Order of Queen Jelena^[23][24]
•   Denmark:
  • Knight of the Order of the Elephant (3 September 1985)^[25]
  • Recipient of the Silver Anniversary Medal of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik
•   Estonia:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana^[26]
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the White Star^[27][28]
•   Finland:
  • Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
•   Germany:
  • Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • Member of the Decoration of Merit (Baden-Würtemberg)^{[citation needed]}
  • Member of the Decoration of Merit (Bavaria)^[29]
•   France:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour
  • Grand Cross of the Order of National Merit
•   Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of Honour^[30]
•   Holy See:
  • Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX
  • Recipient of the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice
•   Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
•   Iceland: Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon^[31]
•   Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic^[32]
•   Japan: Grand Cordon (Paulownia) of the Order of the Precious Crown
•   Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
•   Latvia:
  • Commander Grand Cros of the Order of the Three Stars
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Cross of Recognition^[33]
•   Lithuania:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great^[34]
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Merit^[35]
•   Luxembourg: Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau^[36][37]
•   Malaysia: Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm^[38]
•   Mexico: Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
•   Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands
•   Norway:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav
  • Recipient of the Silver Jubilee Medal of King Harald V
•   Poland: Knight of the Order of the White Eagle^{[citation needed]}
•   Portugal:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Christ^[39]
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry^[40]
•   Romania: Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania^[41][42]
•   Slovenia: Member of the Decoration for Exceptional Merits^{[citation needed]}
•   South Korea: Grand Gwanghwa Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit^{[citation needed]}
•   Spain:
  • Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (15 October 1979)^[43]
  • Dame Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III (16 November 2021)^[44]
•   Thailand:
  • Dame Grand Cross (1st Class) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (2003)^[45]
  • Recipient of the Boy Scout Citation Medal (2008)^[46]
  • Recipient of the Commemorative Medal on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Accession to the Throne of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (2006)
•   Tunisia: Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit^[47]
•   Ukraine:
  • Member 1st Class of the Order of Merit
  • Member 1st Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise^[48]

Awards

•   Sweden: Grand Cross of the Social Order of the Amaranth^[49][50]
•   Germany: The National German Sustainability Award^[51]
•   United Arab Emirates: Recipient of the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Motherhood and Childhood Award (November 2016)^{[citation needed]}

Honorary doctorates

Queen Silvia has been awarded a number of honorary doctorates, most recently for her work on dementia.

• 1990 – University of Turku^[52]
• 1993 – Karolinska Institute^[53]
• 1994 – Linköping University^[54]
• 1999 – University of Gothenburg^[55]
• 2023 – University of Stirling, UK^[56]

References

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3. . Childhood. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
4. [Students of an LVR School in Essen visit Queen Silvia of Sweden] (in German). 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
5. Eddy, Melissa (28 September 2013). "Dirndl, Dress of Past, Makes a Comeback in Bavaria". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
6. Gerlach, Franziska (4 September 2015). "Die Macht der Tracht". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 13 August 2020.
7. Horn, Heather (20 September 2015). "The Devil Wears a Dirndl". The Atlantic. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
8. Strassmair, Michaela (September 2019). "Typisch Oktoberfest? Darum gehört ein Dirndl eigentlich nicht auf die Wiesn". www.focus.de (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2020.
9. Kilborn, Peter (20 June 1976). "Swedish Monarch Marries German as 150,000 Turn Out". The New York Times. p. 3. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
10. Dancing Queen Royal Swedish Opera by ABBA World Hit Song Track Theatrical Stage Act Video on YouTube
11. Stacey, Danielle (15 February 2021). "Queen Silvia of Sweden injured after accident at home". Hello!. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
12. Berlin, Allan Hall in. "Swedish queen's family 'made fortune from Jewish factory seized by Nazis'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
13. "Silvia klagade på naziprogram – i brev till TV 4:s vd". Aftonbladet. 31 December 2010.
14. "Swedish queen's report denies father had Nazi links". BBC News. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
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19. Persson, Joakim (10 May 2016). "Queen Silvia of Sweden closes Global Child Forum". ScandAsia. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
20. "History". Silvia Hemmet.
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24. Narodne
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29. https://www.bayerische-staatszeitung.de/staatszeitung/leben-in-bayern/detailansicht-leben-in-bayern/artikel/bayerischer-verdienstorden-fuer-koenigin-silvia.html#topPosition
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31. . Falkadb.forseti.is. 26 October 1981. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
32. Italian Presidency website, S.M. Silvia la Regina di Svezia 28 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italian
33. vestnesis.lv. "Par Atzinības krusta piešķiršanu – Latvijas Vēstnesis". www.vestnesis.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 29 August 2019.
34. (in Lithuanian). Lrp.lt. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
35. "Lithuanian president: Swedish royal visit is consolidation of bonds between the countries – News in English – LRT". Lrt.lt. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
36. Swedish Royal website 23 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine, kungahuset.se; accessed 7 April 2016. (in Swedish)
    State visit of Grand-Dukes of Luxembourg in Sweden, gala dinner (15 April 2008)
37. "Visite d´Etat en Suède – Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg – Avril 2008". Monarchie.lu. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
38. "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang, dan Pingat Persekutuan".
39. Portuguese Presidency Website, Orders search form 17 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine : type "RAINHA SÍLVIA" in "nome", then click "Pesquisar"
40. Portuguese Presidency, King Carl XVI receives the Grand Collar of the Order of Saint James of the Sword and Queen Silvia receives the Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry : Photo.
41. Recipients of Order of the Star of Romania (Excel file) 3 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine, canord.presidency.ro; accessed 7 April 2015. (in Romanian)
42. PPE Agency Photo among gala dinner gallery, ppe-agency.com; accessed 7 April 2016.
43. "III. Otras disposiciones" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). 9 November 1979. p. 26058. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
44. "Real Decreto 1010/2021, de 16 de noviembre, por el que se concede la Gran Cruz de la Real y Distinguida Orden Española de Carlos III a Su Majestad la Reina Silvia de Suecia" [Royal Decree 1010/2021, of November 16, by which the Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Carlos III is awarded to Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden]. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). 17 November 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
45. ราชกิจจานุเบกษา, , เล่ม 120, ตอน 4 ข, 7 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2546, หน้า 1
46. (PDF). ราชกิจจานุเบกษา (in Thai). เล่ม 126 (ตอน 5 ข): หน้า 1. 18 March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
47. . Kungahuset.se. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
48. Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, zakon1.rada.gov.ua; accessed 7 April 2016.(in Ukrainian)
49. "Photographic image" (JPG). Content.foreningshuset.se. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
50. "Photographic image" (JPG). Content.foreningshuset.se. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
51. . Archived from the original on 20 October 2016.
52. . University of Turku. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
53. (PDF). Karolinska Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
54. . Linköping University. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
55. "Fakta om hedersdoktorer". University of Gothenburg. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
56. "Queen of Sweden and former Mars CEO honoured by University of Stirling". University of Stirling. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Queen Silvia of Sweden.

• Biography of Queen Silvia – Official website of the Swedish Royal Court
• Ancestry of Queen Silvia of Sweden
• World Childhood Foundation – Official site
• The Mentor Foundation International – Official site
• The Swedish Royal Family 27 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine – Information site with pictures, news etc.

Silvia Sommerlath Born: 23 December 1943
Swedish royalty
Vacant Title last held by Louise Mountbatten	Queen consort of Sweden 1976–present	Incumbent