The ceremony surrounding the autumn opening of the Swedish parliament on Tuesday was a sombre one as King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia - both dressed in black - arrived by horse drawn carriage.
King Carl Gustaf and his spouse were joined by their children, Princess Madeleine, Prince Carl Philip and Crown Princess Victoria, who took the arm of elderly Princess Lilian as they arrived at the Riksdag. The royal engagement was the latest event in a week of highs and lows for the king, who led hundreds at a Stockholm memorial service for slain Foreign Minister Anna Lindh last Thursday, just days before he celebrated his 30th anniversary on the throne.
The monarch opened the parliament ceremony, during which the speaker of the Riksdag, Bjoern von Sydow, paid tribute to the foreign minister, who was stabbed in a Stockholm department store last week. "The cold from that wind still has us in its grip," he said. "But despite the dark that has happened, her memory should be bright."
An invitation-only memorial for the late politician will be held on Friday at Stockholm City Hall, with leaders from Britain, Finland, Norway, Denmark and the US expected to attend.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
