Just hours after the birth of their little princess in the early hours of Thursday morning, Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel were already on their way home.In a picture posted on Facebook, the new parents can be seen leaving hospital, looking tired but happy, with their new baby wrapped up snuggly in a new car seat. The little girl will be brought up in Haga Palace, which Victoria describes as a "real Pippi Longstocking home", in reference to the popular children's character.
Designed as grand house rather than an official residence, the 19th-century mansion had an informal, cosy feel.It has a garden measuring eight hectares, with a lake and the original playhouse used by Gustaf V, the current king's great-grandfather.
Even though the child will grow up in surroundings fit for a future queen, she's still eligible for child support. The head of Försäkringskassan, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, has announced they will pay an allowance to the new princess from March 20.Like all parents, Victoria and her husband Daniel are eligible to receive 1,050 kronor ($157) each month until their daughter turns 16.Meanwhile, the birth of the child was being marked in other ways.At noon on Thursday a special 42-gun salute was fired from the cannons on Skeppsholmen island, in central Stockholm as thousands of onlookers cheered.
Normally, only 21 cannons are fired to salute the arrival of a royal baby, but when an heir to the throne is born, the number is doubled to 42.
Salutes in other cities such as Gothenburg and Boden will be fired on Friday. This will be when the name of the baby is announced – though odds of 5 to 1 are being offered on Alicia.And touchingly, the carpets of the maternity ward had been changed from their usual colour to a striking red to mark the occasion.
