And... did she come?

Of course she did. The future Queen of Sweden, HRH Crown Princess Victoria arrived as scheduled to Seattle  

  • At the VIP Dinner, May 7. L-R: Gabriella Augustsson, Public Affairs & Press Counselor Swedish Embassy; Sten GE Lindahl, MD, PhD, FRCA, Professor, Karolinska Institutet; Mrs. Eva Hafström; Lars Jonsson, Honorary Consul to WA State and Sweden Week founder; Mrs. Ulla Lindahl; Jonas Hafström, Swedish Ambassador to the U.S.

  • She arrived on May 7 for a busy program towards end of Sweden Week. Lunches, dinners, festive openings and official visits, always with a smile, always willing to listen, always taking questions, she charmed everyone.

  • Reception at the Honorary Consul's residence. L-R: Gunnar Wieislander, State Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Trade; Mrs. Laurie Jonsson; Jonas Hafström, Swedish Ambassador to the U.S.; Mrs. Eva Hafström; Consul Lars Jonsson, Sweden Week founder.

  • The brainchild of Swedish Consul to Seattle, Washington, Lars Jonsson, this was a Week to remember for the area's many Swedes and Scandinavians. The goal was to pay tribute to the long shared history between Seattle and Sweden but also to strengthen the current relationships between the two places and our nations. A magnificent success not the least thanks to the Sweden's future Monarch's personality and charm. That said, however, our collective hats go off for Consul Lars Jonsson, the local Nordic Heritage Museum crew, Swedish Cultural Center, the SWEA and SACC-USA organizations, schools and all of the volunteers and locals that made this week possible.

  • HRH Crown Princess Victoria in the midst of children, youth and teachers at Svenska Skolan, Seattle on May 8.

  • The Crown Princess herself brought royal glamour to the grand finale of this memorable week. She attended the festive VIP dinner May 7 to honor Nobel laureates from the area, made visits to the Swedish School, Svenska Skolan, in Seattle, to the Nordic Heritage Museum and opened the Nordic Fashion Show May 8.

  • Always attentive, always willing to listen and answer questions, Sweden's future Queen, HRH Crown Princess Victoria at the Swedish School, Seattle.

  • HRH Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée, Crown Princess of Sweden and Duchess of Västergötland. Indeed, a Queen of the time, to paraphrase the title of a recent book by the Finnish-Swedish historian and author Herman Lindqvist.
    Born: 14 July 1977 at Karolinska Hospital in Solna.
    Family: Father King Carl XVI Gustaf, mother Queen Silvia, brother Prince Carl Philip, born on 13 May 1979 and sister Princess Madeleine, born on 10 June 1982.
    Victoria became Crown Princess in 1980 when the Act of Succession changed. The Crown Princess will be Sweden's first female Head of State from the Bernadotte Dynasty. In modern times Sweden has only had two queens regnant, Kristina and Ulrika Eleonora.
    The wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling on June 19 will no doubt be the royal event of the year in Europe.

  • Earlier in the same week SACC-USA organized Sweden Week Business Focus Edays, a three-day business conference uniting Swedish and American business leaders. Here, speaking to the participants, Ambassador Matthew Barzun, U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, visiting from Stockholm.

  • More information on organizations mentioned in text:
    www.skolforeningen.org
    www.swedishculturalcenter.org
    www.nordicmuseum.org
    www.sacc-usa.org
    www.swedenweek.org

  • It wasn't all focus on hitech business, receptions and tuxedo dinners... here is Urban Lundberg, Chairman SACC-USA... doing, well.. catching a fish.

  • The celebration of the centennial birthdays of both Swedish Hospital and the Scandinavian Department at the University of Washington inspired Consul Lars Jonsson to the creation of Sweden Week.
    Scandinavian Department at the University of Washington: http://depts.washington.edu/scand/
    Swedish Hospital: www.swedish.org

  • And Ambassador Barzun showing talent for a hard catch. ..Only in Seattle!

  • All photography: Kerstin Alm
    www.mamarazzi.us.com