It is an immutable ritual. A special moment that they share with Queen Silvia, their beloved grandmother. On December 16, 2024, Princess Estelle, Prince Oscar and their cousins, Princes Alexander, Gabriel and Julian, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne, are waiting for the forestry students from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå. Here they are arriving at the royal palace in Stockholm with several Christmas trees.
Neither one nor two, the children of Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine rush to meet them. Alongside Queen Silvia, they greet them and shake their hands. “We come from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå, where we are studying to become master foresters. What we have with us today are Norwegian spruces. This tradition has been continued since the early years 1960,” says Karl Hanson, one of the students.
Balls, bows and other decorations to hang in the trees are in wooden baskets brought by the children. A caring grandmother, the wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf ensures that everything runs smoothly, standing ready to help her little princes and princesses if they need her. The eldest of this new generation, Princess Estelle is very complicit with Queen Silvia.
With a ribbon in her hand, she places it around a branch while her brother, Prince Oscar, places a star on one of the fir trees. The youngest Bernadottes, for their part, have difficulty hiding their enthusiasm. Like Prince Alexander, 8 years old, who discovers, in amazement, one of the ornaments to hang from the spruce trees. His youngest, Prince Julian, 3 and a half years old, is having fun with a golden ball. An activity that delights them all just one week before Christmas. One last Christmas before welcoming a new prince or princess, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia preparing to become parents for the fourth time.
