On Saturday, August 14, the Bernadottes gathered in Stockholm to celebrate the newest member of the Swedish royal family. Here’s a look at the royal christening of Prince Julian—and the royal jewels worn for the occasion.
Prince Julian, the youngest of three sons of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden, was baptized by Bishop Johan Dalman and the Reverend Michael Bjerkhagen in the chapel of Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm. The palace is the private residence of Prince Julian’s grandparents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Prince Julian Herbert Folke, Duke of Halland was born in Stockholm on March 26. He is the first member of the royal family to be born after a series of changes were made to royal styles and titles for some of the descendants of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Julian received the title of prince, as well as the traditional royal dukedom, but he is not styled as His Royal Highness.
While he’s a member of the extended royal family, Prince Julian not a member of the royal house, which means that he won’t be expected to perform royal duties on behalf of the monarch when he gets older. His brothers, Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel, share the same status, as do three of his cousins, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne (the children of Princess Madeleine). The changes were welcomed by Carl Philip and Madeleine, who expressed relief that their children would have a wider range of options open to them as adults.
The dukedom that Prince Julian received is a particularly meaningful one for the family. The previous Duke of Halland was Prince Bertil, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s beloved uncle. Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian were extremely close to the royals, acting as surrogate grandparents for Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine. Prince Bertil was one of Prince Carl Philip’s godparents, and today Carl Philip, Sofia, and their sons live in Villa Solbacken, which was Bertil and Lilian’s official residence.
For the christening, Princess Sofia wore a white Etro dress festooned with colorful flowers, plus a white headpiece with a large bow. She pinned the Royal Family Order of King Carl XVI Gustaf to her dress.
Sofia’s accessories also included pearl drop earrings from Ole Lynggaard, bracelets, and rings on both hands.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia attended the christening of their eighth grandchild. The King participated in the service, conferring the Order of the Seraphim on baby Julian (complete with an adorable baby-sized sash).
Queen Silvia wore a lovely mint green dress and jacket for the occasion, accessorized with pearls. Her necklace and earrings are made of small, clustered pearls. She also added a two-stranded pearl bracelet to the stack on her right wrist. She pinned her husband’s Royal Family Order to the bow embellishment on her jacket.
Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle, and Prince Oscar were also present for the baptism.
Crown Princess Victoria wore slender hoop earrings and her father’s family order with a summery printed dress from By Malina.
Princess Madeleine attended with her husband, Chris O’Neill, and their children, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne.
With her Zimmermann dress, Princess Madeleine wore diamond and aquamarine earrings that she’s had in her collection for years, plus her father’s Royal Family Order.
The christening ceremony was broadcast on Swedish television, and right now, it’s available to stream online.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.