King of Sweden Karl Gustav: biography, history of government

King of Sweden Carl Gustav - the successor of the dynasty of Bernadotte, ruling in Sweden since the days of Napoleon. In 2016, the Swedish monarch turned 70 years old. Subjects with respect and love belong to the reigning sovereign, which is quite justified: the king is democratic, he can often be found on the streets of the capital, he cares about the prosperity of the country and citizens.

Crown Prince

King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustav was born on April 30, 1946. In the family there were already four girls, the born boy automatically became heir to the throne. Until the moment of entering the rights, many years had to pass, but his father, Gustav Adolf, died in a plane crash when the future monarch did not turn a year.

After the death of King Gustav V in 1950, the Swedish throne was taken by the grandfather of Karl Gustav - Gustav VI Adolf, and the grandson becomes heir to the throne. In connection with the new status, the family moves to the royal palace, where the four-year Crown Prince is prepared according to all the rules for future government by the state.

Initial training

Preparation for the monarchal way of thinking and life began with joining the scout movement. Karl Gustav became a Boy Scout and does not leave custody of the youth organization until now. The king of Sweden received education in the home: the incoming teachers adequately prepared the heir to enter the gymnasium. Only one school in the family did not become confined to the family, and in 1966, after the two private pensions were over, the Crown Prince went into military service.

Military training course

For two years, the King of Sweden has fought in military service in various branches of the army, comprehending the structure of the army from within. I managed to serve in the infantry, air forces, but especially he liked the navy. Interested in naval combat forces, Carl Gustav sailed on a Swedish torpedo boat, after which he passed exams and received an officer's rank. Love for the fleet has remained forever, and the monarch subsequently devoted the sea service a lot of time, mastering the large ships of his country's fleet.

For the royal families, a military career and service is an indispensable attribute of upbringing, and for any young man a passion, but a military career could not provide the modern monarch with a decent education and sufficient knowledge for the government. In the late 60's Karl Gustav began to master secular science.

Royal Institutes

Since 1968, the future King of Sweden, under a special program, has been mastering political and economic sciences within the walls of Uppsala University. Here he comprehends the economy, sociology, financial law. In-depth knowledge of economics was obtained by him at the University of Stockholm. The academic course in the theoretical part was completed in 1969.

The obtained knowledge in practice, Karl Gustav fixed during his work in state administrative bodies. For greater coverage of all branches of power and the state system, a special program was drawn up for him. Within its framework, he attended meetings of the Swedish parliament, laboratories, enterprises, trade union and public organizations, studied the work of the judicial system and the social security system of citizens.

Consolidation of knowledge

For a better understanding of the work of external interstate communication, the future monarch devoted much time to studying the Swedish government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the parliamentary system and gained experience of international work. He was an active participant in the work of the Swedish mission to the United Nations in the United States, spent much time in Africa and the UK. In England, Karl Gustav, in addition to working in international organizations, gained experience in banking.

Crown and wedding

In 1973 Gustav Adolf, the King of Sweden, died. Kronprinz took the royal robe and became an active monarch. At the time of admission, he was 27 years old, to enter into his rights at this age European dynasties have not happened for a long time. According to the old tradition, every monarch of Sweden must rise to the throne with a motto reflecting the meaning of his aspirations for the benefit of the Motherland. Karl Gustov chose the following: "For Sweden - in step with the times!"

With his wife the King of Sweden met, being crown prince in 1972. There was a fateful meeting at the Winter Olympics in Munich, where Silvia Sommerlat worked as an interpreter and was engaged in the reception of guests in the organizing committee. On the assurance of both spouses, the meeting was sealed from above, because they felt each other's attraction from the first meeting. Long enough to meet secretly, the wedding took place in 1976. To make the event happen, the old Swedish laws had to be changed, the king himself needed to apply for permission to the parliament (Riksdag). The society was not too happy to greet the bride: not everyone liked the absence of royal blood in the genealogy of the future queen.

Spouse

The royal wedding and the life of the royal family for Swedish subjects are always a fascinating topic for conversation. In Sweden, monarchs love, and much credit for this Queen Sylvia, the wife of the incumbent monarch. She was born in 1943 in a mixed family and has German and Brazilian roots. Her parents, besides her, had three older children. Father (Walter Sommerlat) was an entrepreneur and for a long time was doing business in Brazil, where he married the Brazilian Alice Soares de Toledo. She graduated from primary school in Brazil, in 1957 the Sommerlatov family returned to Germany, where she graduated from the Munich Institute of Translators.

Having married a royal title, Sylvia actively engaged in charity, as befits a monarch's wife. Under her care there are more than thirty organizations. She is also the chairman of the International Children's Fund, heads the Royal Wedding Fund, actively cares about disabled athletes and much more. The King and Queen of Sweden have been married for over forty years, which is perhaps the last example of a traditional marriage for Swedish society.

Heirs

The Swedish king and wife have four children. The first in the family in 1977 was the girl Victoria Ingrid Alisa Desiret, who became the heir to the throne under the laws of Sweden. After it, there were two more children: Prince Carl Phillip and Princess Madeleine Therese.

With the advent of the boy in the royal family, the Swedish society split for a while: one part believed that the heir to the crown should be a man, the second part insisted on the inheritance of the royal status according to the birthright. In the end, everything was decided by the law, according to which discrimination on the basis of gender is unacceptable. All the children of the royal couple are married to people of simple origin, have children and are satisfied with their lives.

What can kings do?

In 1975, traditional monarchical rule was replaced by a constitutional monarchy, under which the power of the king was significantly curtailed. According to the basic law of the country, the head of Sweden is the king. However, he does not have political power and influence, Car XVI Gustav himself says about this: "Actually, I think that" power "is an ugly word, instead of it I prefer to use the word" trust. "I do not have power. The Swedish people gave me confidence, and it warms me, inspires confidence. "

The whole life of the royal family is regulated and governed by the Riksdag, in the basic law of the country the duties of the king are described. According to them, Gustav, the King of Sweden, must receive and sign the credentials of the ambassadors of foreign states, open the first sessional meeting of the parliament after the summer holidays, the members of the government should inform the monarch about the current international situation and internal affairs of the state.

Also, the King of Sweden can visit neighboring countries, at the request of the government has the right to receive foreign delegations and heads of state. The head of the state has higher military ranks, but the army does not obey him. For the maintenance of the royal family, the Riksdag annually allocates a monetary content, the amount of which is discussed each time.

Quite often the question arises: why does Sweden need a monarchy? Political scientists and people converge in the idea that the King of Sweden is a symbol of the unity of the nation and the stability of society. No one is going to object to this.