The flat pack prince

If you marry a princess then there's one thing you probably won't have to do unless you really want to and that's put together flat pack furniture.  While other husbands will probably spend at least one Bank Holiday trying to figure out which piece of identical looking wood is part A and which is part K and what happens if you slot them together without checking and find the thing is back to front, royal husbands have palaces full of all kinds of wardrobes ready made for them.  Dowels, Allan keys and annoying pots of glue that stick to everything except the thing they're meant to stick to are not a part of your life.  So Prince Daniel of Sweden must have been a bit perplexed when he found his royal diary for August 26th included a trip to IKEA.

 

Prince Daniel found himself in IKEA at the start of the week

 

But when your wife is heir to the throne of Sweden and IKEA just happens to be one of her future realm's most successful businesses, the chances of being asked to bring back something that's fairly cheap and will hold most of Estelle's toys are small.  The prince was finding out about the company's success and how its model can inspire entrepreneurs of the future.  While most of us get to wander through the showroom and then into the warehouse to find the flatpack we need, Daniel was treated to a creative session with the firm's bosses and a chat about environmental sustainability.

 

Like all men, Prince Daniel can't resist buying yet another torch to add to the pile that will 'come in handy one day if we have a powercut'

 

The prince also met the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, at his home to find out how he got started and what tips he had for budding business brains in Sweden.  Unsurprisingly for a man who started up his own business before marrying into royalty, Prince Daniel has a great passion for entrepreneurship and many of his activities are linked to increasing business and commerce opportunities.

 

 

Prince Daniel with the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad.