The five royal grandchildren of Sweden

A big, happy family - Sweden's royals give everyone the photo they've been waiting for as every single member is caught in the same picture in public for the first time

It's the photo everyone has been waiting for. For the first time, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have been pictured with all their descendants as their three children and five grandchildren joined them in the gardens of Solliden for a summer photo call.

Estelle shows just how used she is to family photos as she sat happily through a picture call with her grandparents

The King and Queen of Sweden hadn't been seen with all five of their grandchildren in public since the birth of the youngest, Prince Alexander, in April this year. But as they settled into Solliden for the summer break all three generations posed for a photo for the album which will be remembered for a long time to come.

It was the first time that baby Alexander Erik Hubertus Bertil of Sweden had been seen with all his family

Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia led the Royal Family out but while this may have been a well planned photocall, the smaller members of the group had other ideas. And after just a few minutes altogether, it was clear that while there might be more boys in the third generation of Carl Gustaf and Silvia's family. it's their granddaughters who are very much in charge.

Estelle stops the show in its tracks as she finds something to do on her way to a photocall at Solliden

Princess Estelle stopped the whole royal cavalcade in its tracks as they appeared through the trees of their summer residence when she spotted something on the floor. Her grandparents might be King and Queen of Sweden but in this context, it was Estelle who ruled as they and her parents, Victoria and Daniel, had to stop and lend a hand.

Princess Leonore of Sweden makes a break for it as her family pose for a photo at their summer residence

And once everyone was settled round a bench for an idyllic family photo, Princess Madeleine's eldest child, Leonore, decided she'd had enough and promptly ran off for a quick sprint round the garden. Mum finally got her back into the group and it was time to smile for the cameras.

Oscar showed he's more than ready for his close up as he took part in his third big photo session since his birth in March 2016

Prince Oscar, now four and a half months old, and Prince Alexander who is just marking his three month milestone, sat patiently in their mothers' arms while the cameras whirred while Prince Nicolas, now thirteen months old, was clearly ready for his nap.

The Swedish Royal Family shared this perspective of the photocall on their Facebook page

(photo sveriges kungahuset Facebook)

And in the middle were the proud smiles of their grandparents. The King and Queen of Sweden have just marked forty years of marriage, Carl XVI Gustaf's 70th birthday and the 40th anniversary of Silvia's reign. But as they watch their family grow, it's clear that the future generations mean everything to them.

Photo credits: expressen.se TV stills