Grandmother first, for a moment...

She has been a queen for almost forty years but for a moment, Silvia of Sweden was a grandmother first.  In a photo released to mark the official naming of her second grandchild, the Swedish consort is seen beaming with pride as she holds Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland in her arms.  No crown, no throne, no robes but a huge smile that shows even queens fall in love with princesses.

A king, a queen and their little royal duchess - Sivlia of Sweden holds little Leonore while Carl XVI Gustaf looks on

From grandson to grandad...

Carl XVI Gustaf succeeded his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf.  On this day in 1973 he was the grandson, a new king, but still the grandson of the popular old man whose reign had just ended.  Today, as he marks his 40th jubilee, perhaps the happiest photo of the day showed the king with his granddaughter, Estelle.

From grandson to grandfather, the reign of Carl XVI Gustaf has come full circle

 

The little princess, aged 19 months, came along to the dancing at the palace which saw the festivities take off with thousands joining in the party across Stockholm.  After a few waves to the king and queen from the balcony above, her parents brought her down and granny swept her off to dance with the man whose dynasty little Estelle has secured.

Dancing queen - and king

There's dancing in the streets of Stockholm tonight to mark the 40th jubilee of King Carl XVI Gustaf.  The Royal Palace courtyard and the city's landmark North Bridge have been the centres of the party which thousands have turned out for.  And leading the dancing were the king and queen.  Silvia was the reason Abba first played their song, Dancing Queen, in their home country of Sweden giving it its premiere for her wedding celebrations.  Tonight Silvia enjoyed a waltz with her Jubilee King as Carl XVI Gustaf dances his way into the history books.

A dancing king and queen - Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia get the party started in Stockholm on his Jubilee Day, September 15th 2013

A queen in the pink

It will be interesting to see if Queen Silvia of Sweden picks pink for the big jubilee celebrations in Stockholm today.  Because the raspberry lace dress she wore for the government hosted meal and later concert in the Swedish capital was almost exactly the same shade as the outfit she wore for King Carl XVI Gustaf's silver jubilee in 1998.

 

Queen Silvia with her husband, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, at jubilee events in Stockholm on the evening of September 14th 2013

 

The 25th celebrations were split through the year with a big event on Sweden's national day, June 6th, when 2000 guests from around the country were invited to the Royal Palace for a reception.  A lunch was held on the actual anniversary of September 15th and that's when the pink frock came out.

 

 

Queen Silvia at the special lunch held on September 15th 1998 to mark her husband's silver jubilee

 

This year's version is a bit more glittery and might even be described as pale ruby - forty years, after all, is a ruby anniversary. But we'll have to wait til a little bit later to see if we get a hattrick of pink on jubilee days from Queen Silvia.

Jubilee evening in Sweden

The Swedish royal family are at the Stockholm Concert Hall for a concert marking the jubilee that's being celebrated over the weekend.  King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia arrived with their children and sons in law for the event which begins twenty four hours of festivities that will end with dancing in the streets.

 

The King and Queen of Sweden arriving at the Concert Hall in Stockholm for the celebration that kicks off twenty four hours of events to mark Carl XVI Gustaf's 40 years on the throne

 

Earlier the whole family had been at a special dinner to mark the event hosted by the government including Princess Madeleine showing the first hints of pregnancy.  The Prime Minister gave a speech to mark the occasion and then it was off to the concert, being hosted by parliament.  And then everyone's up nice and early tomorrow for a thanksgiving service at the Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace before the party really gets started.

 

 

Two royal daughters, one royal son and two royal sons-in-law - the family join the king and queen of Sweden for a dinner and concert to mark the jubilee being celebrated this weekend

Jubilee under way in Sweden

The celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of King Carl XVI Gustaf's reign get under way today with whole weekend of parties and festivities to celebrate the milestone of the second longest reigning king in Sweden since the Middle Ages.

 

King Carl XVI Gustaf is about to join a very small club of European monarchs who have reigned for forty years

 

The event gets under way with the opening a special exhibition in the Royal Palace of Stockholm all about the king's reign.  It promises special photos, paintings and artefacts from the four decades he has ruled Sweden and it will be open to visitors in the Hall of State and Royal Apartments until the beginning of February 2014.

 

 

The official portrait of Carl XVI Gustaf in 1973, the year he became king.  It was taken by Lennart Nilsson who's work also forms part of the official banner designed to mark the jubilee

 

The first big state occasion come on Saturday when the government hosts a special dinner at the Nordiska Museum in Stockholm while a special jubilee concert will take place at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

 

 

The King and Queen of Sweden will attend a special dinner on the eve of the jubilee

 

On the big day itself, Sunday 15th September, the 67 year old king will attend a thanksgiving service at the Royal Chapel of the Palace in Stockholm.  From midday there's a huge celebration planned in the capital called Dancing at the Palace which will feature plenty of music starting on the North Bridge and, after a toast to the king, free entry to the Inner Courtyard of the Royal Palace to allow as many people as possible to join in with the festivities.

 

 

The North Bridge in Stockholm is the oldest in the city and will be a focal point for the celebrations marking the king's big jubilee

 

After all that partying, the king then gets to put his feet up for a few days before a state reception on Thursday brings the event to an end.  Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia have just completed their tour of Sweden undertaken over the last few months to mark the anniversary.  Add to that the special stamps, mugs and posters produced as souvenirs and it will be a long time before anyone forgets this year of celebrations.