Followed by a contingent of Swedish press photographers, Swedish Crown Princess Victoria visited Ballard over the weekend as the honored guest at the Arctic Summer fashion show at the Nordic Heritage Museum.
Despite having a younger brother, Crown Princess Victoria is the heir-apparent to the Swedish throne. In 1979, the Swedish Parliament changed the Act of Succession, making the firstborn child the heir regardless of gender.
Although her royal highness received attention as a guest in the audience, the kids stole the show on the catwalk. From not wanting to walk the runway, to walking it several times, the kids were the stars of the show.
The show, emceed by Ole Henriksen, a Danish skincare entrepreneur, featured recent fashions from 16 Scandinavian designers.
Her royal highness was visiting Seattle as part of Sweden Week. On Friday, she attended a dinner with six local Nobel laureates at the Seattle Four Seasons.
Her sister Princess Madeleine was scheduled to make the trip but canceled at the last minute, sending Crown Princess Victoria in her place. The Royal Court told a Swedish newspaper the last-minute change was sparked by Princess Madeleine’s high-profile break up late last month.
Her Royal Highness?
We live in a republic, we don’t grovel to unelected heads of state, especially foreign ones. Just call her by her name please.
It was a fantastisk event from the Nordic Museum! I hope to see more of these contemporary programs there. The price of the ticket was more than paid for by the brilliant swag bags! We received free haircuts from 7 Salon, Icelandic yogurt vouchers from Siggi’s, chocolate, a skincare line from Ole Henriksen, charm bracelets, and more!
Using the title of another country’s head of state is a show of respect, which in turn is a demonstration of strength and confidence. No groveling is involved.
My sympathy.
Intersting – on one hand Barfly gets bent over use of a title in respect and courtesy, while on the other vestlandsjeta was all about the swag.
I believe this was about diplomacy.
Funny how Americans all go ga-ga over unelected royalty.
I’m with Barfly, thankfully we live in a republic.
I note that democratic constitutional monarchies are among the most civilized countries on earth. This badass republic is a debtor nation, at prepetual war, full of homeless beggars and petty criminals, violent criminals, white collar criminals, grafting polititians, drug dealers, drug addicts, alcoholics, lunatics, maniacs, and keepers of vicious dogs. I often wish I was Swedish, or Danish, or Norwegian and lived among civilized mature adults for a change.
Tony,
1. Renounce your United States citizenship.
2. Sell your belongings.
3. Fly one way to any Nordic country you wish. For example, on May 12:
Alaska Airlines AS20 departs at 8:30am
from Seatac to Chicago. then at 4:30 pm Scandinavian Airlines SK946 departs Chicago for Stockholm all for $3000.oo
(one way).
Come on Tony, put your money where your mouth is!! I’m sure they will love you in Scandanavia!!
Oh and Tony, start paying 50% (minimum) taxes on your income to live in paradise and support these Royals.
For our taxes (which BTW are not 50% minimum but much less with a normal income — actually I personally don’t know anyone who should pay 50%) we get an awful lot. When I fall ill, no one will ask if I’ve paid my health insurances — because everyone here has an insurance. I have a free medication for my chronic illness, get free lab tests and doctor’s consultations. I got a free education in one of the best schools of our country (and the other schools are not so bad either ;-)) and at our best university. We have a good public transportation etc. etc. The list is long and impressive, and if you stop to think about what you get for your taxes, you ‘ll happily pay them — and you don’t pay them just for yourself but for everyone. And as I have close relatives living in the U.S., I can pretty well compare our countries — and would never ever even think about moving from here to there ;-). Just hope that you could have at least the same health care system as we do.
While I don’t mind the use of “her royal highness,” as I also view this as a sign of international respect, I do mind the tabloid news reporting that took place in the last paragraph. Tacky.
Enjoy the flight back, Scandinavian.
Some of us love living in America and don’t want the Scandinavian model of high taxes, high welfare, social dependency, mono-culture and Royal potentates. That’s why so many Scandos fled and moved to right here in Ballard, for freedom and opportunity denied them in Europe.
Oh, and we don’t like people who get their titles because they were squirted out by the right parents, whether it’s a Bush or Vicky from Stockholm here.
There is nothing wrong with showing respect to European Royalty. They have their traditions, we have ours. I’d like to believe that we can both co-exist in the same world, but judging from some of the prigs in this post I guess not. The Revolutionary War is long over. Americans are allegedly a tolerant people. I wouldn’t believe it reading some of these comments.
Oh, for goodness sake. She wasn’t here to take over Ballard. She was here to enjoy and celebrate. Honoring her title is merely polite. It’s called Diplomacy. A term some on this blog seem completely unfamiliar with.
Great flowers!
Jeez… were these pictures pictures taken by Michael J Fox or something? Focus please!
We have our own royalty too. The billionaire class that can separate themselves from the little people with their wealth wield far more power over our lives than any of the European monarchy have over their subjects. Through access to political power and lobbying for their own interests the heads of industry get what they want and take more than they need while the princes and princesses of Europe attend mall openings.
I welcome Princess Victoria, I hope she enjoys her stay, and I hope she has the good fortune to not read the comments section.
Oh, please, get over yourselves about the woman’s title. BTW, Sweden has always had a feudal system- Norway has not. And at the time of the huge immigrations to America around the turn of the century, Norway was teh poorest country in Europe. But that is neither here nor there.
The lady in question attended a fashion show, that hs all. She did not speak to the crowd in any way.
So Ballard Guy – does it bother you that the “freedom and opportunity’ advantage we *had* has disappeared?
Thanks to the right wingers, we now have lower income mobility than the Swedes do (so much for “moving on up” American style) and fewer freedoms, too (arbitrary detention without trial anyone?).
I look forward to your working with us progressives to fix that gap :-)
Something tells me, though, that you’re just another “reality has no vote” type …
“freedom and opportunity’ advantage we *had* has disappeared?
I haven’t noticed any change.
“working with us progressives to fix that gap”
You mean raising everyone’s taxes? No thanks, I’ll work with Obama, the centrist.
Well, if you “haven’t noticed any change” then I guess that pretty much clinches the case – no worries about all those pesky econometric stats (or actual people) out there.
The next time I read some paper that has a ranking of countries by economic mobility I’ll just have to remind myself to ignore all that painstakingly assembled info – BG said it’s all peachy here! :-)
Well Greg, I suggest if you wish to be economically upwardly mobile, I suggest you get to work!! No one is stopping you from making as mush money as possible.
Have U.S. citizens been detained arbitrarely without trial? Funny, one would think the lawyers would be howling and I have not heard a peep. You can, and have always been able to, be held for 72 hours without being charged. After that you must be charged or released. You can request a lawyer at any time and one will be provided to you without charge. What rights **exactly** have you lost? Name them.
Just as I thought, another whiney, lazy liberal who wants other people’s hard earned money to be handed over to him because he thinks he’s owed something by society.