Queen Silvia of Sweden
Silvia Renate, Queen of Sweden, Swedish: Silvia, Sveriges Drottning ( born December 23, 1943 in Heidelberg as Silvia Renate Sommerlath ) is with the Swedish King Carl XVI since June 19, 1976. Gustaf married.
Life
Childhood and youth
Silvia Renate Sommerlath was born in Heidelberg, the daughter of Walther Sommerlath (1901-1990) and his Brazilian-born wife Alice Soares de Toledo (1906-1997) and the three older brothers Ralf, Walther and Jörg († 2006). She grew 1947-1957 on in São Paulo. In 1957 the family returned to Germany. Silvia attended, among others, the Elisabeth -von- Thadden -Schule, a private school in Heidelberg Wieblingen. In 1963 she made the Luise -Gymnasium Dusseldorf her high school, 1965-1969 she attended the Languages and Interpreting Institute in Munich. In addition to Swedish and German, she speaks French, Spanish, Portuguese, English and Swedish sign language. She worked at the Argentine Consulate in Munich, when Hostess of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and as Deputy Chief of Protocol of the Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck in 1976.
Marriage and Family
HM Konung Carl XVI. Gustaf HM Drottning Silvia
- HKH Kronprinsessan Victoria HKH Prins Daniel HKH Prinsessan Estelle
- HKH Prinsessan Leonore
HKH Prinsessan Birgitta
Silvia made at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich as a hostess the acquaintance of her future husband, Carl XVI. Gustaf of Sweden, the in the Stockholm Storkyrka she married on June 19, 1976 ( engagement on 12 March 1976). The ceremony seemed Silvia's uncle, the Leipzig professor of theology Ernst Sommerlath with. The day before, the Swedish pop group ABBA had the song Dancing Queen premiered in a program in honor of the bride and groom on Swedish television.
Carl Gustaf had become king in 1973; he would have married according to Swedish law does not evenly matched Civil Silvia as Crown Prince, he should have come out of the royal family and lost his place in the succession. This law was, however, only for princes, not for the reigning monarch.
In Germany, as in Sweden alike, Silvia is in addition to their numerous tasks a representation for disadvantaged and abused children. In 1999 she founded the World Childhood Foundation. Already in 1990 she received the German award for their commitment to disabled sports, 2002, she was awarded the German Media Prize in Baden -Baden, and in 2006 the honorary Bambi Publishing House Hubert Burda Media.
Queen Silvia is also patron of a total of 62 associations. Close to Drottningholm Palace Silvia founded the Silviahemmet (Swedish for " The Silviaheim " ), are cared for in the dementia patients. In Germany, the Foundation Silviahemmet cooperates with the Maltese, which implements the concept Silviahemmet at several locations. In addition, the royal couple the Royal Wedding Fund, the research in the field of disability sport founded support.
Silvia and Carl Gustaf have three children:
- Crown Princess Victoria (* 14 July 1977 )
- Prince Carl Philip ( born May 13, 1979)
- Princess Madeleine (born 10 June 1982).
Silvia has two granddaughters Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary, daughter of Victoria and Daniel of Sweden, and Leonore Lilian Mary, daughter of Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill.
Medals and honors (selected)
- At the request of the children, she received the International Award as a Cavalier of the Order of the Smile.
- 2009: Courage Prize
Coat of arms
The personal arms of the Queen shows in the main shield ( in the oval ladies shield shape ) the same content as the king, but the heart shield of Bernadotte is swapped with the family Sommerlath: in red and golden split shield a lily in confused colors. On the main shield rests the crown. To the main plate of the Kungliga Serafimerorden (Royal Seraphinenorden ) is placed on a blue ribbon. The coat of arms Sommerlath similar to the German family of Sommerlatt: in red a silver lily; on the helmet with red and silver covers six (alternating silver and red ) ostrich feathers. This generation comes from Thuringia and appears with Rudolfus Somerlate, alderman of the imperial city of Mulhouse, a document on July 3, 1297 and went in the 15th century in the rural nobility. 1913 was enrolled in the Royal Saxon nobility book.