Royal Profile: Queen Silvia of Sweden


Queen Silvia of Sweden was born Silvia Renate Sommerlath on 23 December 1943 in Germany  as only the daughter of Walter & Alice Sommerlath {Source}. 'She has three brothers:
  1. Ralf Sommerlath
  2. Walther Sommerlath
  3. Jörg Sommerlath (died 2006)
She spent her pre-teen and early teen years in Brazil where her father held various positions with Swedish companies that were based in Brazil{Source}.  When she was 14 years of age, the family returned to West Germany{Source}. She attended high school in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she graduated in 1963{Source}.  From 1965-1969, she attended the Munich School of Interpreting, with a Spanish major{Source}.

Upon graduation, she began working as an interpreter at the Argentinean Consulate in Munich Germany{Source}. In the early 1970s, she worked as a hostess trainer for the Organizing Committee for the Munich Olympic Games{Source}.  Then took a position as Deputy Head of Protocol of the Organizing Committee for the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria in 1976{Source}.

She and King Carl XVI Gustaf met at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich{Source}.  They announced their engagement on 12 March 1976, and they were married on 19 June the same year{Source}.  Upon their marriage, they resided in an apartment at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, but with the birth of their youngest child, they moved to Drottningholm Palace{Source}. 
Together, they have three children, three children-in-law, and seven grandchildren {Source}:
  1. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (1977)
    1. Prince Daniel of Sweden (1973, m. 2010)
      1. Princess Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary of Sweden, The Duchess of Östergötland (2012)
      2. Prince Oscar Carl Olof of Sweden, The Duke of Skåne (2016)
  2. Prince Carl Philip Edmund Bertil of Sweden, The Duke of Värmland(1979)
    1. Princess Sofia of Sweden (1984, m. 2015)
      1. Prince Alexander Erik Hubertus Bertil, The Duke of Södermanland (2016)
      2. Prince Gabriel Carl Walther, The Duke of Dalarna (2017)
  3. Princess Madeleine Thérèse Amélie Joséphine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (1981)
    1. Herr Christopher O'Neill (1974, m. 2013)\
      1. Princess Leonore Lilian Maria, The Duchess of Gotland (2014)
      2. Prince Nicolas Paul Gustaf, The Duke of Angermanland (2015)
      3. Princess Adrienne Josephine Alice, The Duchess of Blekinge (2018)


Queen Silvia often attends to official trips in Sweden and abroad with her husband{Source}. She is a regular visitor to Sweden's authorities, schools, universities, participant in anniversary events, and openings and closings of major events{Source}. 

The Queen is fluent in several languages, including: Swedish, German, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese{Source}.  The Swedish consort also has some fluency in Swedish Sign Language {Source}
As a newlywed, The Queen quickly grew to love the Swedish mountains{Source}.  She enjoys skiing in the environs of the Royal Family's cottage in Storlien{Source}.  Queen Silvia also has interests in gardening, theatre, horseback ridding, and waterskiing {Source}.

She shares a birthday with Emperor Akihito of Japan, who is 10 years her senior. Queen Silvia also shares a birthday with Princess Marie Gabrielle of Bourbon-Parma, who is 39 years her junior.
She holds honors from Sweden, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maylasia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Solvenia, South Korea, Spain, Tunisa, Thailand & Ukraine.
She is a recipient of the Lady Grand Cross of the Social Order of the Amaranth. She has also been awarded the The National German Sustainability Award In November 2016, she was a recipient of the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Motherhood and Childhood Award.

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