© Unofficial Royalty 2012
In 1980, the succession law was changed to allow cognatic succession in which succession passes to the eldest child of the monarch regardless of gender. Before 1980, Sweden had the Salic Law which forbids female succession. For more information, see The Swedish Act of Succession.
Only King Carl XVI Gustaf’s legitimate Lutheran descendants can succeed to the throne. A person will lose succession rights and deprive their descendants of their succession rights if he or she is not brought up in Sweden, ceases to be a Lutheran, marries without the consent of the Government, or ascends the throne of another state by election, inheritance or marriage without the consent of the monarch and the Swedish parliament.
On October 7, 2019, the Swedish Royal Court announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf had decided to make changes regarding the children of his son Prince Carl Philip and his daughter Princess Madeleine. Their children would no longer be members of The Royal House but would continue to be members of The Royal Family. In addition, they would no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness but they would retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by King Carl XVI Gustaf. They will remain in the line of succession to the Swedish throne but in the future, they will not be expected to perform any royal duties.
For more information about the Swedish Royal Family, past and present, see Unofficial Royalty: Swedish Index.
King Carl XVI Gustaf, the grandson of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, is the current sovereign of the Kingdom of Sweden. King Carl Gustaf’s father Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten died in an airplane crash when his son was nine-months-old.
The current order of succession is:
- HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (born 1977, eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf)
- HRH Princess Estelle of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland (born 2012, eldest child of Crown Princess Victoria)
- HRH Prince Oscar of Sweden, Duke of Skåne (born 2016, second child of Crown Princess Victoria)
- HRH Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Duke of Värmland (born 1979, second child of King Carl XVI Gustaf)
- Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland (born 2016, eldest child of Prince Carl Philip)
- Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna (born 2017, second child of Prince Carl Philip)
- Prince Julian, Duke of Halland (born 2021, third child of Prince Carl Philip)
- HRH Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (born 1982, third child of King Carl XVI Gustaf)
- Princess Leonore of Sweden, Duchess of Gotland (born 2014, eldest child of Princess Madeleine)
- Prince Nicolas of Sweden, Duke of Ångermanland (born 2015, second child of Princess Madeleine)
- Princess Adrienne of Sweden, Duchess of Blekinge (born 2018, third child of Princess Madeleine)
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