A Blue-blooded Fairytale

In the United Kingdom, the Queen celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, the first British monarch to achieve this, in a private manner. While the British Royal family is a global brand, we have to equip ourselves with enough knowledge of other royal families, when traveling in Europe.

Take Sweden as an example. Carl XVI Gustaf has been the 74th King since 1973. Crown Princess Victoria will be the successor of the throne. As the Head of State, the King is Swedish foremost representative and symbol. His duties are regulated by the constitution.

Today, the Royal Palaces are owned by the state but at the disposal of the King. Built in baroque style, it has over 600 rooms divided into 11 floors. Step in the regal history in the museum, when the Swedish Empire once ruled the Baltic region before Great Northern War.

It is located in the square Stortorget of Gamla Stan, near the royal chapel. Walking on the cobbled street and townhouses offers the best FIKA moment. Besides nobility, the open-air museum Skansen, the salvaged Vasa, and the Nobel Prize Museum are some state treasures, outside the palace of this neutral country.

Sadly, a good relationship with the people is not a guarantee for some. Juan Carlos has led Spain from dictatorship to democracy, he abdicated the throne in 2014, following a controversial hunting trip and a corruption investigation involving his daughter’s husband.

As the head of state and the Spanish Royal Household, his son Felipe was forced not only to reduce the members of the royal family after the scandal, the breakdown of the two-party system and the Catalan separatist movement have also posed extra challenges to his throne.

Indeed, the family lives in the largest Royal Palace in Western Europe, and owns art pieces which are as precious as some in the Prado Museum. As the instability continues, people can only share the sunset in the Sabatini Garden, how the color tone alters the gray stones of the Palace, instead of their duties.

Monarchy has a long history. It is more than a fairytale-like story of prince, princess and a poisoned apple. To understand better how the monarch and government support and trust each other, watch the best-ranking series, “the Crown”, under all kinds of travel restrictions.