Their Majesties the King and Queen leave the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm on Thursday to travel to the Royal Palace to attend a formal gala dinner hosted by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. (Photo: Royal Office)
On the Thursday evening, Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand travelled by royal car from the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm to the Royal Palace to attend a formal gala dinner hosted by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
The banquet brought together heads of state, members of foreign royal families and distinguished guests who had gathered to mark the Swedish monarch’s 80th birthday celebrations.
For the occasion, Queen Suthida wore the Diamond Fringe Tiara, a treasured royal heirloom passed down from Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother. The piece originally belonged to Queen Saovabha Phongsri and was presented as a gift by King Chulalongkorn during a royal visit to Europe.
The tiara shone alongside an elegant Thai silk ensemble and a long gown inspired by the historic style of the late Queen Mother, drawing admiration and praise from observers around the world. (Story continues below)
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden arrive for the gala dinner in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace as part of the celebrations of the king’s 80th birthday in Stockholm, on April 30, 2026. (Photo: TT News Agency via AFP)
King Carl XVI Gustaf, the longest reigning monarch in Swedish history, began the day with a morning thanksgiving celebration, called a Te Deum, at the palace chapel.
Under sunny skies and unusually mild temperatures, large crowds thronged the palace grounds to then watch a military honour guard, after which young children lined up to hand over flowers.
The king, his guests and crowds thronging the streets around the royal palace were also treated to a flypast, including eight JAS Gripens, as well as a 21-gun salute and a choral tribute.
“Seeing you all gathered here feels fantastic for my guests and me, to see this choir before me and that you’ve all come here to sing on this day,” the king told the cheering crowd from a palace balcony.
Helene Lofstrand, a 52-year-old finance sector worker, was among those who came out to show her support.
“I think, personally, that His Majesty is doing a great job. The politically independent representative that he is for the country is very important, and I think we’re all very proud of him,” she told AFP.
In a recent interview with the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, the king — who was known in his youth as a car-mad playboy — spoke of the burden of responsibility that comes with his role.
“It is heavy,” he said. “I am king all the time. You have to be.”
The king, whose role has been purely ceremonial since constitutional reform in 1974, celebrated his golden jubilee in 2023.
He was the world’s youngest monarch when he was crowned aged 27 in 1973 following the death of his grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf.