Germany will probably never get closer to a queen. Silvia of Sweden, who was born in Heidelberg, has not only been the woman at the side of the Swedish monarch Carl XVI for half a century. Gustaf (77), but also something like Germany’s figurehead in the royal world. Full of meticulousness and discipline, the former Olympic hostess has redefined the office of queen and turned it into a full-time job that is about much more than just being the smiling woman at the king’s side. On Saturday (December 23rd) Silvia will be 80 years old – an age that you can hardly see or notice on her.
“She continues to have a phenomenal memory,” reports royal family expert Leontine Gräfin von Schmettow, who recently interviewed the queen at Drottningholm Palace near Stockholm for the ARD documentary “Silvia – Born to Be a Queen.” Silvia is always extremely precise in her comments and can easily switch back and forth between languages.
Long working days
Long working days didn’t bother the queen, says von Schmettow. “It’s really unbelievable: When we’re all set and all set in the evening after a long day with a lot of program and appointments, she’s still standing at a state banquet in an evening dress with a beaming face and paying attention to the people. Maybe she’s with the good Lord a lot of energy has been given.”
Perhaps it is the family that continues to serve as a source of strength for the mother of three and grandmother of eight in her old age. Silvia has an “incredibly important role model function,” says von Schmettow, especially for Crown Princess Victoria.
Heidelberg, São Paulo, Munich and Stockholm
The middle-class Silvia Sommerlath was born one day before Christmas 1943 in Heidelberg. As the daughter of a German businessman and his Brazilian wife, she grew up in São Paulo for many years before returning to Germany with her family as a teenager. She was interested in languages from an early age – this talent later paved the way for her to get the job as head hostess at the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972.
There, a prominent Olympic guest with an idiosyncratic sense of humor observed them up close with binoculars: Sweden’s current King Carl XVI. Gustaf, then still crown prince. The two went out to dinner together and became a couple, marrying in Stockholm in 1976. In the following years their children Victoria (46), Prince Carl Philip (44) and Princess Madeleine (41) were born.
Savior of the Swedish monarchy
For the clumsy Carl Gustaf, the elegant Silvia was a real stroke of luck. When he became king in 1973, the Swedish monarchy was in deep crisis. In politics there was a lot of thought about a system change towards a republic.
Silvia came at just the right time. “When the king married Silvia, the two of them charmed the Swedish people and the mood changed,” says former Swedish Foreign Minister Jan Eliasson in the ZDF documentary “Silvia. Sweden’s German Queen”, for which filmmaker Julia Melchior also worked with Silvia and many of her companions.
The Swedes’ fatigue with the monarchy at the time, as the documentary makes clear, was blown away within a short time by the charismatic Silvia. The Swedish population welcomed her with a lot of warmth, support and acceptance, reports Silvia in an interview with royal family expert Melchior. Just under a quarter of a century after the Second World War, this was certainly not a given for a German.
Since then, Queen Silvia has been a role model for many in the Scandinavian country with her discipline, modesty and determination. Given her origins, she is often said to combine a Brazilian heart with a German head and a Swedish soul. She also benefited from the fact that there were no rules for the office of queen that she had to adhere to. “So I had the freedom to do what I thought was right and what my husband also thought was right,” says Silvia in the ZDF documentary.
Commitment to children and people with dementia
Above all, Silvia believed and believes that charity work is right, especially for people with dementia and for children. Among other things, she founded the World Childhood Foundation in 1999, which supports children all over the world and of which her youngest daughter Madeleine is now her deputy as honorary chair. The children are also the greatest thing for Silvia in her personal life. “With a growing number of grandchildren, being with the family is what the Queen loves to do most when the opportunity arises,” writes the Swedish royal family about her.
Whether a family man or a professional queen: whatever Silvia does, she always does it with full commitment. “Silvia lives her role. She has a very royal charisma, a majestic aura,” says Melchior. “She can also be very warm and very funny – but when you sit across from her you never forget that there is a queen sitting there.” You can tell by her posture, her movements and gestures and also by what she thinks and says.
Silvia remains true to her role model and her good heart even on her 80th birthday. The Queen wished that anyone who wanted to give her a gift should primarily think about projects for children in Ukraine who are suffering from mental illnesses because of the Russian war of aggression in their country. In the run-up to her special day, she started, among other things, a fundraising campaign where donations can be made until the end of the year. According to reports from the royal family, Silvia will ultimately celebrate her birthday in private – with her family, of course.
