King Carl Gustaf opened Sweden’s Riksdag two weeks after the general election while the parties were still in deadlock over forming a government. The ceremony went ahead, but no prime minister was available to give the customary speech after the king.
King Carl Gustaf at Riksdag
The king used his speech to press for restraint and compromise. “My wish is that this parliamentary year will be characterized by sensitivity, honesty and a long-term vision,” he said. He added: “That you listen to one another even when you don't share the same opinion, and that you seek common solutions. And that you demonstrate the leadership that the people have the right to expect from their elected representatives.”
Speaker of Parliament Andreas Norlén greeted the royal family at the entrance, and the public procession arrived by carriage and horse-drawn coach. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia came by carriage, while Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel arrived in a historic horse-drawn coach.
Princess Sofia returns
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine joined the ceremony with their spouses, and Princess Sofia returned after missing last year’s opening while on maternity leave. Princess Madeleine had revived the tradition for herself in 2024 after moving back to Stockholm, and Chris O'Neill has not missed the opening of parliament since relocating to Sweden, even though he has no official royal duties.
The women of the royal family followed a black-and-white dress code tied to a court custom King Gustav III introduced in the 18th century, and Queen Silvia brought it back in the 1980s. That made the opening feel formal even as the political side of the day remained unsettled: the annual ceremony proceeded without a government agreement in place and without a prime minister to speak.
The opening now leaves the parties with the work the ceremony could not settle. They still have to form a government, and the public test is whether the next round of talks can produce an agreement after the election deadlock. For readers, that means the state opening has happened; the governing one has not. Deadlocked Jury trial 27-point deadlock deadlocked in World Cup
