Every 14 July, the Swedish royal family gathers at Solliden on Öland for Victoriadagen, the day set aside to mark crown princess Victoria's birthday. This year, turning 49, she chose a dress from Norwegian label Bytimo for the occasion – and, so did Princess Estelle
Every 14 July, the Swedish royal family decamps to Solliden, their white-walled summer residence on Öland, for Victoriadagen. There are birthday cheers for the Crown Princess led by the king, a horse-drawn procession into Borgholm, and, come evening, HRH Victoria hands out the prize named in her honour on a stage set into the ruins of the castle. This year, turning 49, she did it all wearing a watercolour marvel by Norwegian occasion wear brand ByTiMo.
For a day full of greeting well-wishes in the sun, the organza dress was a considered choice. HRH Victoria first wore the Norwegian label as far back as 2018, at Princess Adrienne's christening, and has returned to it steadily since. And it is easy to see why. The Norwegian label's painterly print of lilac and cream florals gathered at the waist with a matching self-tie belt was incredibly becoming on Sweden's future queen.
The rest of the family kept pace. Princess Madeleine chose a linen-and-silk shirtdress by Paul & Joe, and Princess Sofia opted for a floral maxi dress from Finnish label Andiata. Princess Estelle, second in line to the throne, matched her mother label for label: a striped shirtdress, belted at the waist, also by ByTiMo.
The birthday's official business took place at the evening concert, where Victoria presented the Victoria Prize to cross-country skier Frida Karlsson, continuing a tradition that has honoured a Swedish athlete each year since 1979. The broadcast doubled as the annual fundraiser for Radiohjälpen's Crown Princess Victoria's Fund, which supports children and young people living with disabilities or chronic illness – a cause the crown princess established on her own twentieth birthday, in 1997.
Not every detail of the day ran to script. Prince Julian, Sofia and Carl Philip's youngest, turned up to the family portrait outside Solliden with his arm in a cast, having taken a small tumble earlier that week. He wore it, by all accounts, as happily as everyone else wore their floral frocks.