2024 – French State Visit to Sweden

30th – 31st
January 2024

Originally scheduled for October 2023 the State Visit of the French President Emmanuel Macron to Sweden was postponed shortly before it was to take place. No official reason was given at the time, but it is not secret that the attack on Swedish football supporters in France leaving two Swedes dead created a certain feeling of insecurity. The decision to postpone the State Visit was taken after an amicable telephone conversation between the two Heads of State. It was later then decided that the State Visit would take place at the end of January 2024.

This would be the third State Visit received by King Carl XVI Gustaf during his long reign. It was President Mitterrand who made the first State Visit to Sweden during the King’s reign when he visited with his wife in 1984. There had then been a long period without any French State Visits. In fact the previous State Visit before that had taken place all the way back in 1914, just before the start of World War I. Even though King Gustaf VI Adolf did not receive any State Visits from France he himself travelled to Paris with his wife Queen Louise as guests of President de Gaulle in 1963.

Day 1

Arrival and Welcoming Ceremony

Unlike most of the State Visits to Sweden President Macron and his wife drove directly to the Royal Palace in Stockholm. Normally, in Sweden, the visiting Head of State is welcomed by the King and Queen at the Royal Mews and from there there is a carriage procession to the Royal Palace. Due to the strict security policy of the French presidency, however, that part of the reception was omitted. Instead, the King and Queen greeted the President and Mrs Macron at the west portal of the Palace. They then walked out into the Palace courtyard where the official welcoming ceremony began.

First the National Anthems of the two countries were played. Then the President was accompanied by His Majesty as he inspected the Guard of Honour formed by troops from the Grenadier Company of the Life Guards Regiment. The King, very appropriately for these ceremonial occasions, wore uniform. With his uniform of an Admiral in the Royal Swedish Navy he wore the red Sash and the Breast Star of the Order of the Legion of Honour (Knight Grand Cross), the Breast Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Neck-tie of the Order of the Sword. Also pinned to his uniform were five Commemorative Medals; two Swedish and three Norwegian. The President was also dressed in a sort of uniform which is now used extensively by politicians as he wore a black suit and tie. Fastened in his lapel was the pin of the Order of the Legion of Honour.

After having inspected the Guard of Honour the two Heads of State and their spouses went inside where the Swedish welcoming committee and the French delegation had gathered in the imposing Hall of State (Rikssalen). Here the President and Mrs Macron were presented to the Swedish committee by the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Master of Ceremonies before the King and Queen were presented to the French official delegation.

Upstairs, in the Bernadotte Apartment, the Macrons were welcomed by Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Princess and Prince Daniel of Sweden as well as Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden. Like his father Prince Carl Philip was dressed in his naval uniform as a Lieutenant-Commander. Only receiving his first French decoration in connection with this visit he was wearing the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Neck-tie of the Order of the Polar Star. Prince Daniel was dressed in a suit and tie with the rosette of the Order of the Seraphim pinned to his lapel.

The ladies looked very elegant too, with Mrs Macron wearing a pale lime green outfit. This colour was also one of the greens seen on the Queen’s patterned dress which was paired with a black jacket with the inner lining, cuffs and collar in the same pattern as the dress. Crown Princess Victoria wore a red number which picked up the red from the Sash worn by His Majesty while Princess Sofia was more subdued in black. For those who would like to know more details about the outfits the excellent blog Ufonomore is highly recommended. A click on this link will take you there directly.

An exchange of gifts took place before the two Heads of State met the press where they both made a short statement. The King and Queen then hosted a private lunch for their Guests of Honour which was also attended by the members of the Royal Family.

Afternoon Engagements

With the State Visit only lasting two days there was not time to linger. The President and Mrs Macron had a packed programme and right after lunch the President paid a visit to the Parliament where he was received by the Speaker. Macron then went on to pay a visit to the seat of the Swedish Government Offices at Rosenbad. Here he was welcomed by the Prime Minister and the two engaged in political talks. From here the President and the Prime Minister travelled on to Karlsberg Palace. Although once a Royal property, the Palace is now the home to the Military Academy Karlberg. His Majesty in the company of the Swedish Minster of Foreign Affairs and the Swedish Minister of Defence and others joined them for a round table discussion evolving around security policy. With the current situation in Eastern Europe with the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which prompted Sweden to apply for membership in the military alliance of NATO, and the violent conflict in Gaza the issues around security policy have become one of the main themes for this State Visit. Both President Macron and Prime Minister Kristersson gave a longer address and even the King gave a speech.

In the meantime the Queen accompanied Mrs Macron to the district of Rinkeby in the north of Stockholm. It is a district with a large population of immigrants and people with immigrant ancestry. Here Mrs Macron and the Queen visited Rinkeby School where they were given a presentation of the school and also met pupils and teachers.

They later travelled to the Moderna Museet (the Modern Museum) where they attended a seminar on how exchanges within visual and preforming arts can be strengthened, with a particular focus on regional development and how to reach a younger audience. They were also given a tour of the collection and where they also met a group of young creators and artists.

State Banquet

In the evening Their Majesties hosting a glittering State Banquet for their guests of honour at the Royal Palace. Among the guests invited were members of the Government, other State Authorities, members of the Royal Household and the French official delegation. Their Majesties and the Presidential couple received the guests in the “Vita Havet” Hall before they continued into Charles XI’s Gallery which had been converted into a resplendent dining room with one long table. The President was seated at the centre of the table with the Queen to his right. His Majesty sat right opposite the President and had Mrs Macron to his right. To the left of the President sat the Crown Princess who had the French Ambassador to Sweden as her companion at the table.

For centuries a special connection between Sweden and France has existed. Several Swedish Kings in the past looked to France for inspiration. The current ruling dynasty in Sweden today also famously originated in France, a fact that the King himself mentioned in his speech during the banquet. And even though the first Bernadotte on the throne, King Carl XIV Johan, joined the alliance against Emperor Napoleon I, his former superior as a Marshal of France, there is no denying his French origins. And the French influence was very much present at the magnificent banquet, not just due to the Presidential couple and their official delegation sitting at the table. But also because all around them works of French artists and workmen could be seen. Although the architects of the Palace were Swedish they relied on the skilled craftsmanship of French builders and artists who were invited to Sweden to complete the construction and decoration of the imposing Palace. The main architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger actually drew inspiration from the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles when drawing up the plans for the gallery.

The menu offered to the about 170 guests consisted of four courses served together with carefully chosen wines:

Menu:

Kalix löjrom Royal på ansjovis- och syrad grädde med gräslök och brynt smör



Torskrygg med ragu på musslor och persilja, terrin på blomkål, broccoli, dill och jalapeño 



Rensadel med enbär och timjan med glaserade rödbetor, bräserad renlägg och pudding på renblod




Hjortron med punsch, Tahitivanilj, kardemumma

Like most of the State Banquet hosted during the reign of Carl XVI Gustaf the dress code was white-tie. Both the King and the President wore the prescribed attire with their Orders. During previous State Visits when white-tie was required President Macron has been seen wearing what could only be described as his own twist on the formal wear; in Belgium and Denmark in 2018 and in the Netherlands in 2023 he wore a white bow-tie alright but instead of a proper tailcoat he wore a morning coat. In the Netherlands he even added a black waistcoat.

The King wore the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Legion of Honour, the Breast Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Neck-tie of the Order of the Polar Star along with his commemorative medals; 90th Anniversary Medal of King Gustav V (1948), the 85th Anniversary Medal of King Gustav VI Adolf (1967), 100th Anniversary of King Haakon VII of Norway’s birth (1972), King Olav V of Norway’s Silver Jubilee Medal (1982) and King Harald V of Norway’s Silver Jubilee Medal (2016).

President Macron wore the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Seraphim that he had been awarded earlier in the day by the King.

Her Majesty looked fabulous in a purple evening gown and magnificent jewels donning the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Legion of Honour. Her daughter and her daughter-in-law looked equally fabulous in more subdued colours. The Crown Princess wore a bespoke gown from H&M in a silvery tone while Princess Sofia had chosen a gown in a more golden tone. To see a more detailed list of the jewels they wore please head over the the Jewels side of this page by pressing here.

Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Prince Daniel were also dressed in white-tie and both wore their newly awarded French honours of Grand Officers of the Order of the Legion of Honour. The Princes also wore the Sash and Breast Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Neck-tie of the Order of the Polar Star.

To see what some of the Orders worn by some of the other guests proceed to the corresponding page by pressing the link here.

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