July Blog

When people hear that we have just come back from Sweden they immediately assume that we were there for the royal wedding. But in fact the focal point for this Swedish visit was to fix up our summer house after a break-in. We had a break-in 15 years ago and at that time the thieves took all our antique armchairs. This time they really wiped us out of almost everything of sentimental or monetary value.

One of the items that was stolen was a painting of the Vasaorden royal sloop (appraised at 2 kronor when I inherited it in 1975) that played a major role at the royal wedding this year. It was on this quite stunning rowing barge that Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel crossed the inner harbour of Stockholm at the end of the cortege that took them around the central parts of the city after the wedding ceremony.

Vasaorden is a beautiful Gustavian sloop in white and blue with lots of gold that was originally designed and built in 1774 on royal command by "the father of naval architecture", Fredrik Henrik Chapman.

The present vessel is a 1920s replica of the original. Used only for special state occasions in the waters surrounding Stockholm, it has had royalty like Queen Elizabeth of England and Queen Juliana of Holland on board. It is now being moved to the Stockholm Naval Museum where it will be on show before it goes into storage in an old torpedo boat shed at Djurgården until it is time for the next state occasion.

I have a special interest in the Vasaorden because it was my grandfather who commanded her when Queen Victoria was buried in 1930 and when Princess Ingrid married the Danish Crown Prince Frederik in 1935. My grandfather also wrote the instructions on how to control and maneuver Vasaorden under the pull of her 18 naval oarsmen. Very much in the spotlight on state occasions, often with a royal party on board, Vasaorden has to be handled very carefully so that she does not carry too much way, with a fair wind and perhaps a current, and pass the pontoon or if the oars are tossed too soon, fail to reach it.

Judging from the footage from the wedding, the royal couple seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the mini cruise on board the Vasaorden. As they were welcomed on board the commander of Vasaorden even had a little private bouquet of yellow and blue flowers for the bride. I am sure that I will eventually find some souvenir picture of Victoria and Daniel on Vasaorden to put where my old painting was stolen.