Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf look back on their discreet love story ahead of 50th wedding anniversary

A wig as a disguise

She also resorted to this method for the birth of her later heir to the throne, Victoria, in 1977. When the birth was announced at the Karolinska Hospital, the press was initially unable to figure out how the Queen had arrived there unnoticed. On that occasion as well, she reportedly wore a wig in order to enter and leave the hospital unseen.

King Carl Gustaf joked in the interview with reference to his own hair: "Ich könnte jetzt eine gebrauchen. [Das Haar] wird mit dem Alter etwas dünner, aber das gehört dazu." The remark reflected the relaxed atmosphere of the conversation, in which the couple looked back together on five shared decades.

Silvia, born in 1943 as Silvia Renate Sommerlath in Heidelberg, grew up in São Paulo from 1947 until the family returned to Germany in 1957. After completing her Abitur at the Luisen-Gymnasium in Düsseldorf in 1963, she attended the language and interpreting institute in Munich. At that time, she was working as an interpreter when she met the then Crown Prince at the 1972 Olympic Games. In addition to Swedish, she speaks German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, English, and Swedish Sign Language, according to her own account.

From interpreting to the royal household

Parallel to the interview, the series "Queen Silvia" (working title) is currently being produced by Sat.1 in cooperation with Prime Video. As announced, the series comprises six episodes telling the story of the first four years of the relationship up to the wedding. Direction is by Miguel Alexandre, who serves as head writer alongside Lisa Hofer; Carsten Kelber is the showrunner. A broadcast date is tentatively planned for spring 2027, with filming taking the team to Berlin and Sweden through the end of June.

In the series, Alicia von Rittberg (32) plays the young Silvia Sommerlath, while Swedish actor Edvin Endre (31) takes on the role of the then Crown Prince Carl Gustaf. Director Miguel Alexandre explained: "Die beiden waren schon Ende 20, als sie sich kennengelernt haben. Das war für die damalige Zeit ungewöhnlich, dass man noch nicht verheiratet war." He also emphasized that before the marriage, the two "wirklich verhandelt, bis sie sich entschieden haben, dass sie diese Beziehung haben wollen und dass sie sich guttun" — and that the 50 years of marriage are "in erster Linie an Silvia."

The series "Queen Silvia"

Showrunner Carsten Kelber added: "Ich glaube, dass sie beide verstanden haben – und das merkt man auch in der Serie –, dass es so etwas wie Beziehungsarbeit gibt." Lead actress Alicia von Rittberg also offered appreciative words: "Die beiden haben einander wirklich gefunden. Es wirkt so, als wären sie füreinander das fehlende Puzzlestück gewesen. Wenn man heute sehe, wie Silvia in Schweden geschätzt werde, werde dies in der Serie aufgegriffen.

The royal couple also had another milestone birthday to celebrate in May: King Carl XVI. Gustaf turned 80 at the end of April. The wedding on 13 June 1976 is considered one of the first major television events of the Swedish royal family; the round anniversary will be marked on a smaller scale this year, according to reports.

Relationship work over five decades

According to the series, the relationship between the then Prince and the interpreter from Heidelberg was initially kept secret. Queen Silvia said in the Dagens Nyheter interview: "Da versuchten wir, Wege zu finden, um so diskret wie möglich zu bleiben."