STOCKHOLM—The Swedish Crown Princess and future Queen of Sweden, Victoria, gave birth to a daughter on Thursday, at 4:26 am local time. The future heir to the Swedish throne, whose name will be announced on Friday, was 51 cm (20 inches) long and weighed in at 3.28 kg (7.2 pounds), according to a very happy Prince Daniel, who also described his daughter as “very pretty” at a press conference on Thursday.
Lennart Nordstrom, the obstetrician responsible for the royal birth at Karolinska University Hospital, told Swedish Radio (SR) that the Crown Princess has been in very good health and the birth went more quickly and smoothly than usual for a first pregnancy.
Prince Daniel said both mother and princess daughter are doing well and that the birth had happened without complications. He also asked the media to respect the family’s privacy.
News of the newest member of the Royal family completely dominated Swedish media. It also raised again the contentious issue of the Swedish hereditary monarchy. The Swedish Republican Association congratulated the couple, but also took the opportunity to urge the Swedish parliament to change the Swedish constitution to abolish monarchy, “for the best of both the child and Sweden,” according to a statement on their website.
One of the association’s main rallying calls is, “hereditary monarchy is at odds with the idea of universal human equality” because anyone born to the royals, the group argues, is under relentless public scrutiny thus unable to govern their own lives.
The Swedish Monarch is officially head of state but has mainly ceremonial duties and no political power whatsoever.
Interest in the Royal birth has been great, not only in Sweden, but also elsewhere in Europe, like Germany, partly due to the fact that the current Swedish Queen, Silvia, is German.
