As has happened too often lately, other commitments made it impossible for me to write anything about the christening in advance or yesterday after the ceremony had taken place. On Monday I attended an extended committee meeting in connection with the preparations for the 31th International Congress for Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences, which will take place in Oslo in August 2014 (the 30th Congress takes place in Maastrict, the Netherlands in September 2012). And yesterday evening I attended the annual meeting of the Norwegian Genealogical Society. In other words, no time for blog writing. And as the ceremony took place in the middle of a work day, I didn't get the chance to watch any of it either.
But from what I have read and all the photos I have seen (there are at present 463 photos published at the official website's christening page, besides a film), the christening ceremony seems to have been a grand affair. The facts: The christening was officiated by Archbishop Anders Wejryd, assisted by Chaplain to The King and Bishop Emeritus Lars-Göran Lönnermark and Dean Åke Bonnier of the Cathedral Parish of Stockholm. Princess Estelle's sponsors were the Prince of Orange (Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands), Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Ms. Anna Westling Söderström (Prince Daniel's sister).
The guest list, which can be viewed in full here, was long and impressive enough. It included, besides the Crown Princess couple and the main person:
Sweden
- HM King Carl Gustaf
- HM Queen Silvia
- HRH Prince Carl Philip
- HRH Princess Madeleine
HM The King's Family
- Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler
- HRH Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern (née Princess of Sweden)
- Désirée von Bohlen und Halbach, née Princess of Hohenzollern (daughter of Princess Birgitta) and her husband Eckbert von Bohlen und Halbach
- Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld
- Baron Carl Silfverschiöld and Baroness Maria Silfverschiöld (son and daughter-in-law of the former)
- Baroness Christina Louise De Geer and Baron Hans De Geer (daughter and son-in-law of Princess Désirée)
- Baron Ian De Geer (grandchild of Princess Desirée)
- Baroness Hélène Silfverschiöld and her partner Fredrik Diterle (the former the youngest daughter of Princess Désirée)
- Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson and Tord Magnuson
- Gustaf Magnuson and Vicky Andrén (son of Princess Christina; his partner)
- Oscar Magnuson and Emma Magnuson (son of Princess Christina; his wife)
- Victor Magnuson and Frida Bergström (son of Princess Christina; his partner)
- Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg (widow of Count Sigvard Bernadotte af Wisborg, born Prince of Sweden)
- Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg (widow of Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg, born Prince of Sweden)
- Count Bertil Bernadotte af Wisborg and Countess Jill Bernadotte af Wisborg (the former a grandson of Prince Oscar Bernadotte, born Prince of Sweden)
- Dagmar von Arbin (a granddaughter of Prince Oscar Bernadotte)
- HRH Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant and HRH Princess Mathilde
- HM Queen Margrethe II and HRH Prince Henrik
- HRH Crown Prince Frederik and HRH Crown Princess Mary
- HE President Sauli Niinistö and his wife Jenni Haukio
- Dorrit Moussaieff (wife of President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson)
- HRH Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and his fiancée Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy
- HRH The Prince of Orange (Willem-Alexander) and HRH Princess Máxima
- HRH Crown Prince Haakon (HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit had an engagement in the USA)
- Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn
Interestingly enough it appeared that King Carl Gustaf had bestowed upon Princess Estelle the Royal Order of the Seraphim. The arms and monogram of Princess Estelle (see images above) were also published. The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Östergötland (Princess Estelle is Duchess of Östergötland), while the inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte. The arms are crowned by the princess crown. The monogram consists of the initial E and a princess crown above. The heraldic artist Vladimir A. Sagerlund has designed both the arms and the monogram, which were approved by the king.
I am surprised to see you refer to Prince Oscar Bernadotte as "born Prince of Sweden"; as you know, he was in fact born not Prince of Sweden, but Prince of Sweden and of Norway.
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