Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden marked her 49th birthday on July 14 on the island of Öland, an island where the royal family has its summer residence, Solliden Palace. The Swedish royals have been spending their summer holidays on Öland, the second largest island in the country, for more than a century.
It’s also where the Crown Princess has now celebrated her birthday annually in a tradition that has grown into a public event, known as the “Victoria Days.” These are a series of events staged annually on the island in the Crown Princess’s name during the second week of July. Centered around Borgholm Castle, which is described more as the ruins of a 13th century fortress, these events include outdoor concerts, community sporting events, and a royal procession.
The events began outside of the Solliden Palace. Crown Victoria, dressed in a floral maxi dress by Norwegian brand ByTiMo, was joined by her husband, Prince Daniel, and their children, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, as well as her parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia to greet the crowd, which had gathered to sing “Ja Må Han Leva,” a Swedish birthday song.
The royal family then traveled by horse-drawn carriage through the city of Borgholm to Borgholm Castle, where the birthday festivities continued with a concert and the presentation of the Victoria Prize. Her brother, Prince Carl Philip, and his wife, Princess Sofia, as well as her sister, Princess Madeleine, and her husband, Christopher O’Neill, joined the celebrations at the castle.
Awarded annually since 1979 to celebrate Victoria’s birthday (having been born in 1977), the prize is presented to an elite Swedish sportsperson or pair. Past recipients have included New York Rangers goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist; Charlotte Kalla, a nine-time Olympic medalist in cross country skiing; and five-time Paralympic gold medalist Ebba Årsjö. This year, the Crown Princess presented the award to cross-country skier Frida Karlsson, who won two Olympic gold medals in cross-country skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.
Crown Princess Victoria, also styled as the Duchess of Västergötland, is first in line to the Swedish throne. When she succeeds her father, she will become the fourth female monarch in Swedish history and the first since 1720.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at .
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