Here are some photos of Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel out in Stockholm yesterday. Yes, I’m desperate for new royal photos and new royal storylines. Don’t make me write about Tiaragate again, I swear to God. Victoria and Daniel were visiting a “hospitality industry employer’s organization” called Visita, according to Backgrid. Victoria’s dress is a $675 piece by the Swedish label Rodebjer, one of her favorites. That seems like a hefty price tag for this dress? I’m sure there are some cheaper dresses which look very similar.
I know there are more important things to worry about, but it is absolutely driving me up the wall that so many European royals are not wearing masks at their public events. IT IS NOT HARD. And they’re all public figures, tasked with setting a good example for their people. Why is this so hard? Wear a damn mask. The Daily Mail actually noted Victoria’s masklessness and pointed out that “Sweden’s top coronavirus expert argued wearing coverings is ‘very dangerous’ because it gives the impression it is safe to be in crowded rooms or on public transport.” Well… wouldn’t it be more dangerous to be on public transport without a mask? I don’t get the point the “expert” was trying to make. And while it appears as if Daniel and Victoria were social-distancing, why not wear a damn mask just for good measure?
Also: I missed these photos last week – these are pics of Victoria and Daniel with their two kids, Estelle and Oscar, at Victoria’s birthday celebration at Solliden Palace. Victoria looks so pretty here, and so does Estelle. Oscar’s face says, to me, that palace life is pretty grim.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Those kids look like their father…….no masks, I just don’t get it!
The Government’s policy is no masks . Them wearing masks in them telling the Government they are mistaken so they stay out of it
I think Estelle’s just Victoria but blonde. The top photo is one of the few times she’s ever looked like Daniel to me.
Oscar looks so much like his father.
I can never figure out which parent Estelle resembles most strongly, because Victoria and Daniel look very distinct from each other but somehow seem to have very similar features.
It has always freaked me out how much Daniel and Victoria look like one another.
Honestly, she looks more like her grandmother Queen Silvia… before all the plastic surgery and injections.
I don’t blame them for not wearing masks. It is the official advise in Sweden. On the advice of their top advisors Sweden choose a different path than the rest of the world. As swedish royals it is their job to represent what their government decided is right at official events, irrelevant of their private opinion.
It is surprising to me not to see masks on them mainly because Daniel is a transplant survivor and would be considered immunocompromised I believe? But I would assume his doctors have advised him so I’ll just be quiet.
It really depends on the situation you are in. Here in Switzerland masks are only mandatory for public transport or if you are not able to maintain a safe distance. I guess maybe 30% of people here are wearing masks to go shopping. There are many people wearing their masks incorrectly but no longer making sure to keep their distance. I have been pushed out of they way by people who wanted to get out of the shop as quickly as possible. Some people obviously feel a false sense of security when wearing a mask and this can lead to dangerous situations. Fabric masks can be pretty and are better than wearing no mask, but many people wearing them (more or less correctly) are apparently not aware, that they are not very efficient and you still need to be careful and keep your distance!
I was going to say pretty much the same thing. Here in Quebec masks are mandatory on public transit and indoor public places, but otherwise it’s not unless you can’t keep 6 feet apart. Yesterday afternoon I walked to the grocery store but only put on my mask about a block away because there was no-one else in sight until then.
What bothers me more than non-mask wearing outdoors is people who pull it down below their nose. What’s the point of bothering with one if they can’t even wear it properly? Sigh.
That’s the rule where I live too in the states – masks indoors (stores, etc) and outdoors only if you cant maintain social distancing of 6 feet.
But, I think the royals wearing masks even when not 100% necessary would probably set a good example. Our governor wears one almost all the time, even when he is 6 feet apart and outdoors, just to help normalize mask-wearing.
Quebec is the Florida of Canada. No masks in the classrooms! Insane!
Again, masks are not mandatory.
Here (not Sweden) we have to wear them in public transport & shops. Otherwise no because social distancing is a rule everywhere.
Do they stick to staying 6 feet apart? Here in the US, there are stickers/tape in businesses on the ground to tell you where to stand, but some people don’t abide by them. I’ve also noticed that often, the markers are not 6 feet apart
Mostly we do! The young population, teenagers are a problem. But we stick to the rules mostly.
Is it just me or does she look like her top teeth are over her bottom lip? Maybe that’s just how her lips look, especially when she is smiling and wearing pale lipstick, but I can’t NOT see it.
Love her outfit and covet those shoes.
I live in Sweden and no one wears masks here as it is now, and it never has been recommended by the health authorities. So it would be weird if they had worn masks. The health department will only consider recommending them if our cases start going up again in a significant way (Second wave).
Thank you. I dont get this idea that masks outside does anything – especially if you are socially distancing. Some number here in Denmark suggested that with current infectionsrates 50.000 ppl had to wear masks correctly FOR A WEAK to prevent 1 new case of corona. Come on. That effort has to be the least effective way to do ANYTHING.
Other commenters have said this, but I’ll echo it: oddly enough masks are not a thing here in Scandinavia – Denmark is only bringing in mandatory masks on Saturday for public transportation. I commute daily to Copenhagen, and neither in Sweden or in Denmark do you see a lot if masks, and on holiday in Norway earlier this summer there were again barely any masks. Its just an odd thing to experience as an expat – all my family at home in Canada are wearing masks.
As a Swedish doctor (who, like practically all my colleagues in Stockholm, has had COVID-19) it continues to baffle me that there are no government recommendations to wear masks here. Our chief epidemiologist has even said that mask-wearing probably INCREASES the spread of the virus. Where on earth he got that crack-pot concept from we have no idea- certainly not from any scientific study that the rest of the world has heard of! It is interesting that the dean of our top medical university Karolinska Institutet is recommending masks on campus… On the day I became ill, I had taken my young son for a medical check-up in town and I had worn a mask. One hour after I got home I started shivering uncontrollably and realised I was running a very high temperature. I had not had a single symptom prior to that so I had no idea I was becoming ill and was probably already infectious when I was in town a couple of hours earlier. I may have saved someone’s life by wearing a mask when moving through the crowds in central Stockholm that day. Keep wearing your masks as often as you can!
I hope your illness wasn’t too bad and you’re not suffering from the longer-term effects.
It’s so strange the very different approaches some governments are taking and with something like mask wearing (even if we ignore all the research into the impact of doing this), why not just do it? While I disagree with how long it took our government (UK) to go into lockdown, I can understand the concern about the impact it would have but masks? Why are masks an issue????
Thanks for your concern! My immediate family and I were lucky and it wasn’t worse than a regular flu-like illness for us, but we have friends/colleagues who weren’t as fortunate.
I agree, why is recommending masks even an issue?!? In Sweden, our chief epidemiologist says (without presenting any scientific evidence) that mask-use INCREASES virus spread through improper use and encouraging over-crowding. I fear this is what is keeping many people from using masks here 🙁
I live in Sweden too but since the majority of my media consumption is from home (America) we have been wearing masks for months. And we’re the only people in our city we see doing so. It’s terrifying with school in session now. I felt panicked going in to help acclimate my kid on day one. I’m wondering if the start of school/work will lead to a second wave. What’s your take?
Glad you had it relatively easy. Thanks for your undoubtedly hard work. Stay safe!
On the dress, this looks like something Boden would sell us here in the UK for £90.
Spot on. It really does look like a Boden dress!
It’s 100% silk, though and silk dresses are more than £90 from Boden. Plus it costs less if you buy itin Sweden than if you order it from abroad. Same with other Swedish designer brands such as Acne Studios. Still, not cheap 🙂
Why would they wear masks outside??! It does not make sense to me. Im from Denmark. I can tell you that its very normal here to adhere to government advice. Our governments are not mandating masks outside as the virus doesnt really carry outside. SO WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT?
Its fine that you wanna wear masks outside in the states, if that makes you feel safer, by all means, also your numbers are terrible. I am not wearing a mask outside here in Denmark EVER.
Interpret that as you may.
Ok, I’ve got a JD not an MD. That said, the evidence is clear that the virus is spread via droplets in the air. Whether you are inside or outside is irrelevant. People are instructed to stay 6 feet away from each other because that is how far the experts believe the droplets carry. It is much easier to stay 6 feet away and the air circulation is better outside. If you are in close proximity to someone outside and mask free you’re are putting yourself at risk. Where I live (Santa Monica, CA) we are required to wear masks indoors and outdoors. People do adhere to this. I haven’t ventured beyond Santa Monica in months but here I’d say 98% of the people comply and our numbers are going down. It’s usually tourists who don’t comply.
Here in DK, There was a BLM demo with some 1000-s of people, where social distancing was not really followed and a few people wore masks. That didnt result in a spike in cases so forgive me for not believing that the virus is effective at spreading outside.
Im not against following government rules (well unless they start pushing their luck which i think the danish government is), so even if you think the rules in SM are good, here in Scandinavia we have different rules. I dont see the problem…. If im a tourist i adhere to the rules of the place im in.
I think that the second dress is heinous. It looks like a cross between a 1960’s flower girl outfit and a Kate Middleton doily dress. I really like the blue one though.
I really like her blue dress and shoes. Are they deliberately not wearing a mask because it’s not mandatory and it would send some kind of “ message” that contradicts the government if they did? From the mask point of view, Sweden has been a bit of an odd duck in terms of Coronavirus response. They haven’t done any major lockdowns,no masks mandates, and kids are going to school, businesses open, etc. Their numbers of infected and deaths are higher than the rest of Scandinavia/Northern Europe, but lower per capita here in the US. From a US perspective, I think a lot of anti- mask types, and even some Trump supporters, wanted us to follow a Swedish model, but that is not working for a country of the size and makeup of the USA, obviously. It also ignores where the toll in Sweden is, like nursing homes or immigrant communities. In some US news coverage, It could also be argued they have a healthier population, public healthcare, and have more trust in the government and their directives, like staying home more and no nonessential travel. Anyway, it’s very confusing what’s happening there, and whether it’s a good policy or not.
Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but in the family picture in which the Prince and Princess are standing right next to each other, their hands are almost touching, yet neither reaches a half inch to clasp each other’s hand. It seems very cold to me. She’s very affectionate with her daughter, and he with his kids, but not much between the parents. Of course, I’m a hugger, and my hubby has his arm around me in most pictures…