Peter Gustavsson
Time for the king to pack and leave
Heads of state should not be appointed in the bedroom
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Perhaps Carl XVI Gustaf has inherited a bit of his ancestor's rebellious spirit. But then it is more reasonable that he resigns, and the order of succession is abolished completely. The picture is from Carl XVI Gustaf's birthday celebration in 2022.
Perhaps Carl XVI Gustaf has inherited a bit of his ancestor's rebellious spirit. But then it is more reasonable that he resigns, and the order of succession is abolished completely. The picture is from Carl XVI Gustaf's birthday celebration in 2022.
Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT
LEADER
It is said that during his time as an officer during the French Revolution, Jean Baptiste Bernadotte had the words "Long live freedom" tattooed. Death to Kings and Tyrants” on his left arm.
In such cases, Bernadotte was neither the first nor the last to regret one of the tattoos of his youth later in life. But in those days, a tattoo was more irreversible than today, when you can remove the unpleasant words with a laser.
Regardless of the veracity of the story, which appears to come from a French theater play in the 1830s, there are other sources of Bernadotte's ideological beliefs.
The republican who became king
The French Revolution was the prerequisite for a non-noble soldier like Bernadotte to be given the chance to become something more than a non-commissioned officer. But the upheavals of the times made him a general and later a marshal.
In a letter published in both French and English newspapers in 1797, he wrote: "Republican both in principle and conviction, I want to fight all royalists until my death."
Two years later, Bernadotte's colleague and rival Napoleon Bonaparte staged a coup d'état and later proclaimed himself emperor. But Napoleon was not alone in going from serving the French Republic to becoming monarch.
Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, the lawyer's son from Pau in southwestern France, was adopted in 1810 by the childless King Karl XIII and became Sweden's crown prince. Eight years later he was crowned King Karl XIV Johan.
Busy family dinners
Bernadotte's great-grandson's great-great-grandson, Carl XVI Gustaf, has recently spoken out about a Riksdag decision from 1979. And not just any decision, but the decision to change the constitution that says how Bernadotte's descendants are to inherit the throne - the order of succession.
- My son was born and then all of a sudden people changed and he got rid of it all. It's quite strange. I think it is unfair, says King Carl XVI Gustaf to SVT.
In other words, the king accepts that the first-born child will inherit the throne, even if it is a woman. But his daughter Victoria, on the other hand, shouldn't.
Certainly a popular topic of conversation at family dinners. Which, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that the king himself is the youngest in a group of siblings with four older sisters.
The rebel Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf's words that the next monarch is not the right king, could in the future inspire people to take the words seriously. To question the legitimacy of Victoria's claim to the throne, and demand that Carl Philip step in her place.
It is problematic to say the least.
Carl XVI Gustaf's rebellious attitude to who should lead the country perhaps unites him with the forefather. But if his majesty were to be more faithful to the revolutionary legacy of Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, his resignation and the order of succession being abolished altogether are nearer at hand.
Because kings and princesses fit better in fairy tales and history books than in real life. It is more reasonable to appoint the next head of state in the voting booth than in the bedroom.
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