Crown Princess Victoria wears military uniform to king’s birthday celebrations

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden attended her father King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 80th birthday celebrations in military uniform, a choice described by a royal expert as a deliberate statement of her commitment to her military role, SVT Nyheter reports.

The princess arrived at the Te Deum thanksgiving service in the Royal Chapel wearing her uniform, a decision royal expert Ebba Kleberg von Sydow called a “clear marking” of the importance she places on her military service.

“It signals that the military is something she sees as a very important part of her life, her role, and her duties,” Kleberg von Sydow said.

Victoria, who holds the rank of second lieutenant and has completed officer training, is not the first European princess to opt for uniform over evening wear at formal events, according to the expert. “In Spain, for example, we’ve seen this. There are many future female heads of state across Europe. We’re just not used to seeing women in uniform—we’ve long seen men in them.”

Kleberg von Sydow, who attended the service, admitted she was initially surprised by Victoria’s choice but noted the princess’s genuine engagement with her military role. “She clearly loves it—you can see it when she’s crawling around in the mud during exercises,” she said.