Noble family member breaks silence on Lundsberg school

A descendant of one of Sweden’s noble families has spoken out against Lundsberg boarding school, where his grandfather was among the first pupils and later chaired its foundation.

Lance Cederström, a psychotherapist who attended the school for eight years, told SVT he has treated former pupils, desperate parents, and staff affected by Lundsberg’s structures.

“Many in my family will not like this. They will think I am wrong,” he said.

Cederström described how wealthy and aristocratic alumni control the school through informal but highly effective power networks, coordinating responses to media scrutiny and protecting Lundsberg’s interests—and their own privileges.

“It happens in subtle ways, but it can also involve direct threats,” he said.

He added that the current head of operations has little authority over the school’s nighttime subculture, where bullying and hazing persist. Racism, he said, has long been part of the school’s dominant culture, targeting working-class students and immigrants.

“Not everyone at Lundsberg is a racist, of course. But there is fertile ground for it in the Lundsberg mindset—like a silent elephant in the room.”

Lars Jonsson, Lundsberg’s head of operations, confirmed in an email to SVT that former pupils play a leading role through the Alumni Association, which owns the school and appoints its board. He called it a “sad misunderstanding” to suggest the school ignores problems, noting ongoing modernisation efforts focused on student welfare and preventing abuse.