The official calendar of the Swedish royal family is already full and reveals, among other things, that Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are setting off on an exciting trip in just a few days: they’re going to sunny California.
Princess Victoria, 46, and Prince Daniel, 50, will soon have to pack their bags. The heir to the Swedish throne is flying across the pond. The USA is the destination – but the trip won’t be a walk in the park. The four-day visit to San Francisco begins February 19, 2024 and runs through February 22. During this time, the two of them barely have time to breathe, let alone enough space to combine their private and professional lives. The fact is: the daughter and son-in-law of King Carl Gustaf, 77, will represent their country on behalf of the Swedish government, accompanied by a business delegation. There is no room on the agenda for a coffee chat with Princess Madeleine, 41, who lives in Florida, and her loved ones.
Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel complete marathon appointments
In return, they don’t disappoint another beloved family member. The busy parents want to be back at Haga Castle just in time for their eldest Princess Estelle’s 12th birthday on February 23rd and cut the cake for the cradle party with her.
However, it is to be expected that mom and dad will be sitting at the coffee table quite exhausted. Your overseas trip has it all. A full program awaits Victoria and Daniel in the USA, as Johan Tegel, deputy court spokesman, revealed to “Svensk Damtidning”: “It is an official visit, so the trip is taking place at the request of the government,” he explains. “During the visit, the Crown Prince Couple will attend the inauguration of the newly established Consulate General in San Francisco.”
Innovation, green change and technologies
The visit to California will take place with Johan Forssell, 44, the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, and a business delegation led by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering [Kungliga Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien], held in collaboration with Business Sweden. The aim of the visit is to strengthen relations with California in the areas of innovation, green transition and emerging technologies with a focus on artificial intelligence [KI] to expand and expand. There are currently more than 100 Swedish companies represented in the American state, the Court announced on February 13, 2024.
The preliminary program leaves little time for idleness: On the day of their arrival, Victoria and Daniel receive a tour of the non-profit organization The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, which works to protect the oceans through research, education and rehabilitation of animals. Afterwards, treat yourself to a special view of the famous Golden Gate Bridge from the Battery Spencer Overlook in San Francisco. Afterwards there is a visit to the Scandinavian School and Cultural Center, which offers Scandinavian language and cultural studies. The day ends with a trip to the Swedish community in San Francisco. There the Royals want to meet compatriots who live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The next day things continue stringently: First, the heir to the throne and her husband take part in a bilateral meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom, 56, at the Stanford Mansion in Sacramento. Important item on the agenda: the signing of a cooperation agreement between Sweden and California to promote the green transition.
The couple then makes a flying visit to the newly furnished office of the Consulate General in San Francisco, where Victoria and Daniel meet the staff and receive a tour of the premises. And the two of them quickly jet off to a company that develops technologies for autonomous vehicles. José’s royals are chauffeured back to San Francisco in one of these self-driving cars. Have a good trip at this point!
Together with the business delegation and the minister, the couple will then be welcomed at Open AI to find out about the latest developments in the field of artificial intelligence. And off we go to Mayor London Breed, 49, in the port city’s town hall. Presumably an opportunity to take a quick breather while sitting down and making an entry into the Golden Book before getting ready for the inauguration ceremony of the new Consul General of Sweden in San Francisco.
The heir to the throne and Minister Forssell spend day 3 in Palo Alto, where they visit Ndivia, Intel and Google for presentations and discussions about the development of artificial intelligence. The trio later travels to the renowned Stanford University to learn more about the ethical aspect of AI.
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Victoria says goodbye with a speech
On the final day of their US trip, Victoria and Daniel, the minister and the delegation will attend a breakfast seminar in Palo Alto to discuss increased cooperation between Sweden and California. Victoria has another big appearance coming up: she will give a speech at the Green Transition Summit, a conference about deepening cooperation in the context of the green transition.
If everything goes according to plan, the future Swedish queen and her husband will have achieved a truly mature performance at this point and can fly back home exhausted, but certainly with a lot of inspiration. They might also have one or two souvenirs for Estelle and Prince Oscar, 7, in their luggage. Of course, I quickly bought it in an airport shop. Given the amount of work done, there shouldn’t have been any time for a little stroll.
San Francisco in the heart
Great prospects for the King’s grandchildren, who were unable to accompany their parents this time due to their school commitments. It would indeed have been a first for Oscar. His sister already had the pleasure once when she was three years old. At that time, she explored the San Francisco Zoo with her parents and also the city on relaxed walks in the sun.
Victoria and Daniel visited the Northern California metropolis in 2005, just a few years after their relationship began. At that time, “Aftonbladet” reported that the two visited a cinema during their little romantic vacation.
The trip to the USA will be the heir to the throne’s first official visit abroad in 2024. Last year they traveled to Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Finland and New Zealand, among others.
Sources used: kungahuset.se, svenskdam.se, aftonbladet.se