Prince Daniel holds private 50th birthday celebration

Prince Daniel of Sweden has privately celebrated his 50th birthday at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

The Prince, who turned 50 on 15 September, was honoured with a private gala dinner in the palace’s Banquet Hall.

The festivities for Daniel had to be postponed as his father-in-law, King Carl XVI Gustaf, marked his Golden Jubilee on the Prince’s 50th birthday.

Over 200 guests were said to have attended, including his parents, Olle and Ewa Westling and sister, Anna. Close friends of both Prince Daniel and Crown Princess Victoria also attended.

Of course, the Swedish Royal Family was in attendance, minus Princess Madeleine and her family, who reside in Florida. The family will return to Sweden in December for the 80th birthday of Queen Silvia and Christmas.

The Royal Court confirmed to Svenskdam that the reason the Princess Family missed the festivities was due to the long distance of travel: “They live in the USA, and the reason is partly that they were home recently, partly that it is a long journey. They have congratulated the Prince when they were in Sweden last time. Unfortunately, they are unable to attend this party.”

While the media was on hand to photograph arrivals at the Royal Palace, the Royal Family and Westlings were able to sneak into the building without being photographed.

The dinner was said to have included a performance by a mystery guest and a touching speech by Crown Princess Victoria. The mystery guest is said to be one of Sweden’s most popular artists, with millions of plays on Spotify.

The Royal Court said that Prince Daniel wanted a private celebration for his 50th birthday but would not reveal any other details to Swedish media.

Prince Daniel has been married to Crown Princess Victoria since 2010. They share two children, Princess Estelle (11) and Prince Oscar (7).