This Surprise Swedish Royal Jewelry Auction "Goes Against Everything the King Stands For," Per Insiders
King Carl Gustaf is reportedly angered over the decision to sell off his late sister's priceless family jewels.
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden sadly lost two of his four sisters in recent years, with Princess Birgitta dying in 2024 and Princess Désirée passing earlier this year. Birgitta, who was a mother of three, spent the last three decades of her life on the Spanish island of Mallorca and was called a "colorful and outspoken person” by her brother the King. But Carl Gustaf is reportedly angered by her family's recent decision to auction off his late sister’s jewels.
Several pieces of jewelry owned by Princess Birgitta will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s, including a massive sapphire and diamond necklace and matching earrings that were a wedding gift of Carl Gustaf and Birgitta’s mother, Princess Sibylla.
Princess Birgitta wore the statement necklace to both Princess Madeleine and Crown Princess Victoria’s weddings, and it’s estimated to sell for between $363,000 and $605,000 during the November 11 auction in Geneva.
Princess Birgitta attends Princess Madeleine's 2013 wedding in the necklace that will go up for auction.
Princess Birgitta (left) is pictured with her sister Princess Margaretha.
King Carl Gustaf is pictured as a young boy surrounded by his mother, Princess Sybilla, and sisters Princess Birgitta and Princess Désirée.
Other pieces up for sale are an heirloom pearl necklace and a pink sapphire brooch, as well as Princess Birgitta's christening gift from Prince Bertil, which dates from the mid-19th century.
Swedish women’s magazine Svensk Damtidning spoke with historian Herman Lindqvist about the auction, who said he’s “sure” that King Carl Gustaf—who is reported to have not been given warning about the auction—is upset about the decision.
“Personal valuables that are tied to personal memories should not be sold in that way,” he said. “Then it can be done more discreetly and privately.”
"The king is so conservative that this goes completely against his values," Svensk Damtidning's editor-in-chief, Johan T. Lindwall, says. "Selling his mother's jewelry at auction goes against everything the king stands for."
The editor added that he doesn't "think it's out of the question that the king himself will buy back his mother's jewelry" during the auction. "It's rather very likely as they have great sentimental value for the king," he continued.
