Last day of the Baltic visit begins with a visit to the Swedish Urban Network Association at the grandiosely-named World Trade Centre, a large office block behind the railway station.
The weather improved yesterday and in the evening we had the chance to escape from the minibus (it seems to be the same one, no matter which city we are visiting) and take a walk around the old town.
The FCO brief for Sweden is equally as informative as that for Finland, but less quirkily so. There is, however, a fascinating nugget in the section headed “Royal Family”:
The Royal family holds a ceremonial role and is popular with the public. Republican groups occasionally try to create a debate on the future of the monarchy but there is little public support for its abolition… A member of the Royal family is Princess Lilian – born Lilian Davies in Swansea in 1915. She was married to King Carl XVI Gustav’s uncle, Prince Bertil, who died in 1997.
I am ashamed to say that I had never previously heard of Princess Lilian, but the Swedish Royal Family website has a short but interesting biographical note, which tells us that she also holds the title of Duchess of Halland.
