Sweden’s figurehead king celebrates 50 years on the throne

By KARL RITTER and JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden this week marks the 50th anniversary of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s accession to the throne with four days of celebrations that culminate with a military parade through the capital. The scale of the golden jubilee celebrations may not reach the levels of royal anniversaries in Britain, but it’s still a rare chance for the monarchy to fete itself with pomp and ceremony in the egalitarian Scandinavian country. Carl Gustaf, 77, is the first king in the Swedish monarchy’s more than 1,000-year history to reach 50 years on the throne. And following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year, he’s the second-longest reigning European monarch alive today, after his cousin Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.