Royal wedding of King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden

He and Silvia announced their engagement on 12 March 1976 and were married three months later, on 19 June in Stockholm Cathedral (« Storkyrkan Cathedral ») (« Kungliga Hovförs ») in Stockholm. It was the first marriage of a reigning Swedish monarch since 1797. If he had married Silvia during the reign of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, he would have lost his position as Heir to the Swedish throne. This was due to the inflexibility of his grandfather, who believed that Royalty must marry Royalty. This was also the reason why Carl Gustav’s Uncle, Prince Bertil, did not marry until after Gustaf VI Adolf’s death. (Bertil was second-in-line to the throne until his nephew produced an heir, and was therefore unable to marry the Welsh commoner, now his widow, Princess Lilian, with whom he had been in love for decades, until 1976.) In celebration of the forthcoming wedding of the King and the soon-to-be-Queen, Silvia, the internationally famous pop group ABBA performed the song Dancing Queen on Swedish television the night before the ceremony, although the song was not actually written for Queen Silvia.