Succession to the Swedish throne
The line of succession to the Swedish throne is determined by the Act of Succession, originally approved jointly by the Riksdag of the Estates assembled in Örebro and King Charles XIII in 1810.
In 1979, the Riksdag introduced absolute primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is first in the line of succession. The change entered into force on 1 January 1980, making Sweden the first country to adopt absolute primogeniture. The Swedish crown had previously descended according to agnatic primogeniture, meaning that only males could inherit it. Though the change took effect in 1980, its application was backdated so that Crown Princess Victoria, who was born in 1977, became the first in line of succession, replacing her brother, Prince Carl Philip, who was born in 1979.
Line of succession
King Carl XVI Gustaf- * ' Crown Princess Victoria, Duchess of Västergötland
- ** ' Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland
- ** ' Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne
- * ' Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
- ** ' Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland
- ** ' Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna
- ** ' Prince Julian, Duke of Halland
- ** ' Princess Ines, Duchess of Västerbotten
- * ' Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland
- ** ' Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland
- ** ' Prince Nicolas, Duke of Ångermanland
- **' Princess Adrienne, Duchess of Blekinge
Eligibility
According to more recent adjustments to the Act of Succession, only King Carl XVI Gustaf's Lutheran legitimate descendants brought up in Sweden are presently entitled to succeed. Succession rights are lost when a person:- is not brought up in Sweden
- ceases to be a Lutheran as defined in the Unaltered Augsburg Confession and the Uppsala Synod of 1593, i.e. by implication the Church of Sweden
- marries without the consent of the Government or
- ascends the throne of another state by election, inheritance or marriage without the consent of the monarch and the Riksdag