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Historic Swedish sailing ship slow to give up its secrets

<div> <p>The Swedish ship Vasa was supposed to be a beacon of military might when it launched in 1628, but it sank after sailing just over a kilometre, killing roughly 30 people  in the process.</p> <p>Since its recovery in 1961, the ship, its contents and the people who perished with it have become a valuable insight into 17th-century Swedish life.</p> <p>Now, an international team of researchers has looked closer at one of the skeletons, referred to as G, and have confirmed that it’s female.</p> <p>“Through osteological analysis it has been possible to discover a great deal about these people, such as their age, height and medical history. Osteologists recently suspected that G could be female, on the basis of the pelvis. DNA analysis can reveal even more,” says Dr Fred Hocker, director of research at the Vasa Museum, Sweden.</p> <p>“It is very difficult to extract DNA from bone which has been on the bottom of the sea for 333 years, but not impossible”, says Professor Marie Allen, a forensic geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden.</p> <p>“Already some years ago we had indications that skeleton G was not a man but a woman. Simply put, we found no Y-chromosomes in G’s genetic material. But we could not be certain and wanted to confirm the result.”</p> <p>They were able to do that with a technique developed by the US Department of Defense’s Armed Forces Medical Examiner System’s Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFMES-AFDIL).</p> <p>“We took new samples from bones for which we had specific questions. AFMES-AFDIL has now analysed the samples, and we have been able to confirm that G was a woman, thanks to the new test,” says Allen.</p> <p>Allen, along with AFMES-AFDIL collaborator Dr Kimberly Andreaggi, is now investigating the DNA for more detail about G.</p> <p>“Today we can extract much more information from historic DNA than we could earlier and methods are being continuously refined. We can say if a person was predisposed to certain illnesses, or even very small details, such as if they had freckles and wet or dry ear wax,” says Allen.</p> <p>The Vasa Museum, meanwhile, is collecting information for a book about the people who died on the ship.</p> <p>“We want to come as close to these people as we can. We have known that there were women on board Vasa when it sank, and now we have received confirmation that they are among the remains,” says museum historian Dr Anna Maria Forssberg.</p> <p>“I am currently researching the wives of seamen, so for me this is especially exciting, since they are often forgotten even though they played an important role for the navy.”</p> </div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/vasa-shipwreck-female/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p> </div>

Technology

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Royal family release new portraits

<p dir="ltr">The Swedish royal family have launched a website to share stunning new portraits of the entire family.</p> <p dir="ltr">Available in Swedish and English, the incredible photographs focus on the entire Royal House which includes, King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle, Prince Oscar, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, and Princess Birgitta.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, Princess Birgitta is the only one who does not have a working page due to some technological issues with the website. </p> <p dir="ltr">Each individual portrait includes a short biography of the royal and their duties based on their position.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HM The King </strong>- Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, King of Sweden, born on 30 April, 1946, ascended the throne on 15 September 1973. </p> <p dir="ltr">Carl XVI Gustaf is the seventh king of the House of Bernadotte and the longest reigning monarch in Swedish history. </p> <p dir="ltr">The King's motto is: “For Sweden – With the times”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HM The Queen</strong> - Silvia Renate, Queen of Sweden, born on 23 December 1943. Married on 19 June 1976 to HM King Carl XVI Gustaf.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HRH The Crown Princess</strong> - Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, born on 14 July 1977.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HRH Prince Daniel</strong> - Olof Daniel, Prince of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, born on 15 September 1973. Married on 19 June 2010 to HRH The Crown Princess.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HRH Princess Estelle</strong> - Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland, born on 23 February 2012 as first child of TRH The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HRH Prince Oscar</strong> - Oscar Carl Olof, Prince of Sweden, Duke of Skåne, born on 2 March 2016 as second child to TRH The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HRH Prince Carl Philip</strong> - Carl Phillip Edmund Bertil, Prince of Sweden, Duke of Värmland, born on 13 May 1979.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HRH Princess Sofia</strong> - Sofia Kristina, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Värmland, born on 6 December 1984. Married on 13 June 2015 to HRH Prince Carl Philip.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>HRH Princess Madeleine</strong> - Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, born on 10 June 1982.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Swedish Royal Court / Linda Broström</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Swedish royal family releases new photos of adorable family!

<p>Prince Julian’s adorable christening photos have been released by the Swedish royal family.</p> <p>Parents Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip posed with their three children, in an official post released by the palace.</p> <p>Four-month-old Prince Julian was a bundle of joy wrapped up in his mother’s arm, as the family posed for the camera at their family summer home, Drottningholm Palace.</p> <p>Princess Sofia looked like a picture of elegance in a stunning floral gown, which she tied together with a silk white hair bow and off-white stilettos.</p> <p>The little family was joined by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, along with Sofia's parents, Marie and Erik Hellqvist.</p> <p>In another official portrait, the family can be seen posing with Prince Julian's five godparents, Jacob Högfeldt, Frida Vesterberg, Patrick Sommerlath and Johana and Stina Andersson.</p> <p>Julian wore a family heirloom for his christening, as it has been a tradition for royal babies to wear ever since Prince Gustaf Adolf's christening in 1906.</p> <p>His older siblings Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel looked adorable in matching beige suit jackets and navy shorts,</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSlpF8Dh1-q/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSlpF8Dh1-q/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Prinsparet (@prinsparet)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Prince Julian was born on March 26.</p> <p>In the series of snaps from the Christening, the Palace released a statement which read: "earlier today, Prince Julian, Duke of Halland, was baptised in Drottningholm's castle church. Officers at the baptism were the Supreme Court preacher Bishop Johan Dalman and Michael Bjerkhagen, pastor of the Royal. The Court Parish."</p> <p>"The prince's sponsors are Mr Johan Andersson, Mrs Stina Andersson, Mr Jacob Högfeldt, Mr Patrick Sommerlath and Miss Frida Vesterberg," the statement continued.</p> <p>"During the baptismal service, the assembled guests sang hymns 289 ('God's love is like the beach and the grass') and 201 ('Summer hymn'). Music was also performed by, among others, Lilla Akademien. Prince Julian's baptism will be televised tomorrow in @SVT."</p> <p>Princess Sofia celebrated the birth of her third son earlier this year, writing "Life gave me not just one but four beautiful princes."</p> <p><em>Images: @Kungahuset </em></p>

Family & Pets

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Style look book: Is Princess Sofia of Sweden the most fashionable royal?

<p>Many style watchers have their eyes firmly placed on British royals including the Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Sussex. However, there may be one Swedish princess that could be a big contender for the most fashionable royal and that is Princess Sofia of Sweden.</p> <p>Before she was a royal living the high life with the handsome Prince Carl Philip by her side and two gorgeous children, Princess Sofia was a glamour model and a Swedish reality TV star.</p> <p>Since marrying her husband in 2015, the 35-year-old has redefined royal style by adding in a touch of glamour and elegance that is quite simply unique to Princess Sofia.</p> <p>She has shown time and time again she is not afraid to incorporate a sultry pop of colour, a raging fashion trend or accessories that makes a big statement.</p> <p>While Princess Sofia has only become apart of royal life for a little less than five years, she has fast become a sure contender in the realm of royal style and solidified herself as someone that is hard to compete with due to her perfect fashion statements.</p> <p>See Princess Sofia’s best looks so far.</p>

Beauty & Style

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Swedish royal family celebrates Princess Estelle’s birthday with stunning photograph

<p>Sweden’s sweetest royal, Princess Estelle marked a special day on Sunday as she celebrated her eight birthday.</p> <p>To mark the momentous occasion, the Swedish royals’ Instagram account shared a brand new, unseen photograph of the Princess.</p> <p>In the snap, she is shown wearing a gorgeous beautiful off-white dress with a soft blue floral pattern and a neat plait.</p> <p>Photographed staring into the camera with a sweet smile, she was a picture of elegance just like her mother, Crown Princess Victoria, who is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne.</p> <p>Another adorable photo showed Estelle and her brother, three-year-old Prince Oscar, sitting on the floor and laughing together. </p> <p>The pictures' caption read: "I dag fyller Prinsessan Estelle 8 år!" This translates to: "Today, Princess Estelle turns 8!" It also gave credit to the photographer, Linda Broström/Kungl. Hovstaterna.</p> <p>Princess Estelle and her mother also posed alongside Victoria's husband, Crown Prince Daniel and little Oscar for another special photograph that was released this week.</p> <p>Young Estelle is the second in the line of succession to the throne and spent her first week as an eight-year-old visiting Stockholm Cathedral with her mother.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see all the gorgeous pictures of the Princess Victoria’s children.</p>

Family & Pets

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Rise to royalty: Swedish Sofia’s journey from risque star to beloved princess

<p>Before she became Princess Sofia of Sweden, she was Sofia Hellqvist. </p> <p>Born in December 1984, she began making a name for herself while studying in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm. </p> <p>The royal started out as a glamour model and partook in risque photoshoots. One of her most outlandish was one she posed for at the age of 20 for a Swedish men’s magazine,<span> </span>Slitz,<span> </span>where she wore a boa constrictor as her own form of clothing. </p> <p>In 2004 she was crowned<span> </span>Miss Slitz 2004. </p> <p>The recognition from the bold cover earnt her a spot on a popular reality television show,<span> </span>Paradise Hotel,<span> </span>in 2005. </p> <p>The show required a group of single people to stay in a luxury tropical resort and compete to find their perfect match. </p> <p>The royal would not find the one for her until 2009, however, when she met her future husband, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, at a busy nightclub. </p> <p>They both described their first meeting as “love at first sight”. </p> <p>Having studied accounting, global ethics and various other courses focussing on children’s rights, Princess Sofia received encouragement from her royal boyfriend to focus on more charitable endeavours. </p> <p>In 2010, she established the Sofia Hellqvist Project Playground, which supports underprivileged children in South Africa.</p> <p>When the news of their intimate relationship became public, critics thought the couple were not a good match. </p> <p>Princess Sofia said in an interview in 2018 the transition from local celebrity to royal an incredibly difficult feat. </p> <p>"I was met with an enormous hate storm, from people who had opinions about as a person, about my relationship.</p> <p>"I was surprised and it definitely affected me. I didn't understand that people had such need to express how badly they felt about me. It was very tough.</p> <p> "I don't regret anything. All these experiences have made me the person I am. I wouldn't have made those choices today."</p> <p>In 2014, the couple announced their engagement and it seems Prince Carl was head over heels with his soon-to-be-fiance. </p> <p>"I don't think I knew the magic of love before I met Sofia," Prince Carl said in their joint engagement interview.</p> <p>"But ever since I met her, I've seen how love can change a person."</p> <p>Princess Sofia said: "The first thing I noticed about Carl Philip was that he seemed very humble.</p> <p>"When I got to know him, I saw that he was incredibly natural, very intelligent and very humble."</p> <p>The duo married inside the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on June 13, 2015. </p> <p>Other royals from all over the world were there to witness the nuptials including Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, along with others from the UK, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Greece, Norway and Germany.</p> <p>The couple welcomed their first child, Prince Alexander, in April 2016, and then later on, Prince Gabriel in August 2017. </p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see Princess Sophia’s life in pictures.</p>

Beauty & Style

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Swedish pop stars ABBA announce they’re releasing new music

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">ABBA, the Swedish pop group that stole the hearts of Aussies across the nation are set to release new music in September or October of 2019.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus has revealed that fans can expect new songs “in September or October” from the group, who broke up 37 years ago.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new songs are </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I Still Have Faith In You </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t Shut Me Down</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ulvaeus told Denmark’s </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ekstra Bladet</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> newspaper that the music takes “an extremely long time” to make the video with the avatars of the group members.</span></p> <p><iframe width="633" height="356" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JAeDoZMZ7ME" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The avatars that he is referring to is the group reuniting for a virtual tour featuring digital avatars, but unexpected legal issues got in the way of that. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The virtual tour was first announced in 2016 and was expected to premiere this year, but legal complications have delayed the tour.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Benny Andersson, another ABBA band member, said in an interview on the fan site IceTheSite that things were running smoothly until they weren’t.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When that press release [about the TV show and recordings] came out, everything was up and running smoothly, then it didn’t run as smoothly,” he said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We are still trying to establish the agreement that needs to be done to be able to continue. We are good.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “It’s the other side, everything that has to be done, everything that has to be drawn. It’s delayed. It’s not our doing.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Andersson also teased a potential third song from the group.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We may do another one when the show [launches],” he said in an interview posted last month. “And that’s gonna take another 6-8 months. The reasons we did the new songs was to put them in the new show. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Now when this show comes up these songs will be old because they [will have been released when the show launches]. So we said we need to do another one for the show.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also mentioned that no time had passed at all for the group and explained the joys behind recording together again.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We had such a good time, we really, really did, we were all back to where we ended, having fun. It was just like no time had passed, we all felt that and we were all happy about feeling that.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Are you excited for new ABBA music? Let us know in the comments.</span></p>

Music

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Why “Swedish death cleaning” could be the key to decluttering your home and life

<p><em><strong>Rachel Connor is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Leeds Beckett University.</strong></em></p> <p>There has been a trend in recent years, both in literature and in life, for Scandinavian concepts that are encapsulated in a single word. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-danish-concept-of-hygge-and-why-its-their-latest-successful-export-67268" target="_blank">Hygge</a></strong></span>, for example – which is Danish for cosiness, contentment or well-being – dominated the publishing industry in 2016.</p> <p>Now, the new buzzword on the block is “dostadning” – a hybrid of the Swedish words “death” and “cleaning”. How much these fad words are actually a part of Scandinavian culture is debatable, but dostadning is the new phenomenon outlined in Margareta Magnusson’s <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gentle-Art-Swedish-Death-Cleaning/dp/1786891085/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1516265092&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+art+of+swedish+death+cleaning" target="_blank">The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning</a></strong></em></span>. In Europe, the book has already occupied a good deal of reviewing space and according to <em>Time</em> magazine, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://time.com/4985533/death-cleaning-declutter/" target="_blank">dostadning will be the hot new trend</a></strong></span> stateside in 2018.</p> <p>Magnusson’s book chimes with the current <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahweinswig/2016/09/07/millennials-go-minimal-the-decluttering-lifestyle-trend-that-is-taking-over/#6c328eb83755" target="_blank">anxiety about clutter</a></strong></span> in the 21st century. Dostadning advocates the proactive and mindful clearing out of possessions before death. The idea is that it saves relatives the onerous task of making decisions about what to keep and what to throw or give away. The book reflects the simple fact that we are all living longer lives. This results, of course, in more stuff.</p> <p><strong>Digital death</strong></p> <p>But it also means we have more time to get rid of things. We can start planning for our death by slimming down what we leave behind – shedding unnecessary objects in favour of what we actually need. It is the antithesis, perhaps, of the ancient Egyptian tradition of being buried with things that might accompany us into the afterlife.</p> <p>Magnusson’s top tips for dostadning focus mostly on material possessions – though she suggests keeping a book of passwords for family so they can access online data more easily. But this is no straightforward task, given that more and more of our data – photos, letters, memories – as well as actual things – music and books – exist in digital rather than analogue form. And as more of our lives are logged and lodged virtually, chances are our relatives might not be able to access it.</p> <p>A documentary about this precise issue aired recently on BBC Radio 4. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09jf1zb" target="_blank">My Digital Legacy</a></strong></em></span> was part of the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084ys5v" target="_blank">We Need to Talk about Death</a></strong></em></span> series and featured terminally ill patients with an extensive digital footprint who rely on the internet – especially on social media – to connect to the world around them. The programme also heard from bereaved relatives who experienced difficulties in accessing data, including Facebook profiles, of loved ones after their death.</p> <p><strong>The death manager</strong></p> <p>My recent short story <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9g0eqBdyxw" target="_blank">How To Curate a Life</a></strong></em></span>, published by <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="https://storgy.com/about/" target="_blank">Storgy Books</a></strong></em></span> in the anthology Exit Earth, deals with precisely this issue. Set in the not too distant future, the parents of a young woman killed suddenly in an accident try to commission Jesse – a “digital death manager” – not to curate her life but to erase it: to gain access to her files then destroy them.</p> <p>In this fictional world where everyone is required to dictate the terms of their digital estate, it is illegal for Jesse to tamper with the girl’s online content. And yet, the financial reward would mean freedom from his desk bound job forever.</p> <p>The story grew from an idea I found online about careers that will be ubiquitous in the future. Digital death management, it seems, is definitely set to become “A Thing”. And just as we now commission solicitors or will writers to oversee our material estate – there will come a time when people will also hire someone to clean up their digital footprint</p> <p>In our already busy lives, does tending to our online existence give us one more thing to do? Perhaps so. But it’s about taking responsibility for our own stuff. If we don’t make the decisions about what to keep or discard – whether actual or online – then ultimately others will need to. And if we don’t leave clear directions about where to find our digital content, it makes things tougher for everyone.</p> <p>As Magnusson writes, death cleaning is “a permanent form of organisation that makes everyday life run smoothly”. What better legacy to leave behind than to ease the bereavement process for the ones we love?</p> <p><em>Written by Rachel Connor. Republished with permission of <a href="http://theconversation.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Conversation</span>.</strong></a> </em><img width="1" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90253/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation"/></p>

Caring

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The Swedish royal family dazzle at the Nobel Prize Awards

<p>When it comes to glitz and glamour, we thought the <a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2017/01/duchess-of-cambridge-most-glamorous-looks/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">British royals couldn’t be topped</span></strong></a> – but we have to say, the Swedes really gave them a run for their money as they attended the Nobel Prize Awards in Stockholm’s Concert Hall.</p> <p>King Carl XVI Gustaf and wife Queen Silvia led the arrival procession, followed by Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Sofia. The men looked dapper in white tie, while the ladies dazzled in three stunning ballgowns, <strong>which you can see in the gallery above</strong>.</p> <p>Queen Silvia looked elegant in a long-sleeved purple dress and a glittering tiara (with jewellery and brooches to match), while Crown Princess Victoria bared her arms in a breathtaking high-necked, pale blue chiffon gown, topped off with a blue jewel-encrusted tiara. Princess Sofia, who recently gave birth to her second child, Prince Gabriel, glowed in a pastel long-sleeved gown and elegant tiara.</p> <p><strong>See all their beautiful looks in the gallery above</strong> and tell us in the comments, which dress do you like best?</p>

Beauty & Style

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First look at newest member of the Swedish royal family

<p>While most of the world’s eyes have been on the upcoming arrival of the British royals’ newest member, the Swedish royal family have been celebrating the birth of their own royal baby.</p> <p>And we’ve finally been given our first look at Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia’s adorable new bub Prince Gabriel, who was born on August 31. He joins the genetically blessed couple’s first son, one-year-old Prince Alexander.</p> <p>Just-released photos from the Royal Palace in Stockholm taken by photographer Erika Geredemark, <strong>which you can see in the gallery above</strong>, show the beautiful (and colour-coordinated!) family of four beaming as they celebrate their newest arrival.</p> <p>In a statement released alongside the sweet pictures, the couple said, “A big and warm thanks for all the kind congratulations in connection with the birth of our son, Prince Gabriel. We appreciate your kindness very much.”</p> <p>After the birth announcement, a “really happy” Prince Carl Philip described the newborn as “a very cute boy”.</p> <p>“It feels great, pure joy!” he gushed. “He seems to be a very charming little boy and Sofia is a wonderful mum. It’s overwhelming. He has a draw of both me and Sofia.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Erika Geredemark/The Royal Court, Sweden.</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Artist makes incredible glass sculpture in minutes

<p>Swedish artist Greg Owen has impressed viewers online after posting a video revealing how he make glass pieces.</p> <p>The skilled glassblower creates a lollipop-like piece in only a few minutes.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="400" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FiQZHBPMCJA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><span style="text-align: center;">The video, which the artist posted to Instagram, has been viewed over 168,000 times.</span></p> <p>One user wrote, “I have such a new appreciation now for your craft…thanks to all these vids you share.”</p> <p>The artist has posted other art pieces he has created and videos showing the process on his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gmanonfire/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Instagram</span></strong></a>.</p> <p>Have you ever seen a glassblower in action before? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Art

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Prince Alexander’s christening photos released

<p>The Swedish royal palace has released the official portraits of Prince Alexander at his christening, and boy was he the picture of cute.</p> <p>In the photos, the four-month old sits on the lap of his mother, Princess Sofia, while father, Prince Carl Phillip, beams with pride. He was dressed in a traditional christening gown that was first worn by Prince Gustaf Adolf in 1906.</p> <p>The couple, who married last year, are joined in another portrait by Sofia’s two sisters and Carl Phillip’s siblings, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine. The royal bub is also lucky enough to have five godparents, who are pictured with the happy family in a separate portrait.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see all the darling photos.</p> <p>What have been your favourite royal baby pictures from this year so far? Let us know in the comments below. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/08/photos-of-royals-enjoying-the-rio-olympics/"><em>8 photos of royals enjoying the Rio Olympics</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/08/royal-wedding-announced-for-2017/"><em>Royal wedding announced for 2017</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/08/fergie-trim-new-look/">Fergie’s trim new look</a></em></strong></span></p>

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Adorable photos of Swedish Princesses Estelle and Leonore released

<p>What’s sweeter than the bond between two cousins? These adorable photos of 4-year-old Swedish Princesses Estelle, daughter of Crown Princess Victoria, and 2-year-old Princess Leonore, daughter of Princess Madeleine, have gone viral for one simple reason – they’re too cute!</p> <p><img width="499" height="555" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/21256/13325712_759814757489297_6271105044635130904_n_499x555.jpg" alt="Sweden princesses"/></p> <p>The gorgeous images were released after the royal family got together last Friday in Stockholm to christen Princess Estelle’s new baby brother, Prince Oscar.</p> <p>What do you think of the sweet photos? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/prince-oscar-of-sweden-surprising-christening-gift/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Prince Oscar of Sweden’s surprising christening gift</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/04/sweden-newest-royal-prince-oscar-makes-debut/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Sweden’s newest royal, Prince Oscar, makes debut</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/03/first-picture-swedish-prince-oscar/"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>First picture of new Swedish Prince Oscar</strong></span></em></a></p>

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First picture of new Swedish Prince Oscar

<p>Last week we told you about <a href="/news/news/2016/03/meet-prince-olof-new-royal-baby/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>the world’s newest royal baby</strong></span></a>, Prince Oscar Carl Olof.</p> <p>And now Prince Oscar’s parents, Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, have shared photos of the bundle of joy on the Swedish royal family’s Facebook page. </p> <p><img width="498" height="415" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/16814/prince-oscar-art_498x415.jpg" alt="Prince -oscar -art" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>"The first picture of Prince Oscar! The Prince is photographed at Haga Castle, five days old," the post reads.</p> <p>Prince Oscar is the couple’s second baby, along with his four year old sister Princess Estelle.</p> <p><img width="499" height="665" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/16815/oscar.jpg" alt="Oscar" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Prince Daniel reportedly couldn’t wipe the smile off his face when he addressed reporters, saying, “I have not had time to feel just yet how it feels to be a father of two. But it feels good so far.” </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/03/couple-give-60-million-lottery-away/"><strong>Couple gives $60 million lottery win away</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/03/find-letter-t-image-puzzle/"><strong>Can you find the letter “T” in this image?</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/03/stunning-images-antarctica-remote-beauty/"><strong>Stunning images of Antarctica’s remote beauty</strong></a></em></span></p>

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