Many happy returns to King Carl Gustaf, who celebrated his 73rd birthday on Tuesday. As with tradition, Carl marked his birthday with a ceremony outside Stockholm's Royal Palace, where he was joined by his only son Prince Carl Philip. There, they greeted members of the public and the Swedish armed forces, who wished Carl a happy birthday and presented him with flowers. Carl took the opportunity to take a lovely selfie of himself and his father on his special day, and shared the picture with royal fans on his official Instagram account. He wrote next to it: "Today we celebrate the King - father, father-in-law and grandfather. Happy Birthday!"
King Carl Gustaf celebrated his 73rd birthday on Tuesday
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Other members of the Swedish royal family, including Carl's wife Queen Silvia, along with his children and grandchildren, watched the celebratory parades from the balcony. King Carl is the second-longest reigning monarch in Swedish history, and shares three children with wife Silvia – Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Prince Carl and Princess Madeleine of Sweden. The royals also have seven grandchildren. Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar – the two children of Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel, Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel – the two children of Carl and Princess Sofia, and Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne – the three children of Madeleine and Chris O'Neill. Currently, Madeleine and Chris live in Florida with their young family, having relocated there last summer while their children were still pre-school age.
The Swedish royal family stepped out to mark the special occasion
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The Swedish royal family often share insights into their life on social media, and Prince Carl in particular has had a busy start to the week. The prince took part in a charity race on Sunday to support the Lilla Barnets Fond – or Little Child's Fund – a charity that helps to support medical research and development for newborn children and their future health. Carl has been a patron of the organisation since 2009, and he shared a photo of himself at the race on his Instagram account. He wrote: "Today I ran for @lilabarnetfond thank you for all you do!"
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