Succession to the Swedish throne: History and Key Facts

The line of succession to the Swedish throne is determined by the Act of Succession (Swedish: successionsordningen), 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 (since 1810) 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.

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