King Carl XVI Gustaf gives an audience to Belgium’s two speakers – Royal Central
Sara Friberg / Kungl. The Court States
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden has held an audience for the two Speakers of the Belgian Parliament, Stephanie D’Hose and Eliane Tillieux.
D’Hose and Tillieux are on an official visit to Sweden on 5-8 December at the invitation of Sweden’s President Andreas Norlén. They will meet several government representatives during the visit, including Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Riksdag committee and the EU Committee.
They will also be at the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament), where the Belgian National Memorial Committee will present a plaque as a memorial gift in honor of Folke Bernadotte, the Swedish Red Cross and the white buses driven by Folke Bernadotte during World War II.
Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, was the leader of the Swedish Red Cross and a diplomat. He was the son of Prince Oscar of Sweden and nephew of King Gustav V of Sweden. Folke Bernadotte was also a cousin of Queen Astrid of Belgium.
He organized the evacuation of many thousands of prisoners, mainly Danish and Norwegian, from German prisons and concentration camps in the final phase of World War II. Bernadotte said that the white buses transported 6,000 Danish and Norwegian released prisoners and 13,000 from other countries to Sweden.
The Swedish and Belgian monarchies have close ties. The current monarch of Belgium, King Philippe, is the granddaughter of Queen Astrid of Belgium, who was born a princess of Sweden.