Swedish and Dutch royals meet in glamorous state visit – in pictures

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are on a three-day state visit to Sweden and were greeted in Stockholm on Tuesday by King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

The Dutch royal family were received at the Swedish Royal Palace at the start of their visit, with a state banquet on the first evening “setting the stage for the royals to dress to the nines in tiaras, gowns and jewels” wrote People. Both heads of state gave speeches at the dinner.

According to the Royal House of the Netherlands, the “state visit affirms the good relationship” between the two nations that “goes back to the 17th century”. It said the countries were “working together to make Europe greener, more resilient and economically more robust”, and the monarchs were accompanied by various ministers from the Dutch government.

Both European states are constitutional monarchies, the Netherlands “similar to the British system”, while the Swedish is “entirely ceremonial” and “no royal assent is needed to form a government”, said The New European.

In a statement, the Swedish king highlighted how the nations were “going to strengthen ties in defence and security”. The Dutch king meanwhile eluded to the changing landscape in Sweden saying it was “going through a special time”, adding that the Netherlands will “fully support” its prospective accession to Nato, which currently awaits approval from only Hungary and Turkey.

Sweden is also currently waiting for its new coalition government to form and a new prime minister to be put in place after the incumbent Social Democrats were unable to win enough seats to form a majority government, with the right-wing Sweden Democrats gaining significant ground. After weeks of negotiations “an announcement was close at hand”, said Euronews, though during the state visit “on the surface it looks like business as usual” as outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson continues to represent the country at political events.