Crown Princess Victoria has given birth to a son, the third in line to the Swedish throne: HRH Prince Oscar Carl Olof, Duke of Skane was born on Wednesday, March 3, 2016.
The Crown Princess family welcomed a boy into their family on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. The baby's father, Prince Daniel, announced the arrival, joyously sharing the news that baby and mother are both doing well.
Prince Oscar's name was announced the very next day by his grandfather, King Carl XVI Gustaf, to the accompaniment of a 21-gun salute, or Kunglig Salut (Royal Salute) in Stockholm in celebration of the birth. The traditional Te Deum service was held at the royal chapel in praise of the royal baby's birth.
The King also assigns a royal child's dukedom. Sometime called “duchies” (though not exactly the same thing), dukedoms have been allotted in Sweden since the 13th century. They were often centers of regional power, where their dukes and duchesses had considerable executive authority of their own, under the central power of their king or queen. Since the reign of King Gustav III (1771-1792) the titles have carried nominal authority, though often maintaining castles and leisure residences in their provinces and some limited measure of cultural attachment to them.
Today, Swedish dukedoms are the provinces of Sweden, which are no longer governmental entities. Titles are given to Swedish royals for life, except in the case of monarchs, who no longer hold ducal titles after ascending the throne. (Before his ascension to the throne in 1973, King Carl XVI Gustaf was the Duke of Jämtland.)
There was speculation over whether the new baby would be given a dukedom with a close familial link, or one of the six provinces to never have a royal duke. The King announced the new prince is Duke of Skåne; he is the third royal to claim this duchy — the previous one being Gustav VI Adolf (1882-1973), whose mother was also named Victoria. Skåne is in southern Sweden.
There are seven other dukedoms in Sweden:
- Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are the Duchess and Duke of Västergötland
- Princess Estelle is the Duchess of Östergötland
- Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are the Duke and Duchess of Värmland (they, too, will soon have a baby to name and assign a dukedom)
- Princess Madeleine is the Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland
- Princess Leonore is the Duchess of Gotland
- Prince Nicolas is the Duke of Ångermanland