Who's there at birth?
When Crown Princess Victoria gives birth, the Speaker of the Riksdag (Per Westerberg), the Prime Minister (Fredrik Reinfeldt), the Marshal of the Realm (Svante Lindqvist) and the Mistress of the Robes (Alice Trolle-Wachtmeister) must confirm the baby’s existence (and make sure there’s been no exchange) by signing a witness declaration. But will these people actually be present at birth? This is not our question, but rather one from a reader of expressen.se who calls him/herself “Republikanen”. It piqued our interest though. Expressen in turn asked Göran Alm, director of the Bernadotte library, to answer: “No, they won’t be there for the birth itself, but will visit the day after. Unless Victoria gives birth on a Saturday, in which case they will come Monday. However, up till the end of the 19th century the witnesses were if not in the actual room of the birth itself, then in a nearby room during the delivery.” And Alm adds: “It seems Crown Princess Margaretha, that is Gustav VI Adolf’s first wife, was the first to put down her foot, which means that Victoria’s paternal grandfather was the first royal heir to be born without witnesses sitting outside waiting.”
This happens after Victoria has her baby

Grandpa Carl XVI Gustaf to take first photo
Crown Princess Victoria could go into labor any day now. She and Daniel will become parents, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will become grandparents. According to the Crown Princess herself, the baby could come at the end of February or the beginning of March. “You don’t really know what it means,” she said to daily Aftonbladet. “It could come now, it could come later.” She added that the grandfather to be, the King, will be the one to take that first official photograph of the baby.

Name that baby
Think Ingrid and Oscar. Those are names with a royal tinge to them, and they are on the Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel’s list of names for their coming baby. At least if you believe journalist and writer Herman Lindqvist, and he also happens to be a royal expert. “We have had 16 royals named Carl so far,” Lindqvist says. “It’s just like in any normal family, the name must by tradition mirror mother’s, father’s and grandparents’ names. Or some other well-known or strong royal personality that one wants to honor.” He continues: “If wouldn’t surprise me if a girl was given the name Ingrid. The Crown Princess was very close to the Swedish Princess Ingrid who became Queen of Denmark. The two were very close.” The child will receive four names, following a long-standing royal tradition. Just like Victoria and her siblings. Other girls’ names on the list could, Lindqvist believes, be: Ulrica, Sofia, Astrid, Margareta, Désirée, Christina, and perhaps Alice, after Queen Silvia’s deceased mother. And for boys? Think Oscar, Carl and Gustav or perhaps Johan, Erik, and Fredrik. At least one name will come from Daniel’s family.