Carl XVI Gustaf

Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, born April 30, 1946, at Haga Palace in Solna, is King of Sweden, having acceded to the throne on September 15, 1973, upon the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf. His father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, died in an airplane crash when Carl Gustaf was nine months old, making him heir apparent from the age of four; he has now reigned for more than five decades, the longest reign in Swedish history and the second-longest tenure of any serving head of state in the world. Sweden's 1974 Instrument of Government stripped the monarchy of executive power, limiting him to ceremonial and representative functions. He married Silvia Sommerlath on June 19, 1976, at Stockholm Cathedral; their children are Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine.