QUEEN’S VISIT TO SWEDEN

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27992, 12 June 1956, Page 14

QUEEN’S VISIT TO SWEDEN

Stay Extended Till Sunday

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, June 11. Princess Margaret and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will fly from London this morning to join the Queen and the Duke of

Edinburgh in Stockholm. The Queen’s State visit to Sweden ended last night with a dinner aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, but the Royal pair are to remain in Stockholm on an “unofficial” visit until Sunday.

The Royal party will live aboard th« Britannia, which is anchored ir Stockholm Harbour.

The Queen’s first engagement during her unofficial stay in Stockholm will be an inspection this morning of the British escort ships H.M.S Defender, H.M.S. Delight and H.M.C.S St. Laurent, anchored in the harbour near the Britannia/

Although no official programme has been set down for the Queen for the rest of her stay, it is known that she will attend a performance at the 18th century Court theatre in the grounds of the Royal Palace at Drottningholm, on Lake Malaren. After the performance at Drottningholm, King Gustaf Adolf of Sweden will give a supper at the Royal Palace for the British Royal visitors and specially invited guests. If the weather is fine the Royal party will return the nine miles to Stockholm from Drottningholm in a motor boat. During the week the Queen, with the Duke of Edinburgh. Princess Margaret, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, will also attend the ball of the Amarant Order in the Stockholm City Hall. Dance music at this ball—the most important social event of the Stock-, holm season—will be played by an English band, Edmundo Ros’s orchestra, and by a Stockholm orchestra. Queen at Equestrian Games

Amid all the combined gaiety and solemnity of the time-honoured Olympics opening ceremony, the equestrian games today came back to Stockholm where they were instituted in 1912. About 25,000 people, among them Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, crowded into the picturesque little stadium to welcome nearly 200 competitors from 29 countries. King Gustav Adolf of Sweden declared the games officially open. Com petitions will begin tomorrow and last a week.

Just before the ceremony a thunderstorm with hail transformed the stadium arena into a patchwork of small lakes.

Thousands of people in shirt sleeves and summer dresses, on their way to the stadium, and hundreds already in side, were soaked.

Within a few minutes brilliant sun shine with temperatures in the 80’s gave way to black skies and lightning. However, another sudden change brought sunshine for the ceremony. Outriders escorted the competitors through the Marathon Gate and into the stadium. Greece, as the home of the first modern Olympics, headed th? parade of riders. Sweden, the host nation, was in the rear.

A fanfare was sounded by trumpeters of the Swedish Royal Navy, the Olympic Hymn was sung by a choir of 250 accompanied by three military bands, and the Olympic flag with its five-ring symbol was hoisted. Torch Carried into Stadium

One thousand carrier pigeons were released and a salute of guns boomed as the Olympic Torch —kindled a week ago at Olympia, a historic meeting place of the ancient Greek athletes—was carried into the stadium by a Swedish ride/. Captain Hane Bikue. After circling the track, he lit the Olympic Flame, which will burn from the stadium tower throughout the games.

Flag bearers of the competing nations formed a semi-circle in front of the Tribune of Honour. and Sweden’s Henri St. Cyr, winner of the Dressage Grand Prix at Helsinki in 1952 mounted the rostrum and took the Olympic Oath for all competitors The packed stadium rang with cheers for the British Royal party, th* American Associated Press reported. Queen Elizabeth waved and smiled. ga -X_ bl V e dress and a blue hat with white gloves. s Earlier in the day the Queen and the Duke drove from the Royal Palace to th e little English church of St. Peter ano st. Sigfrid for morning service . The Duke—3s today—and the British Foreign Secretary (Mr Selwyn Lloyd) read the lessons.