Actually, King Carl XVI is standing. Gustaf (78) took center stage on his birthday. But his wife Queen Silvia (80) and eldest granddaughter Estelle (12) stole the show. Because on the castle balcony the two showed in front of everyone how close and familiar their relationship is.

Silvia and Estelle are considered very close and have once again proven this. When the royal family appeared on the balcony of Stockholm Palace at midday on April 30th after the birthday parade, there were touching moments between the grandmother and her granddaughter. Estelle, who will become Queen of Sweden in the future, placed her head familiarly on the monarch's shoulder. The two also had a lively conversation and had a lot of laughs. The pictures make it clear: For Estelle, Queen Silvia is simply her beloved grandma.

Almost the entire royal family gathered on the balcony to celebrate Carl Gustaf's 78th birthday. Crown Princess Victoria (46) stood on one side of the royal couple with her husband Daniel (50), Prince Oscar (8) and Estelle, her brother Prince Carl Philip (44) with his wife Sofia (39) and their three sons Prince Alexander ( 8), Prince Gabriel (6) and Prince Julian (3) on the other. While the King and Carl Philip were in uniform - they had previously attended the military parade in the outer courtyard - Daniel and Oscar appeared in dark suits. The Queen chose a blackberry-colored dress while the rest of the family wore light tones.

However, the royal couple's youngest daughter and her loved ones were missing: Princess Madeleine (41), her husband Chris O'Neill (40) and the three children Princess Leonore (10), Prince Nicolas (8) and Princess Adrienne (6) still live always in Florida, but should return to Sweden in the summer.