Dressed in evening dresses for ladies, tuxedos for the gentlemen, they are aligned in the main staircase. Each in his place, according to the protocol. All smiled at the goal time for a historical snapshot. One of the official photo of the gala dinner of the 70 years of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

At the bottom, was the hero of the day, Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia. On the walk from the top, between them, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and to her right, the President of the Republic of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson and his wife Dorrit Moussaieff. Next row, the Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde alongside the Sovereign Prince Albert II of Monaco and the former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, followed by the Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and his wife Jenni Haukio between which slides Queen Margarita of Bulgaria the wife of former king Simeon II. Then just behind her, on the same level as Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and his wife Crown Princess Mary, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Consort Daniel, and finally the Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and wife Princess Sophie.

Fifth, were placed the two children of the Swedish royal couple Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine. Beside her husband Christopher O'Neill, while her older brother was solo, Princess Sofia stayed with their baby Prince Alexander born on 19 April. Carl Philip on his right the Crown Princess Margareta of Romania. The latter's husband, Prince Radu, is positioned right behind her. It is on the same course as the Princess Christina -one of Carl XVI Gustaf sisters, Crown Prince Alexander, pretender to the Serbia throne and his wife Crown Katherina, Princess Benedikte of Denmark -the sister of Queen Margrethe II, the Princess Hisako Takamado -the widow of a cousin of Emperor Akihito- and  Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

The penultimate row is occupied by family members of the King and Queen of Sweden. Either from left to right: Thomas and Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath -the nephew and the elder brother of the Queen Silvia-the Consul General Tord Magnuson -l'époux Christina- of the princess, the other three sisters princesses Birgitta and Desiree, and the husband of the latter Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld. The group photo is dominated by the parents of spouses of Victoria princesses and Madeleine and Prince Carl Philip of Sweden Ewa and Olle Westling, the parents of Prince Consort Daniel, Mary and Erik Hellqvist, those of Sofia Princess and Eva Maria O'Neill, Christopher's mother.

King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja were to participate in this birthday dinner as well as their son Crown Prince Haakon and his wife Mette-Marit Princess. They canceled their visit to their Swedish neighbors to visit with families of victims of a helicopter crash connecting oil platforms in the North Sea, which occurred on 29 April in western Norway that killed 13 occupants of the aircraft.
Photo Credits: Paris Match