Visiting Sweden

Members of the Swedish Royal Family, as well as others from the Gotha, attended the 2014 edition of the Bernadotte Art Awards at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm last night
Host Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg, the widow of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s uncle, the former Prince Sigvard, also used the gala to celebrate her upcoming 90th birthday. She arrived to the event with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Other royal guests included Crown Princess Victoria, Empress Farah Pahlavi, Prince Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe, the Duke of Anhalt and his daughter Julia, Prince Alexander of Saxony and Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed al Khalifa.
During the gala, awards in five categories were presented to Tilda Lovell, Rimma Gotskosik, Shima Niavarani, Metinée Wongtrakoon and Leonard Kocic.
The Marianne and Sigvard Bernadotte Art Foundation was established in 1982 to celebrate Count Sigvard’s 75th birthday. The Foundation awards annual grants to young artists working in theatre, music, design and art.
Culture Minister Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa attended this evening the Marianne & Sigvard Bernadotte Arts Award-distribution ceremony at the Grand Hôtel in Stockhlom, Sweden. 
The minister had received an invitation from Countess Marianne Bernadotte who launched the prestigious award thirty-two years ago. The ceremony offers the artists a platform and an opportunity to present themselves to a wide audience. 
Established in 1982 to mark Sigvard Bernadotte’s seventy-fifth birthday, the Marianne and Sigvard Bernadotte Arts Fund awards grants each year to young scholars in music, theatre, design and art. The scholarships provide young artists with the opportunity to develop their talents at an early stage in their careers, many of whom have later become very successful. Marianne and Sigvard Bernadotte Arts Fund has so far awarded grants to over 150 artists in all fields.