Your Majesties,
Your Imperial Highness,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Mr. Speaker,
Mr. Prime Minister,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It was cold, dark and winter — as you can see very different from today — that Sunday evening in February 2009 when I asked the Prime Minister to come and see me at the Drottningholm Palace. I had something very important to tell him. Crown Princess Victoria and Mr. Daniel Westling were about to get engaged to be married and I had given my consent. Now, we had to follow the steps outlined in the Swedish Constitution and I needed the Prime Ministers' acceptance.

This engagement was of course a very happy occasion for the Queen and myself as well as for all members of my own and the Westling family, but it was also a matter of State. The heir to the throne, the future Head of State of Sweden, was to be married and the formal approval of the Government was needed.

You, Mr Prime Minister, managed this issue with great efficiency and discretion. A few days later you personally delivered the Governmental decision to me. We took note of it at an Information Council at the Palace the same day, and directly thereafter the engagement was announced.

And, Mr Prime Minister, thanks to the cooperation of you and all the Members of your Government, here we are today, in this magnificent “Eric Ericsson Hall" preparing for the State Ceremony — the Wedding between Crown Princess Victoria and Mr. Daniel Westling — that will take place tomorrow.

We can all see how happy the engaged couple look. They radiate joy, youth and optimism. We can all feel the warmth and happiness in this hall.

On behalf of the Queen and myself, the Crown Princess and Mr. Westling, my own family, the Westling family as well as our Guests from all over the world, I would like to express our gratitude to the Swedish Government for having invited us to this dinner. The food was delicious, the singing of the Eric Ericsson Choir remarkable, and the setting absolutely beautiful. For all of us this will be a wonderful evening to remember.

Soon we will leave for the Gala Concert that the Parliament so generously has invited us to. We are all very excited to attend the divertissement that has been prepared in honour of the bridal couple.

But, before leaving, I would like us to thank the Prime Minister and the Swedish Government for this excellent, memorable, dinner and let us all stand up and raise our glasses in a heartfelt toast.

Varmt tack och Skål!