HM The Queen's dinner speech at National­museum

First of all, allow me to welcome you to this incredible space.

We are gathered at this, the National Museum, which is not only the largest design and art museum in the country, but also a government agency tasked with furthering the arts.

It houses paintings, sculptures, miniatures, portraits and much more. I hope some of you have had the chance to see part of the collections during the tour earlier this evening.

I am particularly glad that we are able to be here tonight, as the museum, which was originally completed in 1863 has, until very recently, been closed for a complete renovation. Renovations, which took five years and one point three (1,3) million working hours to conclude.

As such, today we are able to enjoy this wonderful venue in completely new light, especially as the windows overlooking the water and Royal Palace have been uncovered to allow for the natural flow of light we have enjoyed here today.

I must say, it is a wonderful thing this building and its art collection, well worth its own trip to Stockholm.

It of course also brings me great joy to be able to be here with you at the end of this long but productive day, that has been, at least to my mind an incredibly interesting and eye-opening experience.

I am always amazed by the very passionate speakers that we have the opportunity to listen to during the different sessions and of course the commentary from those in the audience.

I have said it before, but it is worth pointing out again – that the way forward when tackling a challenge the magnitude of dementia – it requires the gathering of great minds, great dialogue, great collaboration and not least steadfast convictions that we can overcome that challenge, together.

Today’s perspectives, conversations, solutions and ideas I believe are certainly evidence that all of those ingredients exist in this community, and not just amongst those of us gathered here, but also in the global context. This of course bodes well for the future, as it pertains to dementia and the people affected by it in different ways.

I hope, as you return to your respective countries and roles, that you bring with you a feeling of anticipation and hope - hope that we together can overcome this challenge, that we might see a future where dementia truly is a thing of the past.

As we sit here tonight, in this exquisite dining room, enjoying a lovely meal – which by the way is food for thought, in the literal sense, as it is in fact created to align with the recommendations laid out by the World Health Organization in their guidelines for risk reduction – I hope that we take the opportunity to continue the conversations of the day, to make new acquaintances, to rekindle old ones and to find common ground to work as one, to take the next important steps in making a difference for the future.

I want to thank you all for being here today, for sharing your knowledge and insight with us and for working so hard for this very important thought.

I would also like to conclude by thanking the organizers and the entire team that has worked to make this day possible for all of us.

Thank you!