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- / 2011
Prince Carl Philip on his university diploma in Agricultural and Rural Management
"An agricultural manager is both a farmer and a businessman. The course is very broad and we studied several subjects including business administration, law, statistics, chemistry and crop cultivation. The final part of the course was a thesis and I chose to write about Charles Emil Löfvenskiöld, who was a 19th century agricultural architect. He designed barns, outbuildings and other farm buildings. I wanted to examine what remains of the architecture of that period today, and why. Architecture back then was more aesthetic; stables and barns were often decorated and were aesthetically pleasing. Today we have more function than aesthetics, but some of Löfvenskiöld's thoughts and ideas remain."
How will Your Highness be using the diploma?
"My main reason for studying to become an agricultural manager is to be able to contribute knowledge to the management of the Stenhammar Estate; the beef production that my father runs. I find animals and the countryside very interesting, as well as understanding the whole context. The agricultural management course is at university level, so it's been a bit different from my previous course in design and my military training, as it's more academic and theoretical."
A lot has been written about Your Highness' studies. Would Your Highness like to comment?
"Most of my time has been taken up with studying over the past few years, and the course was demanding. I've only failed one exam during this time, so I didn't really recognise myself in the image that was portrayed by the media. At first I was thinking about how I could create an environment with some peace and quiet for studying without feeling the pressure of my results being published immediately in the papers. That's why I decided with the department not to publish my results on the department database. With hindsight perhaps that wasn't the best course of action as it led to many inaccuracies being circulated in the media, but it did give me the peace I needed then to focus on my studies."
Agricultural manager, designer, officer and Prince. How does Your Highness view these different roles?
"I am first and foremost a Prince, that's what I was born to be. Then it's design that is my great interest today in terms of an occupation. I'm involved in agriculture through my position on the board of Stenhammar, and I will be more involved in this in future. My big passion is racing and I hope to develop in this area as well but of course it's a balance that I need to find between my official commitments, design, agriculture and racing."
What are Your Highness' plans for the spring?
"There will be more official engagements now that I have completed my studies, and I will be working actively within design, I have several interesting projects on the go. Then I'm looking forward to an exciting racing season!"
