Royal Jubilee Commemorative Medals
King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Royal Jubilee Commemorative Medal IV. Left, in a ribbon for men as well as women in uniform; right, for women in civilian attire. Photo: Jonas Arnell-Szurkos/Kungl. Maj:ts Orden
Within royal houses, there has been a tradition of conferring, on various occasions, jubilee and commemorative medals – intended to be worn – in connection with certain significant jubilees or events within a royal house.
A Longstanding Tradition
Royal commemorative medals are commemorative tokens presented in connection with certain significant days within the royal house. They constitute a form of personal gift of honour and are usually conferred upon royal ascendants and relatives, members of the royal court and senior officials and officers.
There is an older tradition surrounding commemorative tokens, a notable example being Gustav III’s godparent token for the 45 godparents of Crown Prince Gustav (IV) Adolf, born in 1778.
The first Swedish commemorative token in the modern sense is King Oscar II’s Jubilee Commemorative Medal from 1897 on the occasion of his 25th year as regent (abbreviation OII:sJmt). This was likely inspired by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom’s jubilee medal on the occasion of her 50th year as regent in 1887. In the Kingdom of Württemberg (Germany), King Karl I instituted a commemorative medal in 1889 to mark his 25 years of reign.
The first Nordic commemorative token was created for the golden wedding anniversary of Denmark’s King Christian IX and Queen Louise in 1892. A Swedish equivalent emerged in the form of the medal commemorating the silver wedding anniversary of Crown Prince Gustaf (V) and Crown Princess Victoria in 1906 (abbreviation GVSbm), and the medal commemorating the golden wedding anniversary of King Oscar II and Queen Sofia in 1907 (OIISGbmt).
King Gustaf V instituted one jubilee medal to commemorate his 70th birthday in 1928 (GV:sJmt), and one for his 90th birthday in 1948 (GV:sJmtII). In memory of King Gustaf V, the King Gustaf V Commemorative Medal (GV:sMt) was instituted in 1951, which was conferred upon his court. King Gustaf VI Adolf instituted a commemorative medal for his 85th birthday in 1967 (GVIA:sMM).
Carl XVI Gustaf’s jubilee commemorative medal (CXVIG:sJmt) on the occasion of his 50th birthday
Adopted in court minutes on 18 March 1996, designed by sculptor Ernst Nordin. The medal depicts H.M. The King’s mirror monogram, which was created by master engraver Lennart Askwall. Use of monograms follows the tradition from GV:sJmt.
Crown Princess Victoria’s and Prince Daniel’s Wedding Commemorative Medal (VD:sBMM)
Adopted in court minutes on 8 June 2010, designed by heraldic artist Vladimir A. Sagerlund (front) and sculptor Annie Winblad Jakubowski (back). DD.KK.HH can be seen on the front – The Crown Princess’ and Prince Daniel’s joint monogram. On the back are portraits of them both. The medal is made of sterling silver by Myntverket and is worn in the pale blue ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim. The medal follows the tradition from GVSbm.
A unique medal in 18 carat gold was presented to the organiser of the wedding, H.M. The King’s Chief of Staff, Major General Håkan Pettersson.
King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Jubilee Commemorative Medal (CXVIG:sJmtII) on the occasion of his 40th year of reign
Adopted in court minutes on 28 August 2013, drawn by Superintendent of the Order Tom C. Bergroth and using Ernst Nordin’s portrait from 1999. The oval medal in gold (gilded fine silver) of the ninth-and-a-half size is made by Sporrong AB in Ekenäs (Finland). Worn in the ribbon of the Order of Seraphim adorned with four gold-embroidered stripes, representing four decades on Sweden’s throne.
King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Jubilee Commemorative Medal (CXVIG:sJmtIII) on the occasion of his 70th birthday
Adopted in court minutes on 4 April 2016, drawn by Superintendent of the Order Tom C. Bergroth, based on the mirror monogram of master engraver Lennart Askwall (see CXVIG:sJmt). The surface treatment of the medal is entirely copied from court silversmith Baron Erik Fleming’s intricate and distinctive jubilee commemorative token from 1948. The medal is in openwork, cast in gold (gilded fine silver), produced by Svenska Medalj AB in Eskilstuna, where toolmaker Stefan Siljemar did the digital original design. On the back of the crown are the years 1946 and 2016 with the date 30/4. Using an openwork monogram follows the tradition from GV:sJmtII and OIISGbmt.
King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Jubilee Commemorative Medal (CXVIG:sJmtIV) on the occasion of his 50th year of reign
Since 26 April 2018, King Carl XVI Gustaf has been the longest-reigning monarch in Sweden’s history. On 15 September, H.M. The King’s 50 years on the throne were celebrated and, for the occasion, H.M. the King instituted his fourth jubilee commemorative medal, adopted in court minutes on 28 April 2023.
The medal is minted in gilded fine silver and on the front is Ernst Nordin’s profile portrait of H.M. The King with five golden stars symbolising the past 50 years, as well as two crossed spruce branches. On the back of the medal is H.M. The King’s monogram, the years 1973–2023 and five golden stars. The medal is crowned by a royal crown and is worn in the pale blue ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim with five gold stripes marking the 50 years of reign. The medal in gold (that is to say, gilded fine silver) is produced by Svenska Medalj AB in Eskilstuna, where toolmaker Stefan Siljemar did the digital original design for the medal. Nordin’s portrait and the open wreath correlate with the King’s other jubilee medals. The dimensions are 48×29mm. The ribbon is 35mm wide.
Great emphasis has been placed on the design of the ‘Gustaf crown’ (introduced in 1952). The cross-bearing orb is hand-filed, making the cross stand out distinctively, with the highly polished edges enhancing the general impression. The ribbon mountings follow longstanding Swedish tradition; the men’s ribbon is folded straight, making the cross-bearing orb clearly visible, and the women’s bow is mounted with classic slanted edges.
The commemorative medal was presented to members of the Royal House, individuals serving at the Royal Court and the guests who attended the festivities on 15 September at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. 695 medals were conferred. The medal abbreviation is CXVIG:sJmtIV.
This medal can be seen in the picture above.
Royal jubilee commemorative medals are worn furthest to the (wearer’s) right, with the current monarch’s most recently conferred medal closest to the midline of the body, gold before silver. Then follows the royal jubilee commemorative medals of King Gustav VI Adolf, and then of King Gustav V.