Will the monarchy be affected?

"..if this is correct, then it is very serious for the king since it means he's lying to the Swedish people." 

  • Did the Swedish king lie to the people? And if he did, should he abdicate? New information has come up in the wake of the book “Den motvillige monarken.”
  • Will the monarchy be affected?
    "..if this is correct, then it is very serious for the king since it means he's lying to the Swedish people."

  • Anders Lettström, a friend to the Swedish king, says the king tried to hush the scandals described in the book “Den motvillige monarken” (“The Reluctant Monarch”). Lettström talks about this in a recorded conversation with a criminal contact. “If this information is correct, then it is very serious for the king since it means he’s lying to the Swedish people,” says Ulf Bjereld, political scientist. Lettström has been one of the king’s closest friends since childhood. In a recorded conversation that newspaper Aftonbladet says they’ve listened to, Lettström says the king knew of Lettström’s contacts and tried to get permission for a denial of the information in the book, where the authors describe illegitimate affairs and visits to strip clubs.

  • “I talked to the king during the evening and told him that Mille Markovic was willing to deny (what he’d said),” Lettström says in the recording. In an interview with TT (Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå, the Swedish news agency), last year, the king said he had no contacts with any criminals. At that point, the king also dissociated himself with Anders Lettström, who according to the King had failed in his judgment by contacting criminals. If the information on the recording is correct, it means the king lied about knowing about Lettström’s contacts. “I think these new pieces of information are very serious, since they mean the king has lied to the Swedish people, which is unique,” says Bjereld. When confronted with the recordings, Lettström called them false. But experts who have analyzed them say they are most probably real. It is Lettström’s voice on the tape, and nothing has been edited or manipulated. “There’s been a time of recovery, and there’s been focus on the heir that’s expected at Haga Palace. Now this comes back again, and that’s not good for the king. Of course this type of attention means the monarchy as a form of constitution may be weakened,” Bjereld says. He adds that he believes news like this may lead to more discussions about whether King Carl XVI Gustaf should abdicate or not.