The 2024 Eurovision Contest is currently taking place in Sweden, and to start off the evening, Crown Princess Victoria made an unexpected appearance.
Following in the footsteps of Britain’s Princess of Wales, who inaugurated the 2023 Eurovision Finals, the Crown Princess delivered a speech to the hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.
“Good evening it is my great honor to welcome you all to Sweden. I hope you will enjoy the show, and I wish all the contestants the best of luck,” she said.
Victoria donned a white power suit matched with a white T-shirt as she stood in one of the main living rooms, revealing the luxurious decorations, numerous chandeliers, and exquisite rugs. A large bouquet of flowers adorned a flower stand to her left.
The Crown Princess, looking elegant in a black cape and dress accessorized with an assortment of refined silver jewelry, was also present at the ceremony. She was captured on camera dancing to ‘Hooked On A Feeling’.
Victoria was joined by Scania Governor Annelie Hulthén, SVT CEO Hanna Stjärne, and Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand for the annual event, which in 2024 is being held in Malmo, Sweden.
In 2023, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, commenced the ceremony with a pre-recorded instrumental piano performance as part of the opening sequence, performing from the Crimson Drawing Room of Windsor Castle. Princess Kate opted for a Jenny Packham gown in blue as a symbolic gesture to Ukraine, who were originally slated to host the 2022 contest but were unable to do so due to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The 2024 ceremony has also been marked by controversy, with reports of 15,000 pro-Palestine protesters gathering outside the venue, demanding the removal of Israeli contestant Eden Golan from the final. Despite this, Israel has emerged as one of the favorites to win, climbing from ninth to second place after advancing through the semi-final.
Croatia’s Baby Lasagna are the frontrunners to win among the 25 countries, with their rock song ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’ addressing the issue of young Croatians seeking better opportunities abroad.
Swiss singer Nemo is also expected to perform strongly; if they win with their song ‘The Code’, they would become the first nonbinary Eurovision winner.
Olly Alexander, known for his work with Years and Years, represented Great Britain, proudly flying the British flag during his performance of ‘Dizzy’.
