Kan den svenska drottningen straffas för brott?
Hallo! Kann die schwedische Königin für Verbrechen verurteilt und bestraft werden?
Lawline svarar
Hello, thank you for contacting Lawline with your question!
As I understand your question, you wonder if the queen of Sweden can be convicted and punished for crimes.
Sweden's head of state cannot be prosecuted for his or her actions, (5 chapter 8 § regeringsformen). Although, only the king is currently head of state because he holds the throne of Sweden, (1 chapter 5 § regeringsformen). The paragraph refer to the Successionsordning, in which it is stated who holds the Swedish throne.
The criminal immunity covers all acts of the king, both those performed in the service and those of a purely private nature. Nor does it matter how serious the act is, all acts are covered by the immunity. The rule stems from the view at the time when kings were sole rulers and were considered to be the source of all laws.
In summary, the queen, Silvia, can be prosecuted and thus also convicted if she were to commit a crime, since she is not Sweden's head of state (in today's society). However, this will change in the future when Victoria becomes the queen, she will then be Sweden's head of state since she is the king's firstborn descendant
I hope you got an answer to your question!
Sincerely,
