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Things that go bump in Stockholm

January 3, 2017

In a new documentary by Swedish broadcaster SVT, Queen Silvia of Sweden has said Drottningholm Palace - the royal palace where she resides - is haunted. The "ghosts" are all "very friendly," she said.

https://p.dw.com/p/2VDhC
Drottningholm Castle, Sweden
Image: picture alliance/DUMONT Bildarchiv/O. Meinhardt

Built on Stockholm's Lovon Island in the 17th century, Drottningholm Palace remains the private residence of the Swedish royal family, as well as a popular tourist attraction.

But according to Queen Silvia, the Swedish royal family aren't the only ones residing in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Queen Silvia of Sweden (Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images)
Queen Silvia of Sweden is the co-founder of the World Childhood FoundationImage: Getty Images/M. Campanella

In a new documentary, due to be aired on public television on Thursday, Silvia said there are "small friends ... ghosts" living in the palace.

"They're all very friendly but you sometimes feel that you're not completely alone," she said, adding that "it's really exciting."

"But you don't get scared," the queen insisted.

Silvia married King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1976 - making her Sweden's longest-serving queen. Born in Heidelberg, southwest Germany, the 73-year-old was the only daughter of a German father and Brazilian mother.

Ghost stories

Princess Christina, the king's sister, also supports Silvia's claims of the Drottningholm phantoms.

"There is much energy in this house. It would be strange if it didn't take the form of guises," Christina was quoted as saying in the documentary.

"There are stories about ghosts in all old houses. They have been filled with people over the centuries," she added. "The energies remain."