1,100 Swedes Greet Their Highnesses

SKOAL!

That’s the sound of more than 1,100 Swedes, Swedish-Americans and just a few friends saluting the visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden and celebrating New Sweden ‘88, the 350th anniversary of the New Sweden Colony in America.

There was a mild fear that Fergie madness might have left Los Angeles a little royalty-logged. No way. The style of the Swedish monarchs is much different--and the dinner welcoming them Monday night at the Century Plaza Hotel was as down-to-earth and friendly as they themselves seemed.

A slight delay because of rush-hour motorcades left everyone a little nervous at the V.I.P. reception. The king and queen finally arrived. “If you would like to applause (sic) as they come in, that would be very nice,” announced a seemingly flustered City Chief of Protocol Bee Lavery.

The evening was the first city-county combination in a long time, and it was impressive to watch County Chief of Protocol Sandra Ausman whip the procedure into shape with the experience of a White House major domo, gently but firmly putting together the receiving line, recognizing and passing along the names of the hundred-plus important folks who actually got to shake the hands of the young, attractive couple.

Then guests went into a stunningly set and extraordinarily (for a banquet) delicious dinner, with, thankfully, no view-blocking candled centerpieces (and none of the despised little aluminum wax catchers). Instead there were spring bouquets of flowers colored like the Swedish flag, blue and yellow. Swedish Consul General Margareta Hegardt pointed out that Swedes don’t wear blue and yellow, since they don’t want people to say, “You look like a flag.”

More Swedish lore (and great dinner conversation) came from Gunnar Johanson, the president of Volvo International, who joined Hegardt’s table. As he explained it, “Skoal” is an old Swedish tradition, and there is a proper way to make the toast. “The Swedes are a shy people,” he explained, “so we look into each other’s eyes as we make the toast, and thus establish contact.”

The evening was one of real contact--an amazing mix of people (and casual enough that at one table, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich wound up with Cesar Romero as his dinner partner). Bank of America’s James P. Miscoll (a Swedish-American) was the evening’s emcee, and he and Birgitta Sidh, the chairman of New Sweden ’88 Committee Los Angeles, had put together an amazing committee, including Roy A. Anderson, chairman of the executive committee of Lockheed, the still-beautiful actress Signe Hasso and former Arco executive Rodney Rood.

Miscoll pointed out that for Swedish-Americans in Los Angeles, it was a pleasure to “be able to come here to honor your majesties.” Mayor Tom Bradley recalled that the couple was a great hit during the 1984 Olympics (but did not point out that the Games were special to them, since the half-German, half-Brazilian Queen Silvia was a hostess at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and that’s how the royal couple met).

It was a totally diplomatic evening.

Caroline Ahmanson (probably the city’s number-one unofficial ambassador) was telling L.A. 2000’s Jane Pisano about the details of her planned tour with the king of the Museum of Science and Industry. Ahmanson was thwarted in her attempt to introduce former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico John Gavin to Carter Hawley Hale’s Philip Hawley (who certainly know each other from downtown business and GOP connections), and took some kidding as Gavin announced, “You don’t have to call me ‘Ambassador’. ‘Young man’ will do.” Meanwhile, their wives, Mary Hawley and actress Connie Towers lined up for a chance at a royal handshake.

Former City Councilman David Cunningham introduced his wife Sylvia, pointed out that she was pregnant with their third child and announced, “As soon as I find out what causes it, I’ll do something about it.”

Suzanne Marx was working hard, lining up support for Nancy Reagan’s Los Angeles Phoenix House project for young drug abusers (she’s on the board) and borrowed a piece of paper to jot down the name of a rather important interested fellow, she said--retired Arco chairman Robert O. Anderson.

Deputy Mayor Mike and Lacey Gage were there, as was the Central City Assn.’s Chris Stewart, who, it may be remembered, shared a table with the Duchess of York on her visit here. And, he said, the duchess had some great stories about touring America on a bus trip--before she was royalty, of course.