Monday, 23 March 2026, Düsseldorf, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: Premier Hendrik Wüst welcomed Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden to the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia for a meeting. The discussion focused on the Queen’s social commitment, particularly her dedication to child protection, as well as the relationship between North Rhine-Westphalia and Sweden.
Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Relations, and Media, and Head of the State Chancellery, also participated in the meeting. Queen Silvia was accompanied to the State Chancellery by Ambassador Veronika Wand-Danielsson. This was the Swedish Queen’s first official visit to the State Chancellery.
As per a statement issued in the German-language linked below, Premier Hendrik Wüst said: “For decades, Queen Silvia has impressively demonstrated the power of social commitment. With great empathy, leadership, and international appeal, she tirelessly champions the most vulnerable members of our society – especially children who have been victims of violence and abuse.
Through the World Childhood Foundation, she has created structures worldwide that provide affected children with protection, a voice, and new perspectives. Her commitment is also very tangible in North Rhine-Westphalia: The Childhood House in Düsseldorf exemplifies how her initiative brings people together and ensures that help reaches those who need it most. For us in North Rhine-Westphalia, it is a particular honor that Queen Silvia has been connected to our state and especially the city of Düsseldorf since her school days. Her decades of work are an outstanding example of how responsibility, humanity, and solidarity can bring about concrete change. For this extraordinary life’s work, she deserves our deepest respect and our heartfelt thanks.”
Picture by Land NRW, Martin Götz.
Her Majesty Queen Silvia has visited North Rhine-Westphalia on several occasions and has maintained close ties to the state for many years. Among other things, in 2009 she opened a dementia ward run by the Order of Malta at the Hildegardis Hospital in Cologne, based on the “Silviahemmet” model she initiated. In 2016, she was awarded the Benedict Prize in Mönchengladbach for her social commitment and also visited the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament. Her connection to Düsseldorf is particularly strong: after her family moved from Brazil to the state capital in 1957, she graduated from the Luisenschule in 1963.
A key focus of her international work is the protection of children from violence and abuse. In 1999, Queen Silvia founded the World Childhood Foundation. The Childhood House model also emerged from this initiative. The Childhood House Düsseldorf was established in 2020 and is now supported by the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia. In these facilities, police, medical professionals, psychologists, and the judiciary work together in an interdisciplinary manner to provide the most sensitive care possible for affected children. Besides Düsseldorf, the children’s shelter in Bonn, which opened in 2025, also follows this approach.
Bilateral ties between Sweden and NRW
North Rhine-Westphalia and Sweden maintain diverse political, economic, and professional ties. Sweden is also an important trading partner of North Rhine-Westphalia, ranking 14th among the state’s trading partners. Around 460 Swedish companies – including Ericsson, IKEA, and Sandvik – are based in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Approximately 4,500 Swedes live in the state, representing about one-third of all Swedish citizens living in Germany. Furthermore, eight town twinning arrangements and around 30 school partnerships connect North Rhine-Westphalia and Sweden.
For further information
State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia: https://www.land.nrw/pressemitteilung/ministerpraesident-wuest-empfaengt-ihre-majestaet-koenigin-silvia-von-schweden
