King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden joins Queen Silvia at Paris Olympics

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden looked in high spirits today as they watched the men’s Olympic table tennis quarterfinals in Paris today.

The King, 78, showed his enthusiasm for the game as he watched the three Swedish players, Kristian Karlsson, Truls Möregårdh and Anton Källberg take on Germany‘s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Dang Qiu and Timo Boll.

The Swedish athletes ended up winning 3-0, taking them to the next stage of the competition. Sweden will now play Japan tomorrow evening. 

Carl XVI Gustaf looked overjoyed at the result, as he was pictured standing up and clapping with his arms up in the air. 

Looking typically smart, the Swedish King opted for a white shirt for his outing, teamed with a navy jacket. He sat in the stands alongside his wife, who also sported a white ensemble.

Proving accessories are key to any look, she elevated her outfit with a pair of stylish sunglasses and a set of pearl earrings.

The Swedish King and Queen aren’t the only royals to be attending the Olympics this year – after the Duchess of Edinburgh appeared in high spirits as she celebrated Team GB‘s women’s cycling sprint world record in Paris.

Sophie, 59, put on an animated display as she cheered from the stands after the British team claimed gold on day ten of the Paris Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena on Monday. 

Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant set a new world record of 45.186 in defeating New Zealand‘s Rebecca Petch, Shaane Fulton and Ellesse Andrews, a full 0.296 seconds quicker than China‘s record that stood before the day. 

The royal looked summary in a purple floral gown which featured a long pleated skirt and ruffled sleeves as she encouraged the team from the sidelines. 

She styled her blonde tresses back, keeping the make-up natural and dewy for the event. 

The wife of Prince Edward accessorised with golden hoop earrings and a chic gold bangle. 

The Great Britain trio began the evening by setting a world record of 45.472sec in qualifying, taking 15 thousandths of a second off the previous mark of 45.487. 

The bronze medal went to Germany, who also went close to registering another world record. Their 45.400sec beat the Netherlands into fourth place. 

Elsewhere, King Felipe of Spain and Princess Amalia of the Netherlands put on a very animated display as they watched the Dutch team battle host nation France on the basketball court at the Olympics.

The pair appeared tense, jubilant and nervous – at times hiding their faces behind their hands – as they watched the men’s 3×3 basketball at La Concorde in Paris on Monday.

Twenty-year-old Amalia – the eldest child of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima – was the image of joy as she clapped when the Dutch players secured an incredible overtime victory.

In solidarity, King Felipe too appeared delighted by the result and hugged the young royal in congratulations.

Dutch player Worthy de Jong said of his nation’s hard-earned gold medal: ‘I never grew up with a dream to play in the Olympics… If anything I wanted to play in the NBA or just get the best out of me. The reason why I started in the first place was because I wanted to see if I could have been better than my dad.’

‘It has been an extremely long journey, I switched from five-on-five to 3×3 because I couldn’t get the joy from five-on-five anymore.

‘I lost it along the way, and to be able to find it in 3×3 and then for it to take me here to this moment, it’s indescribable.’

Felipe too had his own moment of stress as he watched Spain versus the United States in a women’s 3×3 basketball match. 

The monarch could barely watch at certain parts of the game, but was delighted to congratulate the players after they won. While it was Germany that got gold, Spain managed to secure silver.