ABBA Honored with Sweden's Prestigious Order of Vasa After 50 Years

Here's some fun facts and exciting elements:

• This will be the first time in almost 50 years that the Order of the Vasa is handed out.
• The Order of Vasa acknowledges personal contributions to Sweden and significant public duties.
• ABBA’s melodic disco pop sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide and inspired the stage musical “Mamma Mia!” which also led to two blockbuster movies.
• Despite not performing live together for four decades, ABBA made a stunning comeback with their 2021 album “Voyage,” followed by the launch of digital “ABBA-tars” in London in 2022.

Sweden boasts several prestigious orders, like the Royal Order of Seraphim for heads of state and foreign royals, and the Royal Order of the Polar Star for foreign citizens and stateless persons. However, the Royal Order of Vasa had been dormant until it was reactivated in late 2022 when the regulations allowed Swedish citizens to receive Royal Orders again.

The nominations, including ABBA’s, were put forth by the public and the Swedish government earlier this year, with final approval from King Carl XVI Gustaf.

The monarch will be presenting the awards at a ceremony in the Royal Palace in Stockholm, surrounded by the recipients and their guests. Alongside ABBA, the King will honor "13 exceptional Swedes," including two 2023 Nobel Prize winners: physicist Anne L’Huillier and medicine laureate Svante Pääbo. They will be made Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star for their "outstanding research efforts."

Adding to the Eurovision theme, the 2024 contest took place in southern Sweden, where Swiss singer Nemo won with “The Code,” a unique operatic pop-rap piece celebrating the journey toward embracing a non-gender identity.