HIGH COR: ABBA receives their prizes from the Swedish monarchs. Photo credit: X-Abba Updates
ABBA, Sweden's best-known and never-forgotten pop export, received official and royal recognition 50 years after their Eurovision victory with Waterloo.
On May 30, they received one of Sweden's most prestigious knighthoods, the Order of the Vasa, awarded in recognition of personal efforts for Sweden or Swedish interests, as well as for the “successful performance of public duties and assignments.”
Along with all noble orders, it was gradually abolished for the country's own citizens in 1975, but continued to be awarded to foreigners.
The Swedish parliament reinstated the practice in 2022 and Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bjorn Ulvaeus received the Vasa Order from King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia for their “outstanding efforts in the field of Swedish and international music.”
They were the first Swedish citizens to receive the Order of Vasa Knights in almost half a century.
Agnetha was married to Bjorn and Anni-Frid to Benny, but both couples separated within a year of each other, in 1980 and 1981 respectively. The last time they performed live was in November 1982 on Noel Edmonds' Late Late Breakfast Show in Great Britain.
The success of Mamma Mia, which followed Waterloo in 197, showed that ABBA were not doomed to disappear as one-hit wonders, eventually selling more than 400 million singles and albums.
Even though ABBA would be “uncool” in the coming decades, the Mamma Mia! musical, which premiered in London in April 1999, has revived interest in the group and subsequent film adaptations have reintroduced the group's music to younger generations.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Don't forget to come back and check The Euro Weekly news website for all your breaking local and international news stories and don't forget you can follow us too Facebook And instagram.