The four members of Swedish pop group ABBA, who triumphed at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the peppy love song ‘Waterloo,’ have received one of the most prestigious knighthoods in Sweden at a ceremony on Friday.
Agnetha Faltskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad were awarded the royal Order of Vasa as ‘Commander of the First Class’ for ‘very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music life.’
This was the first time in 50 years that the first Order of the Vasa was handed out.
The order, which is given in recognition of personal efforts for Sweden, as well as the successful performance of public duties, had been dormant until late 2022, when it was reactivated after regulations opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens again.
Earlier this year, candidates were nominated by the public and the Swedish government, with King Carl XVI Gustaf approving the nominees that included the Abba quartet.
Reunited: Pop quartet Abba pose outside the Royal Palace in Stockholm before receiving Royal Vasa Order from Swedish king and queen for their contribution to the country’s cultural scene
Abba pictured together in the grounds of the Royal Palace in Sweden before collecting knighthoods
Agnetha Fältskog arriving at the Royal Palace in Stockholm to receive the Vasa Order from King Carl XVI Gustaf on Friday
The order is given in recognition of personal efforts for Sweden, as well as the successful performance of public duties
This was the first time in 50 years that the first Order of the Vasa was handed out
Abba stand alongside eachother as they are awarded the Royal Vasa Order by the Swedish monarch
The Royal Order of Vasa was awarded to a total of 13 Swedes, which included two 2023 Nobel Prize winners: French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, and Svante Pääbo, who won the coveted award in physics and medicine
This year, the band is celebrating 50 years since their Eurovision win, which set their successful music career in motion
Iconic music group Abba is photographed collecting their knighthoods
The four members of Abba music group are seen smiling after collecting their knighthoods today at the Royal Palace in Stockholm
Earlier this year, candidates were nominated by the public and the Swedish government, with King Carl XVI Gustaf approving the nominees that included the quartet
King Carl XVI Gustaf and queen Silvia award the Royal Order of Vasa to Abba member Björn Ulvaeus at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Friday
Taken in 1974 in Stockholm, picture shows music group Abba posing after winning the Eurovision song contest with their song ‘Waterloo’, which placed their music on the global stage
The monarch handed out orders to ’13 exceptional Swedes,’ including two 2023 Nobel Prize winners: French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, and Svante Pääbo, who won the coveted award in physics and medicine.
The ceremony took place at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.
The Eurovision victory in 1974 turned ABBA into a pop juggernaut. This year, the band is celebrating 50 years since their Eurovision win, which set their successful music career in motion.
ABBA’s melodic disco pop has sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide. The stage musical ‘Mamma Mia!’ based on its songs is 25 years old and spawned two movies.
The Swedish band members have not performed together live for four decades, but released a comeback album, ‘Voyage,’ in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Abba Voyage concert opened in London in 2022, an immersive experience with ‘Abbatars’, or augmented reality versions of the band, performing their greatest hits on stage.
The group shot to fame after winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their song Waterloo, which is still considered a modern classic.
The name ABBA is an acronym of the members’ first names: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
Throughout the majority of its existence, the band was made up of the two married couples of Fältskog and Ulvaeus, and Andersson and Lyngstad.
After the former couple announced their divorce in January 1979, Abba fans were left reeling. While both insisted the divorce was amicable and said fans should not worry, Björn turned up with a new girlfriend just ‘days’ after they separated.
However, Agnetha later said she needed counselling after the divorce left her feeling ‘mangled’.