The present new Palace took almost 60 years to construct. Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was the Younger was the principal architect. He had been travelling in Europe to collect new ideas on how to construct houses. He visited Versailles and saw the Hall of Mirrors. In The Royal Palace he built Charles XI’s Gallery inspired by what he had seen in France. He divided the gallery in to three parts, the cabinet of war, the main gallery and the cabinet of peace, resembling the gallery in Versailles. He also visited Het Loo in the Netherlands while they were constructing it. He was also made important visits to Rome.
When they started to construct the Palace in Stockholm they wanted of course to have the best craftsmen. The best Swedish artists were at that time working abroad. Therefore they asked skilled people from France and Italy to come to Stockholm. This was a golden opportunity for Swedish young men to learn as much as possible from the talented people that arrived in Stockholm. The know-how was cleverly taken care of and during the construction of the palace the French and the Italian artists taught the Swedish artists. This was the beginnings of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
The first King and Queen to move in to the new palace in 1754 were Adolf Fredrik and Lovisa Ulrica.
Their son Gustav III protected and loved everything connecting to Sweden but he also loves France. He made trips to both France and Italy. When visiting France in 1784 he received several gifts. One of the most precious gifts was a clock dedicated to him. It was given by the brother of Louis XVI, the count of Provence. What made it so special was that the watchmaker was Swedish. The watchmaker named Heséen had left Sweden, moved to Paris where he became watchmaker to his Majesty of France. On the clock we can see the silhouette of Gustav III, Gustavus Adolfus and Gustav Vasa.
In 1810 the then King Charles XIII needed to adopt a son, as he had no heirs. He fist adopted the Danish prince Karl August. Unfortunately he died just a few months after arriving in Sweden. Therefore they needed to adopt a new heir and most surprisingly they asked the French Marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte. He accepted and soon became very popular in both Sweden and Norway. These two countries had been united un 1814. He never learned Swedish. His son the future Oskar I became his translator.
This goo-looking man wanted to marry and travelled throught Europe to find a suitable wife. As he had no royal ancestors, several of the royal families did not consider him to be a suitable son-in-law. Finally he was accepted and married Josephine of Leuchtenberg. She was the daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais and Augusta Amalia Of Bavaria. Through this marriage he was immediately connected to some of the most important families in Europe. Eugène de Beauharnais was the son of Empress Josephine and stepson of Napoleon. Eugène inherited several jewels belonging to his mother which were later passed on to his daughter the Queen of Sweden. Several of the diadems used by the present Queen Silvia therefore had their origins from the time of Napoleon.
Oskar I and Josefina had four sons and one daughter. The oldest son, King Karl XV married Lovisa of the Netherlands, and his brother Oskar (II) married Sofia of Nassau. In this way the Swedish royal family became connected to several European families. Oskar II was the last King of united Norway and Sweden. In 1905 the two countries came to a peaceful settlement in wich the union was broken and Norway decided to elect a new King.