'Let's hope everything goes well': Victoria

Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria on Thursday expressed her gratitude to those who wished her well following news of her pregnancy, while newspapers across Sweden pondered the significance of the impending royal birth.

• Estelle baptized in 'historic' ceremony (22 May 12)
• Live Blog: the baptism of Princess Estelle (22 May 12)
• Princess Madeleine's man set for royal debut (21 May 12)

“We want to say thanks for all the congratulatory messages we've received. Now let's hope that everything goes well,” a beaming Crown Princess told the TT news agency on Thursday afternoon with Prince Daniel Westling at her side.

"I feel fine, on and off, the way I think you are supposed to feel," said Victoria.

Westling's father Olle also expressed his excitement over the prospect of being the grandfather of the heir to the Swedish throne.

“We're really happy and overjoyed at this great news,” he told the Aftonbladet newspaper.

Olle was at home in Ockelbo in eastern Sweden when news of Victoria's pregnancy was revealed on Wednesday afternoon.

However, he refused to say exactly when he and his wife Ewa learned they would be grandparents.

“Just becoming a grandfather is huge,” he told the newspaper.

While some Swedish papers used the news as an opportunity to make a dig at the state of the Swedish monarchy after a turbulent year, others hailed the news on their editorial pages on Thursday.

The Norrköpings-Tidningar newspaper wrote that “the monarchy's succession has been strengthened in the entire country's joy over the baby. A congratulations and best wishes are in order”.

“The Swedish form of government is a fantastic advantage for Sweden,” wrote the Gotlands Allehanda newpaper.

“We have both a democratically elected government and a traditional and widely-accepted head of state who carries out representative duties.”

Leader writers at the Vestmanlands Läns Tidning (VLT) described the expected child as “good news” which “likely complicates the possibility of implementing a republic”.

“And in these otherwise worrying times, something to raise our collective spirits is needed. Because, at the moment, negative expectations are the biggest threat to growth and welfare,” wrote VLT.

A congratulatory editorial from the Smålandsposten argued that knowing a new generation of the monarchy in on the way was a “relief” to many.

Visserligen har det aldrig funnits någon tro att äktenskapet inte skulle föra med sig barn

“Although there has never been any reason to doubt that the marriage would involve children, the Swedish monarchy is built on heredity, and to provide the country with an heir to the throne has been a difficult needle to thread for many monarchs throughout history,” wrote the paper.

Meanwhile, news of the forthcoming royal birth is expected to be a boon to Swedish newspapers and other media outlets.

Svensk Damtidning, which to a large extent focuses on the Royal Court, has already noticed a spike in demand, according to Sveriges Radio (SR).

“Already today I've noticed great demand from advertisers. Down in our advertising department phones are ringing off the hook with people wanting to lock in ads for the rest of the year,” Karin Lennmor, editor of Svensk Damtidning, told SR.

However, Fredrik Svedjetun, editor of media and advertising publication Dagens Media, doesn't believe the pregnancy will be as big of a boon to the Swedish press as Victoria and Daniel's June 2010 wedding.

“In this case, there are two major news events; one when news of the pregancy is released and the other once the baby is born,” he told TT.

“But I don't see there being the same obvious angles as before the wedding. But when the child is born there will be an upswing in newsstand sales for the tabloid and celebrity press, and also for magasines directed at mothers.”

According to Svedjetun, Swedish newspapers can expect a sales increase of 10 to 20 percent for a limited period of time.