Crown Princess Victoria launches Pink Bandet in head-to-toe pink
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden opened this year's Pink Bandet campaign in head-to-toe pink, starting her 18th year as its official protector.
Pink Bandet, Swedish for pink ribbon, is Cancerfonden's annual October drive to raise money for breast cancer research. Cancerfonden is the Swedish Cancer Society, the charity behind the appeal. Hello! Magazine reported the launch on 3 October 2026.
She wore pink. The Crown Princess chose a tailored pink suit with a pussybow blouse for the launch engagement. A pussybow is a soft bow tied at the neck in place of a collar. The match with the campaign colour was exact.
This year's ribbon carries a small pink elephant. It was designed by Owe Gustafson, the artist and illustrator known for Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter. The title means Five Ants Are More Than Four Elephants, a much-loved Swedish children's book and television series. Cancerfonden confirmed Gustafson as designer of the 2026 ribbon and named the Crown Princess as protector of its Rosa Bandet 2026 campaign.
October is international breast cancer awareness month, when charities in many countries sell pink ribbons to pay for research, support and information. In Sweden the drive is run by the Swedish Cancer Society, led by Secretary General Ulrika Årehed Kågström. The job of protector is simple and public. It means lending her name to the appeal and turning up to launch it.
The cause has a close family link. Princess Christina of Sweden, sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. She had three operations, as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, before doctors declared her cancer-free.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays aimed at the tumour. In 2016 Princess Christina was diagnosed with chronic leukaemia, a slow-growing cancer of the blood. She received a stem cell transplant in 2017, a procedure that replaces diseased blood-forming cells with healthy ones, and later stepped back from full-time official duties.
What makes this stand out is continuity. Eighteen Octobers with the same patron and a new ribbon each year. This time it is a pink suit, a bow blouse and a children's book elephant.
