PM Modi receives prestigious Swedish award Royal Order of Polar Star

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the Royal Swedish Order of the North Star, the highest honor given to a prime minister of a Scandinavian nation, on 17 May 2026 in Gothenburg. Photo: DPR PMO/ANI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday (May 17, 2026) awarded Sweden’s highest honour, the ‘Royal Order of the North Star, Grand Cross Commander’, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to bilateral ties and his visionary leadership.

The award is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a Prime Minister. This is Prime Minister Modi’s 31st international honour.

Update on PM Modi in Sweden on 17 May 2026

“Reaffirmation of friendship! Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden awarded Prime Minister @narendramodi ‘Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross’ in recognition of his outstanding contribution to India-Sweden relations and his visionary leadership,” External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

“The Prime Minister paid tribute to the historical ties between India and Sweden and described it as a tribute to the warmth and affection shared between the people of India and Sweden,” he added.

The Royal Order of the Polar Star was established in 1748 and is intended to recognize personal efforts for Sweden or for Swedish interests, especially in public activities, as well as the successful performance of public tasks and duties, according to the official website.

Prime Minister Modi and his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson also exchanged special gifts commemorating Rabindranath Tagore and the enduring civilizational and intellectual ties between India and Sweden in the presence of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

Tagore, the first non-European Nobel laureate, was unable to travel to Sweden in 1913 to receive the Nobel Prize. It was later received by King Gustav V during his visit to Sweden in 1921. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of Gurudev’s historic visit to Sweden in 1926.

Mr. Modi arrived in Sweden on Sunday (May 17, 2026) for a two-day visit. He was received by his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson at Gothenburg airport.

Published – 17 May 2026 22:53 IST