Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf has said the country has "failed" to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic, seen as a rare comment from the monarch who normally refrains from commenting on political issues.
The Scandinavian country is struggling to contain a second wave of Covid-19, with new cases rising since mid-October. "I believe we have failed," King Carl XVI Gustaf told broadcaster SVT in an interview for a programme summing up the year. "We have a large number that have died and that is terrible," he added.
Some commentators took the remarks as a rebuke of Sweden's controversial coronavirus strategy, which has most relied on non-coercive measures.