ABBA has come together again for a royal ceremony honoring the group in Sweden. The group attended the royal palace in Stockholm and were honored by the king and queen with the Royal Order of Vasa. This established the four as Commanders of the First Class, which honors “very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music life.”
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This ceremony followed reports that ABBA would not reunite again after their 2021 comeback album, Voyage. Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog, and Benny Andersson made statements that they were dissolving the band, or at least not coming together again for another album.
However, the honor is followed by Ulvaeus and Andersson spending four days at the ABBA Arena to celebrate the ABBA Voyage show. The show uses avatars and the custom-built venue to create a unique ABBA experience for fans. The two appeared at the London show on Thursday for a Q&A in front of approximately 3,000 people, according to a report from Variety.
[RELATED: ABBA Reportedly Bringing Their Avatar Show Stateside in Multi-Million-Dollar Deal]
ABBA Receives Long-Dormant Honor from Swedish Royals
The Royal Order of Vasa had been stagnant for half a century until 2022, when Sweden revived the practice of honoring its citizens. ABBA was among 13 other recipients of the honor, who were selected by both the Swedish government and the Swedish public. King Carl XVI Gustaf had the final say on the honorees, and also presented ABBA and the others with the knighthood.
This honor seems like good news for ABBA fans, but it still doesn’t look like the band will be getting back together anytime soon. In 2022, Andersson told Variety, “It’s never say never, but it’s a no. Nothing is going to happen after this,” following the release of Voyage.
For now, it looks like fans will have to suffice with the ABBA avatar show if they want to see their favorite band. However, during the London Q&A, Ulvaeus did express interest at the idea of taking the avatar show to Glastonbury. “Oh yes, I think that’s a brilliant idea,” he said. Andersson then added that he’d tag along if that ever happened, saying, “If they go to Glastonbury, I think we’d need an extra piano player.”
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