The Swedish nobility (Adeln) were historically a legally and socially privileged class. With the coronation of Eric XIV in 1561, Swedish nobility became formally hereditary upon the creation of the higher titles of Count and Baron. The standing orders of the House of Knights were organized in 1626, and grounds for induction into the House of Nobility (Riddarhuset) were established as birth into an "ancient" noble family, or ennoblement by the sovereign.

Previously, all members of a noble family were generally titled. In 1809, the Instrument of Government changed the system so that only the head of the family would be the holder of the title. No hereditary title of nobility has been granted since 1902, and since 1975, the Swedish Monarch no longer has the right to ennoble people.

Beatrice's family, the von Schwerin family, are an introduced family within the Swedish House of Nobility.