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Christopher O’Neill, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland., House of Bernadotte, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Prince Nicolas of Sweden, Princess Adrienne, Princess Leonard of Sweden, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden
Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine; born June 10, 1982), is the second daughter and youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Upon her birth, she was third in line of succession to the Swedish throne. She is currently seventh in the line of succession. Princess Madeleine is married to British-American financier Christopher O’Neill. They have three children, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne.
Early life
Madeleine was born on June 10, 1982 at 19:05 CEST at Drottningholm Palace and is a member of the Swedish royal family from the House of Bernadotte. She was christened at The Royal Palace Church on 31 August 1982, her godparents being her father’s maternal cousin the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, her maternal uncle Walther L. Sommerlath, her father’s paternal cousin Princess Benedikte of Denmark, and her paternal aunt Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson. She was given the honorary title of Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland. It was the first time since the early 17th century (when such titles were still more than honorary) that a Swedish ducal title included more than one province.
On August 11, 2009, Madeleine announced her engagement to lawyer Jonas Bergström (b. 1979). Madeleine said in her engagement interview that they became engaged in Capri in early June 2009.
The wedding was originally due to take place in the second half of 2010 but was postponed due to “many things happening in an intense period of time”, mainly her sister Victoria’s wedding in June. Queen Silvia denied the rumoured relationship issues. However, media reporting of the relationship issues escalated, and on April 24, 2010 it was announced that the wedding would not go ahead, and the engagement was broken off.
After her relationship with Bergström ended, Madeleine moved to New York City, where she worked for the World Childhood Foundation, the organisation that her mother co-founded. On 25 October 2012, the Swedish Royal Court announced her engagement with the British-born American financier Christopher O’Neill. On December 23, 2012, it was announced that the wedding would take place on June 8, 2013, at the Royal Palace chapel in Stockholm. O’Neill chose to remain untitled: a member of the Swedish royal family must hold Swedish citizenship which O’Neill declined.
The couple’s first child Princess Leonore was born in New York City on February 20, 2014. Prior to the birth, Madeleine had announced on her Facebook page that she would be unable to travel to Stockholm for the Nobel Prize ceremony due to her pregnancy and also mentioned that she was expecting a girl.
Their second child, and their son, Prince Nicolas, was born in Stockholm on June 15, 2015. In February 2015, the Swedish Royal Court announced that the family had moved to Stockholm from New York. In May 2015, the Swedish Royal Court announced that O’Neill had moved to London in April. In Autumn 2015, several months after the birth of Prince Nicolas, the entire family moved to London, where O’Neill’s business is located. On March 9, 2018, Princess Madeleine gave birth to their third child, Princess Adrienne, at Danderyd Hospital.
In August 2018, the Swedish Royal Court announced that the princess and her family were to move to Florida.
On October 7, 2019 Madeleine’s father the king issued a statement rescinding the royal status of her three children in an effort to more strictly associate Swedish royalty to the office of the head of state; they are still to be styled as princesses and prince, as well as duchesses and duke of their provinces, and they remain in the line of succession to the throne. Madeleine commented that her children now will have greater possibilities to format their own lives as private persons.
European Royal History 