10 June: Princess Madeleine of Sweden

Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine) was born 10 June 1982 at at Drottningholm Palace and is a member of the Swedish royal
family from the House of Bernadotte.

Baptism

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.

Title  

Madeleine was given the honorary title of Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland.

Education

From 1985 to 1989, Madeleine began her education at Västerled Parish Pre-School. 

In the autumn of 1989, she entered Smedslättsskolan in Bromma, attending at the junior level. For the intermediate level, she proceeded to Carlssons School in Stockholm, and then went on to Enskilda Gymnasiet in Stockholm, which she attended at the senior level. She also completed upper secondary school at Enskilda, from which she graduated in 2001. 

During the autumn of 2001, she lived in London, where she studied English. In the spring of 2002, she took a basic module in Introduction to Swedish Law and studied for the European Computer Driving Licence.

In January 2003, she enrolled at the Stockholm University where she began studies in art history. She took 60 Swedish academic units in this subject (two semesters). In the autumn of 2004, she began a course in ethnology at the same university. She speaks English, German and Swedish fluently, and also intermediate-level French.

She graduated 23 January 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in art history, ethnology and modern history. During 2007, she studied child psychology at University of Stockholm.

Hobby

Madeleine is an enthusiastic equestrian. She has owned horses (which were stabled at the Royal Stables) and competed in showjumping under the name "Anna Svensson". 

She also enjoys skiing, and is interested in theatre, dance and art. In recognition of her age of majority in 2001, a scholarship fund was created in her name by the Gävleborg province, which comprises her
duchies of Hälsingland and Gästrikland. It encourages and supports young people involved in horse riding. In 2001, Madeleine first distributed such awards as 'Pony Rider of the Year with trainer in
Gävleborg' and 'Gold Rider.

Duty (1)

In 2006, Princess Madeleine interned for UNICEF for six months in New York City and worked for the division of Child Protective Services.

Love and Engagement 

On 11 August 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 24 April 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.

Source picture: Wikipedia

 

She represented Sweden at the opening of the New Sweden Gallery on 5 June 2011, at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which features an animated map of the New Sweden settlement by Sean Moir.

Madeleine is the patron of the organisation Min Stora Dag (the Swedish equivalent of Make-A-Wish Foundation), more commonly known as My Big Day (its translation into English). She is also affiliated
with Europa Nostra, Carl Johan-League and the Royal Motorboat Club.

Love and Marriage

On 25 October 2012, the Swedish Royal Court announced Princess Madeleine's engagement with the British-born American financier Christopher O'Neill. 

On 23 December 2012, it was announced that the wedding would take place on 8 June 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 has three children:

* Princess Leonore Lilian Maria, Duchess of Gotland, born on
20 February 2014 at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

* Prince Nicolas Paul Gustaf, Duke of Ångermanland, born on
15 June 2015 at Danderyds sjukhus in Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm.

* Princess Adrienne Josephine Alice, Duchess of Blekinge, born on
9 March 2018 at Danderyds sjukhus in Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm. 

Source picture: Wikipedia

Overseas

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. In March 2023, it was announced that the family would move back to Sweden in August 2023.

Duty (3)

Princess Madeleine became involved in the work of the World Childhood Foundation during her studies. She became one of the juries of the Childhood Prize. She serves on the board of Swedish branch and is an honorary member of the board of the American branch of the World Childhood Foundation since 2016.

She became the vice honorary chair of the World Childhood Foundation in December 2021. Her first visit as a vice honorary chair was in July 2022 when the Princess visited Frankfurt, Germany. There, she visited the German branch of the World Childhood Foundation, construction of Child House and met a former child sexual abuse victim. She also visited Frankfurt University Hospital and toured the hospital's children department to meet with doctors to learn about their work.

In 2015, the Princess initiated the #EyesWideOpen campaign. It aims to increase the awareness about the sexual abuse of children. In conjunction with a high-level meeting in New York in the autumn of
2016, the Princess presented the continuation of the campaign – an app that makes it easier for adults to prevent, recognise and react to sexual abuse and exploitation of children. The app is a collaboration between the World Childhood Foundation, Darkness to Light and Ericsson.

✎

A book

In February 2017, the Princess announced she was writing a children's book during a visit to London's Southbank Centre. 

On 28 January 2019, the Princess shared the book's title and cover via Instagram. She wrote: "I'm very excited to finally share with you a book which will hopefully show children how important it is to stand
up for themselves and to tell someone when something doesn't feel right." The book titled Stella och hemligheten (English: Stella and the Secrets) was published in support of the World Childhood Foundation and was released on 4 June 2019.

Titles

On 7 October 2019 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 no longer styled as His/Her Royal Highness (HRH), but their princely titles remain and they are still duchesses and duke of their provinces, remaining in the line of succession to the throne. 

Madeleine commented that her children now will have greater possibilities to shape their own lives as private individuals. 

Madeleine still has the title Madeleine is styled as: Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland.

📚

Books about Princess Madeleine of Sweden

Unfortunately there aren't many books about Princess Madeleine of Sweden. However I've found one written in Finish by journalist Laura Ala. The book cover also is the cover in this blog post. 

Family

Through her father, Princess Madeleine of Sweden is a descendant of Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria => Prince Leopold Duke of Albany
=> Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

=> Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

=> Carl XVI of Sweden

=> Princess Madeleine of Sweden.

👑 See also 'Descendants of Queen Victoria Great Great Grandchildren 3' on top of this blog or on this link

Conclusion

Princess Madeleine has always been an admired figure in Swedish society due to her grace, elegance, and philanthropic efforts.  She is known for her involvement in various charitable organizations
and has dedicated her time to causes related to children's welfare and anti-bullying initiatives.

Princess Madeleine's life and work continue to inspire people around the world, and she serves as a role model for young women with her commitment to philanthropy and her dedication to making
a positive impact in society.

Source pictures: Wikipedia + Book covers