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Sweden

A new prince for Sweden less than 48 hours after the Royal Wedding

By
15th June 2015

It’s a week that the Swedish Royal Family will never forget. Early this afternoon, Princess Madeleine gave birth to a son. His arrival comes less than 48 hours after her brother, Prince Carl Philip, married Sofia Hellqvist in Stockholm.

Princess Madeleine and her husband, Chris O’Neill, have welcomed a son just hours after attending the Royal Wedding of her brother, Prince Carl Philip (photo Brigitte Grenfeldt and Kungahuset.se)

The baby boy arrived at 1.45pm local time on Monday 15th June and his birth was announced officially by the Marshall of the Realm not long afterwards. The little prince is Madeleine’s second child with her husband, Chris O’Neill. They welcomed a daughter, Princess Leonore, on 20th February 2014. The couple married in Stockholm on 8th June 2013.

The new baby, whose name is yet to be announced, is sixth in line to the throne of Sweden. And his arrival has doubled the number of men in the line of succession – until this afternoon his uncle, Carl Philip, was the only prince in the admittedly rather small rundown.

Madeleine’s son also has a special place in this new generation of Swedish royals. He is the first grandson for King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Their two granddaughters are Leonore and Princess Estelle, the three-year-old daughter of the heir to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria.

Princess Madeleine’s eldest child, Leonore, was born in New York but her son has made his debut in Stockholm – just like his mum and his cousin Estelle. And just like the two little princesses, he is likely to be christened in the Swedish capital.

Earlier this year Queen Silvia let slip that her latest grandchild was due around the same time as the Royal Wedding but no one was sure exactly how close the two dates would be. Madeleine attended Carl Philip’s marriage, taking part in the ceremony and enjoying the reception afterwards.

And the birth of her son means that the royal party goes on in Sweden. The marriage of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia was well received with many joining the celebrations on the streets of Stockholm. The arrival of a new prince just hours later means that this is a golden time for the Swedish Royal Family.

Photo credit: Brigitte Grenfeldt and Kungahuset.se

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About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.