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Opinion: Princess Madeleine fights back against paparazzi in the best way

One of the downsides to being royal are the lack of privacy, media scrutiny, and paparazzi following their every move. Each royal has their own way of dealing with these things. I’ve often said to friends and coworkers that the Swedish Royal Family has the best outlook and way to deal with the intrusive paparazzi. However, Princess Madeleine – the youngest of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s three children – fights back against the paparazzi, in what I think is the best way.

In Sweden, Madeleine, who had been dubbed “Party Princess” by some in the Swedish media, was a main target of the hovering paparazzi as she was growing up and as a young adult. Her Royal Highness created a Facebook page to promote the causes close to her heart. She has also used her social media platform to share insights and photos of her private family life.

Recently, at an event in London on Valentine’s Day, Madeleine was asked about her social media use. She told Expressen, “It’s fun to share with you glimpses of our life, in that we do not live in Sweden. I understand that people wonder how our lives are and maybe are curious.

“It’s been fun to see that there are so many who want to follow me on Facebook. I share much of my heart’s issues, Childhood and children’s rights are the right topics.”

Madeleine, who has the largest individual social media following of any royal, added that she wants the public to see into the lives of Leonore and Nicholas, but on her terms.

When she wed Christopher O’Neill in June 2013, pictures of their private honeymoon were published in papers in Sweden. Madeleine responded on her official Facebook page, “We continue to thank everyone for their loving warmth and well wishes regarding our marriage. Sadly, the Swedish tabloid press have taken it upon themselves to destroy our privacy and place private photographs of us in their publications today. The one thing we wish is that, if only for these few days, our privacy can now be respected.”

Princess Leonore in the Maldives. Photo: Princess Madeleine via her official Facebook

The paparazzi has been known to capture photos of Madeleine and her children out and about in London and Sweden. Madeleine expressed her frustration with intrusion into a private family holiday in January 2016. Images from her family’s private holiday in the Maldives were published in the media. The Princess said on her Facebook, “Family time, sadly interrupted. What a pity we weren’t just asked for photos, because here are some sweet ones.” She then posted six adorable pictures of her and her children, now two-year-old Princess Leonore and one-year-old Prince Nicolas, from their trip in an attempt to offset the photos being sold to publications.

Princess Madeleine and Prince Nicolas on holiday in the Maldives. Photo: Princess Madeleine via her official Facebook

Earlier this month, Madeleine, Christopher, their children, King Carl XVI Gustaf, and Queen Silvia travelled to the Swiss Alps for a short winter holiday. Photographers captured images from their trip and sold them to some publications, and as a result, Madeleine posted four pictures from their time in the Alps on her social media.

The young royals in the Swiss Alps in early January. Photos: Princess Madeleine via her official Facebook

Princess Madeleine has been able to make her feelings known about the intrusion into her and her family’s life in a polite but stern manner. By releasing her own images, she and her husband are better able to control the narrative and images circulating of their family. While the paparazzi will, sadly, never leave someone of her status alone completely, her openness regarding information and photos of her family through her personal social media has helped keep the intrusion to a minimum. I, for one, think other royals could follow her lead with similar success.

What do you think about the way Princess Madeleine handles the paparazzi intrusion? Let us know in the comments below!

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.

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