Princess Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine of Sweden was born on June 10, 1982, at Drottningholm Palace. She is the youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Her older sister is Crown Princess Victoria, and her brother is Prince Carl Philip. Princess Madeleine is currently eighth in line to the throne. She was created Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland by her father upon her birth.
Princess Madeleine earned a bachelor’s degree in history, art history, and ethnology from Stockholm University in 2006. Her dissertation focused on the history of Solliden Palace (the Royal Family’s summer residence) and on her ancestress, Queen Victoria of Sweden.
Princess Madeleine moved to New York City in 2006, where she worked at the UN’s Children Fund. While there, she focused on issues related to sexual violence and children in conflict areas. Princess Madeleine has also worked extensively with the World Childhood Foundation, founded by her mother, Queen Silvia, to support at-risk children around the world. The mission of the foundation is ‘to inspire, promote, and develop solutions to end sexual abuse, exploitation, and violence against children.‘ Madeleine created the #EyesWideOpen campaign in collaboration with the World Childhood Foundation to raise awareness over sexual violence and exploitation. The campaign led to the creation of an app that makes it easy to report signs of abuse in children.
Princess Madeleine was engaged to Jonas Bergström in 2009, after a seven-year relationship. In 2010, reports surfaced of tension between the couple. A statement was released by Queen Silvia denying the couple was in crisis, but not long after, the palace confirmed the couple had split for good. After her split from Bergström, Princess Madeleine moved to New York City, where she met British-American financier Christopher O’Neill. The couple was photographed in Central Park in January 2011, sparking intense media coverage in Sweden. The engagement between Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill was announced on 25 October 2012.
Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill were married on 8 June 2013 in the Royal Chapel of the Royal Palace in Stockholm. Foreign royal guests included The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and Princess Charlene of Monaco. The couple has three children: Princess Leonore (born in New York City on 20 February 2014), Prince Nicolas (born in Stockholm on 15 June 2015), and Princess Adrienne (born in Stockholm on 9 March 2018).
In August 2018, the Royal Court announced that the Princess and her family would move to Florida. For more information on Princess Madeleine’s philanthropic activities, click here.
