If there is one day in the calendar that’s a bumper birthday for the royals, it’s 15 September. The Duke of Sussex celebrates on that date as does Queen Letizia of Spain. However, one often-overlooked royal also marks his birthday – Prince Daniel of Sweden.Â
Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland was born Olof Daniel Westling on 15 September 1973 to Olle and Ewa Westling in Örebro. However, the family then moved to Ockelbo.
Westling served in the Swedish Army for 15 months and then built a career as a personal trainer. He owned a group of gyms, Balance Training, and served on the company’s board until he stepped down in 2009.
Westling met Crown Princess Victoria in 2001 when she hired him as her personal trainer. Their relationship began sometime after that and in 2008, Westling moved into an apartment on the grounds of Drottningholm Palace and in February 2009, the couple announced their engagement.
They were married in Stockholm Cathedral on 19 June 2010 and were given the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Västergötland.
The couple have two children together. Princess Estelle, who is second in line to the Swedish throne, was born in 2011 and Prince Oscar was born in 2016.
Prince Daniel has different patronages and projects. He was the recipient of a kidney transplant in 2009 and now supports several organisations that work in organ donation and nephrology. He also launched Prince Daniel’s Race Day, a day aimed at helping children get excited about being active and understand the importance of movement.Â
