Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland

Princess Madeleine Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland Princess Madeleine on 6 June 2009 Full name Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine House House of Bernadotte Father Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden Mother Queen Silvia of Sweden Born 10 June 1982 (1982-06-10) (age 28) Stockholm, Sweden

Swedish Royal Family HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Crown Princess HRH The Duke of Västergötland HRH The Duke of Värmland HRH The Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland HRH The Duchess of Halland HRH Princess Birgitta

Styles of Princess Madeleine of Sweden Reference style Her Royal Highness Spoken style Your Royal Highness Alternative style Ma'am

Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine; born Drottningholm, 10 June 1982) is the youngest child and second daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

In 2008 she was included as 12th on the list of the "20 Hottest Young Royals" as compiled by Forbes Magazine.^[1]

Early life and descent

Princess Madeleine was born at Drottningholm Palace.

The Princess was christened at The Royal Palace Church on 31 August 1982. Her godparents are Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Walther Sommerlath, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, and Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson.

She is third in line of succession to the Swedish throne (behind her sister, Crown Princess Victoria, and brother, Prince Carl Philip), and c. 197th in the line of succession to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms through her father, who is a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Her fourth name, Josephine, is in honour of her ancestress Josephine of Leuchtenberg, the granddaughter of Napoleon I's first wife Empress Joséphine by her first husband.

Education

From 1985-89, the Princess 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, the Princess 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, the Princess lived in London where she studied English. In the spring of 2002, she took a basic course in law and studied for the European Computer Driving Licence. In January 2003, the Princess enrolled at the University of Stockholm where she began studies in the History of Art. She took 60 Swedish academical points in the subject (three terms). In the autumn of 2004, the Princess began a course in ethnology at the same university. She speaks English, German, and Swedish fluently, and also mid-level French. The Princess is currently taking graduate classes at Stockholm University.

Leisure pursuits

Princess Madeleine is an enthusiastic rider. For many years, she owned several horses of her own (they were stabled at the Royal Mews) and also competed in showjumping under the name "Anna Svensson". She also enjoys skiing, and is very interested in the cultural world, particularly 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, Princess Madeleine first distributed such awards as 'Pony Rider of the Year with trainer in Gävleborg' and 'Gold Rider'.

Charity work

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

Royal duties

The Princess undertakes royal duties on behalf of her father and the people of Sweden.

Engagement to Jonas Bergström

On 11 August 2009, the princess announced her engagement to her boyfriend since 2002, lawyer Jonas Bergström (b. 1979).^[2][3] The princess said in her engagement interview that they became engaged in Capri in early June 2009. An engagement dinner took place on the engagement day in Solliden Palace in Öland. The engagement could only take place after Bergström had been awarded the official approval of the Swedish Cabinet Regeringen and that had been communicated to her father, the King.^[2]

It had been announced in 2009 that after the wedding, Bergström was to be referred to as Duke of Hälsingland and Gästrikland to correspond with Madeleine's title.

The wedding was originally 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. Despite rumours of relationship issues, Queen Silvia stated in April 2010 that the couple was "fine" and that everything was "okay".^[4] However, media reporting of the relationship issues escalated, and on 24 April 2010 it was announced that the wedding would not be going ahead, and the engagement was broken off.^[5] A CNN.com report on April 26, 2010 alleged that Bergström had cheated on the princess with a female college student during their engagement.

Ancestry

See also

• Swedish Royal Family

References

External links

• Royal House of Sweden
• The Royal Court of Sweden: Princess Madeleine