Who is Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine

Age: 41 Years, 41 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Christopher O'Neill

father: Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

mother: Queen Silvia of Sweden

siblings: Crown Princess of Sweden, Duke of Värmland, Prince Carl Philip, Victoria

children: Duchess of Gotland, Princess Leonore

Born Country: Sweden

Royal Family Members Swedish Women

Height: 1.7 m

Ancestry: German Swedish, Brazilian Swedish

Notable Alumni: Stockholm University

More Facts

education: Stockholm University

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Childhood & Early Life

Madeleine was born to royal parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at Stockholm, Sweden. Thus, she became a member of the ‘House of Bernadotte’, the abode of the Swedish Royal family.

Her naming ceremony was held at ‘The Royal Palace Church’ in 1982 in presence of family members, mostly paternal uncles and aunts such as Andreas the Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess Christina.

At the age of three, Madeleine was admitted to the ‘Västerled Parish Pre-School’, where she studied till 1989. The princess later moved to institutions like ‘Carlssons School’ and ‘Enskilda Gymnasiet’ to pursue higher education.

After graduating from ‘Enskilda’ in 2001, the princess relocated to London. Her stay in the city helped Madeleine improve her proficiency in English. She even completed a computer certification program organized by the non-profit organization ‘ECDL’ (European Computer Driving License).

Two years later, Madeleine went to the prestigious ‘Stockholm University’ to pursue a degree in Art History. She even studied Ethnology and child psychology during her time here.

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Later Life

The royal family initiated a scholarship fund named after Madeleine to honour budding horse riders. The princess has herself presented few awards to such riders, as an attempt to promote the sport.

In 2006, she decided to work with ‘UNICEF’, the humanitarian wing of the ‘United Nations’. She worked as an intern at the organization for a period of 6 months, and was associated with the division of ‘Child Protective Services’.

Madeleine shared the responsibilities of her father, and has played an important role in organizing ceremonies such as ‘Sweden’s National Day’, dinners, parties, and other events concerning the royal family.

The Princess represented her country at the inauguration of the ‘New Sweden Gallery’, a wing of the ‘American Swedish Historical Museum’, located in Philadelphia, USA. The ceremony held in 2011, was known for displaying an animated map of the New Sweden settlement.

Major Works

She was one of the driving forces behind ‘Thank You By Childhood’, a campaign which was started in 2012. Madeleine was the co-founder of this initiative, which was aimed at the prevention of sexual abuse against children.

Awards and Achievements

Other than the titles given by the Royal family, Madeleine was honoured by various nations like Brazil, Germany, Jordan, and Malaysia with titles such as the ‘Grand Cordon’ and ‘Grand Cross’.

She was one of the names which appeared in the list of ‘The 20 Hottest Young Royals’ in 2008. She secured the 12th spot in this list compiled by the famous ‘Forbes’ magazine.

According to a survey conducted by the website ‘Web Crunch’ in 2010, she was voted the 3rd hottest person amongst the ten Royals considered for the survey.

Madeleine grabbed further media attention by appearing on the lists of ‘Hottest Royal Women’ and ‘Beautiful Royal Women’ respectively. Both these lists were published in 2011, by sources such as the ‘CEOWORLD’ and the ‘beautifulpeople.com’.

Personal Life & Legacy

Madeleine was involved in a relationship with lawyer Jonas Bergström since 2002. After a courtship of 7 years, the duo got engaged. Though the royal family had also accepted Jonas as Madeleine’s groom, the relationship ended abruptly before the marriage.

She later got engaged to Christopher O Neill, a businessman of British-American descent. The couple tied the knot in December 2012 in the presence of folks from the Swedish royal family. The ceremony was held at the ‘Royal Palace Chapel’, located in Stockholm.

Christopher and Madeleine currently live together in Manhattan. The couple’s first child is a baby girl named Leonore. It was recently announced to the media that they are expecting a second child.

It was alleged recently by the media that the couple did not pay taxes. However, the princess rubbished claims that the couple had to settle a tax amount of $43000

Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland Biography