Who is Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée, Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Duke of Västergötland, Prince Daniel

mother: Queen Silvia of Sweden

siblings: Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, Duke of Värmland, Prince Carl Philip, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Princess Madeleine

children: Duchess of Östergötland, Duke of Skåne, Prince Oscar, Princess Estelle

Born Country: Sweden

Noblewomen Royal Family Members

Height: 1.72 m

Ancestry: Portuguese Swedish, German Swedish, French Swedish, Brazilian Swedish

Diseases & Disabilities: Dyslexia

More Facts

education: Yale University, Uppsala University

awards: Order of the White Rose of Finland
Order of St. Olav
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon

Order of the Three Stars
Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
Order of the Star of Romania

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Childhood & Early Life

Princess Victoria was born on July 14, 1977, in Stockholm, Sweden, into the House of Bernadotte, that has been reigning over the country since 1818. She was baptized as Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée at The Royal Palace Church on 27 September 1977.

Her father, Carl XVI Gustaf, is the reigning King of Sweden, who succeeded his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, on his death in 1973. Her mother, Queen Silvia of Sweden, was born as Silvia Renate Sommerlath to German father and Brazilian mother.

Born eldest of her parents’ three children, Princess Victoria has two younger siblings. They are Prince Carl Philip Edmund Bertil, born in May 1979 and Princess Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine, born in June 1982.

Initially, it was not Princess Victoria, but her brother, Prince Carl Philip, who was to inherit the Swedish throne. But shortly after his birth, the Succession Act of 1979 came into force, making natural birth order the basis for succession to the throne.

The Succession Act formally came into effect on 1 January, 1980, designating Princess Victoria as Her Royal Highness, The Crown Princess of Sweden. On 9 January, 1980, she was created the Duchess of Västergötland.

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Education

In 1982, the Crown Princess began her formal education at Västerled parish pre-school, studying there for two years. Thereafter, on 21 August 1984, she entered Smedslättsskolan, a well-known elementary school located in Bromma, where she studied until the spring of 1987.

In the autumn of 1987, she entered Ålstenskolan, also in Bromma, for her intermediate level schooling, studying there until the spring term of 1990, when she entered Enskilda Gymnasiet. In 1992, while she was studying here, she was confirmed at Räpplinge church on the island of Öland.

On 14 July 1995, her majority was declared in a grand ceremony held in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. It made her eligible to act as the Head of State in the absence of the King. On this occasion, she made her first public speech.

In 1996, the Crown Princess graduated from secondary school and entered the Centre International D'Études Françaises at the Université catholique de l'Ouest, France. Here she studied French for one year, meanwhile participating in a special program in order to gain an insight into the workings of Riksdag, the Swedish legislature.

During her stay in France, she suddenly lost weight and was diagnosed with eating disorder stemming out of too much public attention. Therefore to stay out of spotlight, she moved to the USA in 1998 and shelved a plan to study at the Uppsala University, Sweden.

In 1998, she entered the Yale University as a non-degree special student, studying political science, history and international relation till 2000. Meanwhile in May 1999, she served as an intern at the Swedish Embassy, Washington D.C.

In the summer of 2000, she returned to Sweden where she completed a course on conflict resolution and international peace-building. Next in the spring of 2001, she undertook another course on Swedish Presidency and European Union.

Public Duty

From 2001, concurrently with undertaking varied courses, Crown Princess Victoria began to assume her official duties. In the same year, she made her first official visit, successfully promoting her country in Japan. Later, she traveled to the US West Coast, where she participated in the Nobel Centenary celebration.

In 2002, she entered the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University in order to continue her education. Concurrently, she continued to undertake official duties, attending the United Nations sessions in June and September.

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Also in the spring of 2002, she underwent a study program at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, visiting Uganda and Ethiopia with them. In autumn, she completed an internship with the Swedish Trade Council in Berlin and Paris.

In 2003, she made official visits to Egypt and USA. In the same year, she underwent military training at Swedish Armed Forces International Centre (SWEDINT). In the following year, she studied at the Swedish National Defence College (FHS), where she focused on Political Science, International Relations and Conflict Resolution.

In 2004, she visited Saudi Arabia as a part of a large official business delegation. Later, she would travel to Hungary and Iceland. Thereafter, she continued to work and study, visiting Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Turkey and China in 2005, concurrently undertaking a course in social science.

In March 2006, she made an official visit to Brazil. Later in September, she started on a diplomatic training program at Swedish Foreign Ministry. It lasted for one academic year and she had to go through lectures, seminars, group works and field trips to various institutes.

To this day, Crown Princess Victoria continues to carry on her royal duties.

Family & Personal Life

Crown Princess Victoria’s first boyfriend was Daniel Collert. They studied in the same school and were close friends before romance developed between them. However, the relationship ended in 2001.

In 2002, it came to be known that the Princess was dating Daniel Westling a personal trainer and the CEO of Balance Training, which ran three gyms in Stockholm. He was also Victoria's personal trainer at Master Training. Their engagement was announced on 24 February 2009.

The couple got married on 19 June, 2010. The date was chosen carefully; 19 June being the traditional wedding date for the Swedish Royals and 2010 being the 200th year since Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, the first Bernadotte, was declared heir presumptive to the Swedish throne.

On the wedding day, Daniel Westling was created Duke of Västergötland. He is now an official member of the royal family at par with other members and is known as HRH Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland.

The couple has two children. Their eldest daughter, Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland, was born in 2012 while their second child, Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne, was born in 2016.

The princess suffers from prosopagnosia, a cognitive disorder which makes it difficult to recognize familiar faces. At one time, she also suffered from anorexia.

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden Biography