Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland
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Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (Madeleine Thérèse Amélie Joséphine; born Drottningholm
Drottningholm
Drottningholm, literally "Queen's Islet", is a locality situated in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden, with 410 inhabitants in 2005....
, 10 June 1982) is the youngest child and second daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
and Queen Silvia of Sweden
Queen Silvia of Sweden
|align=right|Queen Silvia of Sweden is the Queen consort of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Styled Her Majesty The Queen, Silvia is the mother of the heir apparent to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria.-Childhood:Queen Silvia was born in Heidelberg, Germany, on 23 December 1943...
. Her official title is: Her Royal Highness Madeleine, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland.
Early life
Princess Madeleine was born at Drottningholm PalaceDrottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It is located in Drottningholm. It is built on the island Lovön , and is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces. It was originally built in the late 16th century. It served as a residence of the Swedish royal court for most of...
in Stockholm and is a member of the Swedish Royal Family
Swedish Royal Family
The Swedish Royal Family since 1818 consists of a number of persons in the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. They are entitled to royal titles and style , and some perform official engagements and ceremonial duties of state...
which belongs to the House of Bernadotte. The House of Bernadotte was founded by her great-great-great-great-great grandfather the French Marshal Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte
Charles XIV John of Sweden
Charles XIV & III John, also Carl John, Swedish and Norwegian: Karl Johan was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
. He later became King Charles John of Sweden and Norway when he came to the thrones there in 1818.
The Princess was christened at The Royal Palace Church on 31 August 1982, her godparents being Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony has been the head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and titular Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha since 1998...
, her maternal grandfather Walther Sommerlath
Walther Sommerlath
Carl August Walther Sommerlath was a German businessman and the father of Queen Silvia of Sweden. He was president of the Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish steel-parts manufacturer Uddeholm Tooling after World War II....
, Princess Benedikte of Denmark
Princess Benedikte of Denmark
Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, , , is the second daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden...
, and her paternal aunt Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson
Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson
Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, is the sister of Carl XVI Gustaf, the current King of Sweden. She was born at Haga Palace outside Stockholm. She is the fourth child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and granddaughter of King Gustaf VI...
.
She is third in line of succession to the Swedish throne
Line of succession to the Swedish Throne
The line of succession to the Swedish throne is determined by the Swedish Act of Succession. In 1980 Sweden adopted equal primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, takes precedence in the line of succession...
(behind her sister, Crown Princess Victoria, and her brother, Prince Carl Philip), and in the line of succession to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
through her father, who is a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Her fourth name, Josephine, is in honour of her ancestress Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Joséphine of Leuchtenberg was Queen consort of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar I...
, the granddaughter of Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's first wife Empress Joséphine
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
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 StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and then went on to Enskilda Gymnasiet
Enskilda Gymnasiet
Enskilda Gymnasiet is a private secondary school from the 10th-12th grade and school from the 6th-9th grade, founded in 1913. Enskilda Gymnasiet is located in Tegnérlunden, in central Stockholm, Sweden...
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
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
. In the spring of 2002, she took a basic module in Introduction to Swedish Law and studied for the European Computer Driving Licence
European Computer Driving Licence
The European Computer Driving Licence , also known as International Computer Driving Licence , is a computer literacy certification programme provided by ECDL Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation....
. In January 2003, the Princess enrolled at the Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
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
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
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
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
but has yet not completed any degree.
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 recognitionRecognition (sociology)
Recognition in sociology is public acknowledgement of person's status or merits .When some person is recognized, he or she is accorded some special status, such as a name, title, or classification...
of her age of majority
Age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of...
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 FoundationMake-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
, more commonly known as My Big Day, its translation into English). She is also affiliated with Europa Nostra, Carl Johan-League and the Royal Motorboat Club. 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. Her duties include the celebrations of Sweden's National Day, the King (Carl XVI Gustaf of SwedenCarl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
) and Crown Princess's (Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland is the heiress-apparent to the Swedish throne. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden's fourth queen regnant .-Early life:...
) birthday, the Nobel festivities, dinners and state visits with other members of the royal family. The Princess represented Sweden at the opening of the New Sweden Gallery on 5 June 2011, at the American Swedish Historical Museum
American Swedish Historical Museum
The American Swedish Historical Museum is the oldest Swedish-American museum in the United States. It is located in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in the South Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on part of a historic 17th-century land grant originally provided by Queen...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which features an animated map of the New Sweden settlement by Sean Moir.
Engagement to Jonas Bergström
On 11 August 2009, the Princess announced her engagement to her boyfriend since 2002, lawyer Jonas Bergström (b. 1979). 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 on ÖlandÖland
' is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of 1,342 km² and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. The island has 25,000 inhabitants, but during Swedish Midsummer it is visited by up to 500,000 people...
. The engagement could only take place after Bergström had been awarded the official approval of the Swedish Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
Regeringen and that had been communicated to her father, the King.
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". 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. A CNN.com report alleged that Bergström had cheated on the princess with a female Norwegian college student. Since the end of her relationship with Bergström, the Princess has been residing in New York City working for the World Childhood Foundation
World Childhood Foundation
The World Childhood Foundation, often referred to as simply Childhood, was founded by HM Queen Silvia of Sweden in 1999 in an effort to reach and support children at risk around the world...
, the organisation her mother co-founded.
Popularity
In 2008 Madeleine was included as 12th on the list of the "The 20 Hottest Young Royals" as compiled by Forbes Magazine. She was listed in 2011 among CEOWORLD magazine's Hottest Royal Women. She came in 7th place on the list of most beautiful royal women conducted by BeautifulPeople.com. In 2010 she came 3rd of the '10 Hottest Young Royals of 2010' in a list composed by the website PopCrunch.Foreign honours
: Grand Officer of the Order of the Three StarsOrder of the Three Stars
Order of the Three Stars is order awarded for merits in service for Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra"...
: Commander of the Order of the Crown of Malaysia
Order of the Crown of Malaysia
The Most Esteemed Order of the Crown of Malaysia is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966. The order has three ranks:...
(2005) : Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav (2005)
Ancestry
Madeleine's ancestry is mainly SwedishSwedes
Swedes are a Scandinavian nation and ethnic group native to Sweden, mostly inhabiting Sweden and the other Nordic countries, with descendants living in a number of countries.-Etymology:...
, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, French and Brazilian
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
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