Author Archives: Susan

Princess Stephanie of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Princess Stephanie of Monaco (Stephanie Marie Elisabeth) was born on February 1, 1965, at the Prince’s Palace in Monte Carlo. Monaco. She is the youngest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and Academy Award-winning American actress Grace Kelly.

Stephanie was christened on March 13, 1965, at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco. Her godparents were:

Princess Stephanie has two older siblings:

Princess Stephanie on her mother’s lap with her family; Photo source: Daily Mail

Princess Stephanie began her education at Dames de Saint-Maur, a private Catholic school in Monaco. She continued her education at Collège Dupanloup in Paris, France and received her French Baccalaureate in 1982. Princess Stephanie is fluent in French, Monegasque, English, and Italian.

During her school years, Princess Stephanie studied classical dance and piano. While at school in Paris, she developed an interest in gymnastics and participated in the sport from 1974 to 1979. Princess Stephanie also enjoys swimming, water skiing, and downhill skiing.

On September 13, 1982, while returning home from their home in Rocagel, France, Stephanie and her mother had a car accident. Princess Grace died the next day and Stephanie was hospitalized with a hairline fracture of a neck vertebra. The official version was that Princess Grace suffered a stroke while driving, however, there were rumors that Stephanie had been the one driving. Stephanie was unable to attend her mother’s funeral because of her injury and for years refused to speak about the accident. In 1989, she gave an interview in which she denied that she had been driving the car.

Princess Stephanie and Prince Albert Grieving

Princess Stephanie of Monaco, wearing a neck-brace, leaves St. Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco with her brother Prince Albert, after attending a memorial mass for their mother on October 14, 1982.  photo: Corbis

After she had recovered from her injuries, Princess Stephanie interned at the fashion house of Christian Dior with designer Marc Bohan from 1983 – 1984.  In 1985 – 1987 Stephanie designed a collection of swimsuits and swimwear under the name ‘Pool Position”.

Princess Stephanie also had a singing career. In 1986, she released a single “Ouragan”  in French and in English under the title “Irresistible.” The record sold more than 2 million copies and “Ouragan” is one of the best-selling singles in France of all time.

Stephanie_wedding 1

Princess Stephanie and Daniel Ducruet; Photo source: Hello

In 1992, Stephanie began a relationship with her bodyguard Daniel Ducruet.

The couple had two children:

Both children were included in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco after their parents married on July 1, 1995. The couple subsequently divorced on October 4, 1996.

On July 15, 1998, Princess Stephanie gave birth to her third child:

Stephanie did not identify Camille’s father on the birth certificate but it is assumed that Jean Raymond Gottlieb, her former head of security, is the father. Camille is not in the line of succession because her parents never married.

Stephanie_children

Princess Stephanie with her three children at the wedding of her brother Prince Albert in 2011; Photo: Zimbio

In 2001, Stephanie began a relationship with Franco Knie, (link in German) a married elephant trainer. Stephanie and her three children moved into Knie’s circus caravan and traveled with the Circus Knie.  The relationship lasted only until 2002. On September 10, 2003, Stephanie married acrobat Adans Lopez Peres, a member of the Circus Knie but the marriage ended in divorce in November 2004.

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Princess Stephanie and her second husband, Adans Lopez Peres; Photo source: usa.publiboda.com

Princess Stephanie is active in several organizations including:

Stephanie_siblings

Princess Stephanie (in the middle) with her sister and brother; Photo source: svenskdam.se

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

October 1914: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

Deaths of High Profile Royals
Timeline: October 1, 1914 – October 31, 1914
A Note About German Titles
October 1914 – Royals Who Died In Action


Deaths of High Profile Royals

In October 1914, four high-profile royals were killed in action: a grandson of Queen Victoria; a son of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia; a nephew of Wilhelm II, German Emperor; and an uncle of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Prince Maurice of Battenberg, the grandson of Queen Victoria, has a separate article, and the other three are profiled here.

Prince Oleg Konstantinovich of Russia; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Oleg Konstantinovich of Russia was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on November 27, 1892. His father, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia, was a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. The Grand Duke was a poet, playwright, and translator and arranged for his nine children to have lessons from experts in a variety of fields in addition to their traditional education. Prince Oleg wrote poetry like his father and was thought to be the most intelligent of the nine children. He attended the prestigious Alexander Lyceum instead of receiving a military education. Just before the outbreak of World War I, Prince Oleg was engaged to his cousin Princess Nadejda Petrovna of Russia.

Shortly after the start of World War I, five of the six sons of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich were sent to the front to serve with the Imperial Guards. On October 10, 1914, Prince Oleg was wounded in an attack against the Germans in East Prussia. Unfortunately, blood poisoning set in before it was realized that Prince Oleg was seriously wounded. He was transported to Vilna (now in Lithuania) for an unsuccessful emergency operation. Before he died, Prince Oleg was able to see his parents and receive the Order of St. George from his father. On his deathbed, Prince Oleg said, “I am so happy…It will encourage the troops to know that the Imperial House is not afraid to shed its blood.” He died on October 12, 1914, at the age of 21, and at his request was buried at his father’s estate Ostashevo on the banks of the Ruza River in the Moscow countryside.

Sadly, three of Prince Oleg’s brothers, Ioann, Gavriil, and Konstantin, were executed by the Bolsheviks on July 18, 1918, at the same time as Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (the elder sister of Empress Alexandra Feodrovna) and two additional members of the Romanov family, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, and Prince Vladimir Paley. See Unofficial Royalty: July 18, 1918 – Murder of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia.

Maximilian of Hesse

Prince Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel; Photo Credit – www.flickr.com

Prince Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel was born on October 20, 1894, at Schloss Rupenheim in Offenbach, Hesse (Germany). His parents were Princess Margaret of Prussia and Friedrich Karl, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse. Through his mother, Prince Maximilian was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and a nephew of Wilhelm II, German Emperor.

Prince Maximilian was serving with the Grand Ducal Hessen Dragoons when he was severely wounded by British machine-gun fire at Saint-Jean-Chappelle, near Bailleul, France on October 13, 1914. He was taken to a Trappist monastery where the monks cared for him, but the British advanced and took control of the monastery. Prince Maximilian told a British army doctor that he was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and asked him to send a locket to his mother which the doctor promised to do. The prince died three hours later at the age of 19 and the British army doctor died three days later. The locket was sent to the doctor’s widow who forwarded it to Queen Mary, the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom. Eventually, the locket did reach Prince Maximilian’s mother.

The mayor of the town where Prince Maximilian died ordered a local carpenter to construct a coffin for the prince and he was then buried in a local cemetery. However, local people who had suffered greatly in the fighting protested the burial when they found out the prince was the Kaiser’s nephew and the prince’s remains were moved to a secret location. In 1926, King George V assisted Prince Maximilian’s family in recovering his remains.

Prince Maximilian’s older brother Prince Friedrich Wilhelm was killed in action in 1916 and a younger brother, Prince Christoph, was killed in World War II.

Prince Wolrad Friedrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont ; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Wolrad of Waldeck and Pyrmont was born on June 26, 1892, in Arolsen, Waldeck and Pyrmont (Germany). He was the only child of George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his second wife Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

Prince Wolrad was the half-brother of Queen Emma of the Netherlands, wife of King William III of the Netherlands; Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany who married Queen Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany; and Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Therefore, the prince was the uncle of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the reigning monarch during World War I; and the uncle of the two children of Prince Leopold: Charles Edward, the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during World War I and Princess Alice of Albany.

Prince Wolrad was a lieutenant in Grand Ducal Hessen Dragoons. On the evening of October 17, 1914, he led a cavalry patrol near Moorslede, Belgium. The patrol came under fire from the advancing British troops. Several of the dragoons were hit and fell off their horses and Prince Wolrad’s horse was also hit. The prince and his aide reached a nearby trench, but then Prince Wolrad saw one of his men lying a short distance from the trench. The prince crawled to the wounded man and tried to pull him to safety, but was fatally hit with gunfire and died from his wounds at the age of 22.

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Timeline: October 1, 1914 – October 31, 1914

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A Note About German Titles

Most of the royals who died in action during World War I were German. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army, and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to our Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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October 1914 – Royals Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or from The Peerage.  If a person has a Wikipedia page, their name will be linked to that page.

Karl, Freiherr von Vequel-Westernach

Hermann, Freiherr von Landsberg-Velen

Karl, Prinz zu Solms-Braunfels

Klemen, Freiherr von Loë

Prince Oleg Constantinovitch of Russia

Prince Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel

Paul Maria Joseph, Graf von Hompesch-Bollheim

Wolrad Friedrich, Prinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont

Heinrich XLVI, Prinz Reuss

Joseph Ferdinand, Prinz von Lobkowicz

  • son of Dr. Maria Ferdinand Georg August Melchior, Prinz von Lobkowicz and Ida Maria, Gräfin Podstatzky-Lichtenstein
  • born September 4, 1885 in Unterberkowic
  • 1913 married Gisela, Gräfin von Silva-Tarouca, had issue
  • killed in action at Jaroslau, Galicia (now in Poland) on October 25, 1914, age 29
  • http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00126814&tree=LEO
Maurice of Battenberg

Prince Maurice of Battenberg; Photo Credit – www.firstworldwar.com

Prince Maurice of Battenberg

Prince Laurent of Belgium

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Embed from Getty Images 

Prince Laurent of Belgium (Laurent Benoît Baudouin Marie) was born on October 16, 1963, at the Château de Belvédère in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. He is the youngest of the three children of King Albert II of the Belgians, who abdicated in favor of his son Philippe in 2013, and his wife Queen Paola (born Paola Ruffo di Calabria).

Laurent has an older brother and an older sister:

Laurent has a half-sister from his father’s affair with Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps. After years of legal battles, on October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg.

  • Princess Delphine of Belgium (born 1968), married James O’Hare, an American, had two children, now styled Princess Joséphine of Belgium and Prince Oscar of Belgium

Prince Laurent began his education at (link translated from French) in Brussels where he was educated in French and then attended school in Loppem where he was educated in Dutch. In 1977, he began his studies at the (link translated from Dutch) in Antwerp and completed his studies there in 1980. Laurent then studied at the Royal Cadet School in Laeken, Brussels. He then proceeded to the Royal Military Academy where he was educated as an officer of the armed forces. Upon completion, Laurent joined the Belgian Navy as a naval trainee on a minehunter. He trained to become a diver and helicopter pilot and his highest naval rank was Captain.

In 1996, Prince Laurent founded The Prince Laurent Foundation, a Belgian non-profit organization for the welfare of domestic and wild animals. The foundation focuses on veterinary dispensaries, alternative methods to animal experimentation, equine research, and welfare, and scientific prizes and awards.

On December 19, 2002, the engagement of Prince Laurent and British-born, but Belgian-raised Claire Coombs was announced. The couple met at a mutual friend’s dinner party in 2000. Laurent was helping wash the dishes when Claire came in to lend a hand. The two barely talked and did not see each other again for two months. After their second meeting, Claire was impressed with Laurent’s generosity and sensitivity and Laurent knew Claire was right for him because of her honesty, spontaneity, and love for children.  Laurent and Claire married on April 12, 2003, at the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula in Brussels, Belgium.

photo: The Exiled Belgian Royalist

The couple had three children:

  • Princess Louise of Belgium (born 2004)
  • Prince Nicolas of Belgium (born 2005) – twin of Aymeric
  • Prince Aymeric of Belgium (born 2005) – twin of Nicolas

In 2018, the Belgian parliament cut Prince Laurent’s annual allowance by 15% for a year.  The sanction was imposed after Prince Laurent, in full naval uniform, attended a Chinese embassy reception in 2017 without government permission.  The government had warned Laurent to ask permission from the foreign ministry before conducting any diplomatic activity. Despite that, he went to the embassy event and tweeted a photo of himself there.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este; Credit https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73964267

Princess Astrid of Belgium was born on June 5, 1962, at Château de Belvédère in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. She is the second of the three children of King Albert II of the Belgians, who abdicated in favor of his son Philippe in 2013, and his wife Queen Paola (born Paola Ruffo di Calabria). Her full name is Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Maria and she is named after her paternal grandmother Astrid of Sweden, wife of King Leopold III of the Belgians, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 29. Her godparents were her maternal uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, and her paternal aunt Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.

Princess Astrid has two brothers:

Astrid has a half-sister from her father’s affair with Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps. After years of legal battles, on October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg.

  • Princess Delphine of Belgium (born 1968), married James O’Hare, an American, had two children, now styled Princess Joséphine of Belgium and Prince Oscar of Belgium

After completing her primary and secondary education in Brussels, Astrid studied art history for a year at Leiden University in the Netherlands before continuing her art history studies at the Institute of European Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States.

On May 13, 1984, the engagement of Princess Astrid and Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este was announced. Lorenz is the eldest son of Archduke Robert of Austria-Este, the second son of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria and has been Head of the House of Austria-Este since 1996.

 

The couple was married on September 22, 1984, at the Church of Notre-Dame au Sablon in Brussels, Belgium.

Initially, Astrid’s children were not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne, as Belgium followed male-only primogeniture. They were born as Archdukes and Archduchess of Austria-Este. However, the laws were changed in 1991, and Astrid and their children were added to the line of succession. Their children were also granted the title of Prince/Princess of Belgium. In 1995, Astrid’s husband Lorenz was created Prince of Belgium in his own right.

Astrid and Lorenz had five children:

  • Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 1986), married Elisabetta “Lili” Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, had two daughters and one son
  • Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1988), married William Isvy
  • Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (1991)
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1995)
  • Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 2003)

Embed from Getty Images

Princess Astrid represents her brother King Philippe on foreign visits and gives her services to many organizations including:

Astrid_lorenz

Princess Astrid and her husband; photo: Zimbio

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Estelle of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Estelle of Sweden, 2023; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland was born on February 23, 2012, at Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Sweden. She is the eldest child of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel (born Daniel Westling), and is second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne, after her mother.

Princess Estelle with her mother Crown Princess Victoria and her grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf; Credit – Photo: Thron Ullberg/The Royal Court of Sweden, 2022

In 1979, the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature, introduced an Act of Succession that changed the succession to absolute primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is first in the line of succession. This Act of Succession became law on January 1, 1980, making Sweden the first country to adopt absolute primogeniture. The previous 1810 Act of Succession allowed for only males to inherit the throne. Even after the birth of her brother Prince Oscar, Princess Estelle retains her place in the line of succession as the eldest child of Crown Princess Victoria who is the eldest child and heir of King Carl XVI Gustaf. This means that it is expected that the next two Swedish monarchs will be Victoria followed by her daughter Estelle. Sweden has had only three Queens Regnant: Margarethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden  (1389-1412), Queen Christina of Sweden (1632-1654), and Queen Ulrika Eleanora of Sweden (1718-1720)

Estelle_christening

Princess Estelle is christened as her parents and grandfather look on; Photo: Swedish Royal Court 

Princess Estelle was christened in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on May 22, 2012. Her godparents were:

She was given the names Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary.

Estelle: possibly for Countess Estelle Bernadotte (1904–1984), the American wife of Count Folke Bernadotte; when King Carl Gustaf announced his granddaughter’s names, he said that the name Estelle is very close to the heart of her mother and also the family
Silvia: for her maternal grandmother
Ewa: for her paternal grandmother
Mary: for her godmother Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Princess Estelle’s family, 2022

Estelle has one younger brother:

On August 25, 2014, Princess Estelle started preschool at Äventyret Preschool in Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm. Äventyret Preschool was founded in 1992 and uses the Ur & Skur outdoor teaching methods to teach children about nature and to convey a sense of the natural world. In October 2016, Estelle started to attend Lilla Kvikkjokk, a Montessori school in the Djurgården section of Stockholm. Princess Estelle has been attending Campus Manilla, an independent primary and secondary school, in the Djurgården section in Stockholm since August 2018.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Christopher O’Neill, husband of Princess Madeleine of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Brigitte Grenfeldt, Swedish Royal Court,

Christopher Paul O’Neill was born on born June 27, 1974, in London, England. He is the only child of Paul O’Neill (1926–2004), an American investment banker who came to London in the 1960s to set up the European head office of Oppenheimer & Co, and his second wife, Eva Maria Walter (born 1940 in Austria). Christopher has dual United States – United Kingdom citizenship. He has five half-sisters: From his mother’s side – Tatjana Schoeller who married John Henry Erland d’Abo and Natascha Loeb (born 1968 in Munich Germany) who married Ernst, Graf (Count) von Abensperg und Traun; From his father’s side – Stefanie, Annalisa, and Karen.

Chris ONeill_birth family

Christopher O’Neill with his parents; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

While growing up in London, Christopher attended Eaton House School and then Westminster Under School. In 1988, he began his studies at the Institut auf dem Rosenberg, an international high school in St. Gallen, Switzerland, graduating in 1992.

In 1992, Christopher began his university studies at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations with a minor in Business in 1996. While he was at Boston University, he worked part-time for various financial firms to develop work experience and to gain a practical understanding of the financial industry. In 1996, Christopher returned to the United Kingdom and worked in the mergers and acquisitions department of NM Rothschild & Sons, before moving to an early-stage venture capital firm, VennWorks LLP. After spending six years working in the United Kingdom, Christopher returned to the United States and attended the two-year, full-time MBA program at Columbia University Business School in New York City. After graduating from Columbia in 2005 with an MBA degree, Christopher worked for Steinberg Asset Management and Noster Capital, where he was a partner and head of research.

Christopher first met Princess Madeleine of Sweden after she had moved to New York City in 2010 following a broken engagement to work for the World Childhood Foundation, a charitable organization founded by her mother, Queen Silvia. The couple was first seen in public in January 2011. Their engagement was announced by the Swedish Royal Court on October 25, 2012.

Madeleine_engagement

Engagement Photo; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill were married on June 8, 2013, at the Palace Church at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

Chris ONeill_wedding

Photo: Zimbio

Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill have two daughters and one son:

  • Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland (born 2014 at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, New York)
  • Prince Nicolas of Sweden, Duke of Ångermanland (born 2015 at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden)
  • Princess Adrienne of Sweden, Duchess of Blekinge (born 2018, at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden)

Unlike his brother-in-law, Prince Daniel, Christopher is untitled and undertakes no royal duties, since members of the Swedish Royal Family must hold Swedish citizenship, which O’Neill has declined. He remains a private US-UK citizen, can continue his career in finance, and the couple continued living in New York. Shortly before his engagement, Christopher quit his job at Noster Capital, but remains a consultant and is involved in other entrepreneurial ventures. In an interview at the time of his engagement, Christopher said, ” To continue my career is really important for me. I chose to not receive a title that would have prevented me from my dream of continuing my work. Of course, I consulted with Madeleine and the King and Queen. It was important for me to have their blessing.”

After their marriage, Madeline and Christopher resided in New York City, and their first child Princess Leonore was born there. In early 2015, the family returned to Sweden. Shortly after the birth of Prince Nicolas, the family moved to London, England. In August 2018, it was announced that Princess Madeleine and her family would be moving to Florida, in the United States. In March 2023, it was announced that the family would move back to Sweden in August 2023. However, it was announced in June 2023 that the family’s move to Sweden was postponed until June 2024.

On October 7, 2019, the Swedish Royal Court announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf had decided to make changes regarding the children of his son Prince Carl Philip and his daughter Princess Madeleine. At birth, the children of Carl Philip and Madeleine were styled as Royal Highness and were members of The Royal House. As of October 7, 2019, their children would no longer be members of The Royal House but would continue to be members of The Royal Family. Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne would no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness but they would retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by King Carl XVI Gustaf. They will remain in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. In the future, they will not be expected to perform any royal duties. They will be styled Prince/Princess <Name>, Duke/Duchess of <Geographical Area>.

On the day of the change, in a Facebook post, Princess Madeleine explained the reasoning and said that the change had been planned for a long time.

“Today the Court announced that Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne should no longer belong to the Royal House, while remaining part of the Royal Family. This change has been planned for a long time. Chris and I think it is appropriate that our children will now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as private individuals.

We were honoured when my parents bestowed upon Leonore a royal title when she joined Estelle as the 2nd grandchild of our Swedish Royal Family. We have always believed in giving our children the freedom to choose their future, that’s why we welcome this decision wholeheartedly. I will continue with my royal responsibilities by supporting my parents and my sister.”

Christopher with his family, 2018. photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Swedish Royal Court

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Leonore of Sweden, Duchess of Gotland

by Susan Flantzer

photo: Erika Gerdemark, Swedish Royal Court

Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland was born on February 20, 2014, at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, New York in the United States. She is the first child of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O’Neill. Before her birth, the Swedish Royal Court announced that Princess Madeleine’s children would have the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess and be in the line of succession to the throne. To be eligible to ascend the throne, Princess Madeleine’s children must be brought up in Sweden and be members of the Church of Sweden (Lutheran).  The infant princess was named Leonore Lilian Maria:

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On October 7, 2019, the Swedish Royal Court announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf had decided to make changes regarding the children of his son Prince Carl Philip and his daughter Princess Madeleine. Their children would no longer be members of The Royal House but would continue to be members of The Royal Family. Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne would no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness but they would retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by King Carl XVI Gustaf. They will remain in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. In the future, they will not be expected to perform any royal duties. As a result, Leonore will be styled Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland.

In mid-April 2014, Princess Estelle of Sweden met her new cousin, Princess Leonore, during a trip to the United States with her mother Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

Leonore_Estelle

Princess Leonore and Princess Estelle; Photo: Swedish Royal Court, Crown Princess Victoria

Princess Leonore was christened on June 8, 2014, her parent’s first wedding anniversary. The Church of Sweden (Lutheran) christening was held at the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace near Stockholm. Her godparents were:

  • Crown Princess Victoria, her maternal aunt
  • Tatjana d’Abo, her paternal aunt
  • Count Ernst Abensperg und Traun, her paternal uncle by marriage
  • Patrick Sommerlath, her maternal first cousin once removed
  • Alice Bamford, a friend of her parents
  • Louise Gottlieb, a friend of her parents
Leonore_Christening

Photo source: Hello

Leonore_godparents

Princess Leonore with her parents and godparents; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

At her christening, Princess Leonore received the Royal Order of the Seraphim from her grandfather, King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Leonore_after christening

Princess Leonore after her christening wearing the badge and the sash of the Royal Order of the Seraphim; Photo source: svt.se

Leonore became a big sister when her brother Prince Nicolas, Duke of Ångermanland was born on June 15, 2015, and again when her sister Princess Adrienne, Duchess of Blekinge was born on March 9, 2018.

In 2018, Princess Leonore’s family moved to Florida in the United States. Early in 2020, the Swedish Royal Court confirmed, “Princess Madeleine resides in Florida. Right now and for the near future, they will remain in Florida. This means that the children will also attend school in Florida.” It is expected that Leonore will start school in Florida during the fall of 2020.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Photo: Kungl. Hovstaterna / The Royal Court of Sweden

Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland was born on June 10, 1982, at Drottningholm Palace near Stockholm, Sweden. She is the youngest of the three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his wife Queen Silvia (née Silvia Sommerlath).

Madeleine has an older sister and an older brother:

Princess Madeleine was christened at the Palace Church at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on August 31, 1982. She was given the names Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine. Her fourth name, Josephine, is in honor of her ancestor, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, the wife of King Oscar I of Sweden and the granddaughter of Empress Josephine (Napoleon’s first wife) and her first husband Eugène de Beauharnais. Madeleine’s godparents were:

Madeleine_christening

Princess Madeleine’s christening; Photo source: http://hd.se

Princess Madeleine attended Västerled Parish Preschool in Stockholm, Sweden from 1985-1989. Beginning in 1989, she attended Smedslättsskolan (link translated from Swedish), a municipal elementary school in the district Smedslätten in Bromma, Stockholm, where he completed his junior level. In 1989 she continued on to the intermediate level at Carlssons School (link translated from Swedish) in Stockholm. In the autumn of 1998, Princess Madeleine began her senior-level studies at Enskilda Gymnasiet, a prestigious independent secondary school in Tegnérlunden, in central Stockholm, and graduated in 2001.

Princess Madeleine lived in London during 2011 where she studied English and returned to Sweden in 2002 to study Swedish law and computer literacy. In 2003, she enrolled at Stockholm University studying art history and ethnology. Madeleine completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in January 2006 and continued her studies with postgraduate courses in organization and leadership (international humanitarian work) and child psychology.

In 2006, Madeleine began a work experience at the headquarters of UNICEF in New York. She focused on children in institutional care, children in areas of conflict and vulnerability, and sexually exploited children. This prepared her for the work she continues to do at the World Childhood Foundation, founded by Madeleine’s mother, Queen Silvia of Sweden, in 1999 to reach and support children at risk around the world.

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Princess Madeleine visiting a project, supported by the World Childhood Foundation, to keep teenage mothers in school in Ohio; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

Princess Madeleine is the patron of My Big Day, the Swedish equivalent of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The organization’s goal is to make dreams come true for children in long-term hospital care.

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Princess Madeleine attends a music show with Ena, whose dream was to spend a day with Madeleine and be photographed with her; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

On August 11, 2009, Princess Madeleine announced her engagement to lawyer Jonas Bergström, her boyfriend since 2002. After many rumors in the media, it was announced on April 24, 2010, that the engagement had been called off. It was at this time, that Madeleine moved to New York to begin work at the New York office of the World Childhood Foundation. While in New York, Madeleine met Christopher O’Neill, a British-American businessman. The couple was first seen in public in January 2011. Their engagement was announced by the Swedish Royal Court on October 25, 2012.

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Engagement Photo; Photo: Ewa-Marie Rundquist, Swedish Royal Court

Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill were married on June 8, 2013, at the Palace Church at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

 

Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill have two daughters and one son:

  • Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland (born 2014, at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, New York)
  • Prince Nicolas of Sweden, Duke of Ångermanland (born 2015, at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden)
  • Princess Adrienne of Sweden, Duchess of Blekinge (born 2018, at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden)

After their marriage, Madeline and Christopher lived in New York City, and their first child was born there.  In early 2015, they returned to Sweden. In August 2018, it was announced that Princess Madeleine and her family would be moving to Florida, in the United States, where the Princess will continue her work with the World Childhood Foundation. In March 2023, it was announced that the family would move back to Sweden in August 2023. However, it was announced in June 2023 that the family’s move to Sweden was postponed. Madeleine and her family moved back to Sweden in June 2024.

On October 7, 2019, the Swedish Royal Court announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf had decided to make changes regarding the children of his son Prince Carl Philip and his daughter Princess Madeleine. At birth, the children of Carl Philip and Madeleine were styled as Royal Highness and were members of The Royal House. As of October 7, 2019, their children would no longer be members of The Royal House but would continue to be members of The Royal Family. Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne would no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness but they would retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by King Carl XVI Gustaf. They will remain in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. In the future, they will not be expected to perform any royal duties. They will be styled Prince/Princess <Name>, Duke/Duchess of <Geographical Area>.

On the day of the change, in a Facebook post, Princess Madeleine explained the reasoning and said that the change had been planned for a long time.

“Today the Court announced that Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne should no longer belong to the Royal House, while remaining part of the Royal Family. This change has been planned for a long time. Chris and I think it is appropriate that our children will now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as private individuals.

We were honoured when my parents bestowed upon Leonore a royal title when she joined Estelle as the 2nd grandchild of our Swedish Royal Family. We have always believed in giving our children the freedom to choose their future, that’s why we welcome this decision wholeheartedly. I will continue with my royal responsibilities by supporting my parents and my sister.”

Madeleine with her family, 2018. photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Swedish Royal Court

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Prince Carl Philip of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Embed from Getty Images 

Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland was born at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on May 13, 1979. He is the only son and the second of the three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his wife Queen Silvia (née Silvia Sommerlath).

Carl Philip has an older and a younger sister:

In 1979, the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature, introduced an Act of Succession that changed the succession to absolute primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is first in the line of succession. This Act of Succession became law on January 1, 1980, making Sweden the first country to adopt absolute primogeniture. The previous 1810 Act of Succession allowed for only males to inherit the throne. Carl Philip had been born Crown Prince and retained his title and first place in the succession for seven months until January 1, 1980, when his elder sister Victoria became Crown Princess and heir apparent.

Prince Carl Philip was christened at the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on August 31, 1979. He was given the names Carl Philip Edmund Bertil and his godparents were:

Christening of Prince Carl Philip; Credit – sunnygirl2.blogspot.com

Prince Carl Philip attended Västerled Parish Preschool in Stockholm, Sweden from 1984-86. He then attended Smedslättsskolan, a municipal elementary school in the district Smedslätten in Bromma, Stockholm, where he completed his junior level. Next, Carl Philip attended Ålstenskolan, a municipal elementary school in the district Ålsten in Bromma, Stockholm, and completed the intermediate level.

The prince then attended Enskilda Gymnasiet, a prestigious independent secondary school in Tegnérlunden, in central Stockholm.  In 1994, Carl Philip moved to the United States for two years to attend Kent School in Kent, Connecticut, USA. Upon returning to Sweden, he followed a science program at Lundbergs Upper Secondary School in Värmland, Sweden, graduating in 1999.

Prince Carl Philip completed a two-year course in Graphic Design at Forsbergs School of Graphic Design in Stockholm in May 2006. He continued his studies with an internship at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., USA, during the autumn of 2006. Carl Philip then studied at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, where he participated in a competition to create the best logo for Martha’s Vineyard Museum in Massachusetts. He won the competition in the spring of 2008 with a proposal that he submitted under a pseudonym.

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Prince Carl Philip’s award-winning logo; Photo Credit: Resume.se

In 2009, Carl Philip began his studies at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp, Sweden, and graduated in 2012 with a diploma in Agricultural and Rural Management.

Prince Carl Philip completed his military service in the Swedish Navy with the Amphibious Battalion of Vaxholm’s Coast Artillery Regiment and is trained as a combat boat commander. In 2001-2002, he completed a naval officer training course. He was promoted to midshipman and then was promoted to the rank of sub-lieutenant in 2004. In 2007 and 2008, he went to the Swedish National Defense College and was promoted to the rank of captain in the Swedish Navy.

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Carl Philip in naval uniform; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

In April 2010, Prince Carl Philip was linked in the press with model Sofia Hellqvist, and in August 2010, the Swedish Royal Court confirmed the relationship.

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Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

On June 27, 2014, the couple’s engagement was announced, and the wedding took place on June 13, 2015, at the Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

photo: Mattias Edwall/Swedish Royal Court

photo: Mattias Edwall/Swedish Royal Court

On October 15, 2015, the Swedish Royal Court announced that Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia were expecting their first child.  In early April 2016, Carl Philip and Sofia moved from their apartment on Djurgården to Sjoflygeln (Lake Wing) on the grounds of Drottningholm Palace.

source: Swedish Royal Court

Carl Philip and Sofia with their first son Alexander – source: Swedish Royal Court

Carl Philip and Sofia have three sons and one daughter:

  • Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland (born 2016)
  • Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna (born 2017)
  • Prince Julian, Duke of Halland (born 2021)
  • Princes Ines, Duchess of Västerbotten (born 2025)

On October 7, 2019, the Swedish Royal Court announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf had decided to make changes regarding the children of his son Prince Carl Philip and his daughter Princess Madeleine. At birth, the children of Carl Philip and Madeleine were styled as Royal Highness and were members of The Royal House. As of October 7, 2019, their children would no longer be members of The Royal House but would continue to be members of The Royal Family. Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne would no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness, but they would retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by King Carl XVI Gustaf. They will remain in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. In the future, they will not be expected to perform any royal duties. They will be styled Prince/Princess <Name>, Duke/Duchess of <Geographical Area>.

Prince Alexander, Princess Sofia, Prince Julian, Prince Carl Philip and Prince Gabriel on the occasion of Prince Julian’s christening; Credit – Photo: Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / The Royal Court of Sweden

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Infanta Sofía of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Infanta Sofia of Spain, 2024

Infanta Sofía was born on April 29, 2007, at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, Spain. She is the younger of the two daughters of King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia (born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano).

 

Infanta Sofía was baptized on July 15, 2007, in the gardens of Zarzuela Palace. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Queen Sofía, and was also given the additional name of de Todos los Santos (of All the Saints), a Bourbon tradition. Her godparents were:

Leonor’s family: King Felipe VI, Infanta Leonor, Infanta Sofia, and Queen Letizia

Infanta Sofía has one older sibling:

Sofía’s sister Leonor is the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne, and Sofía follows her in the line of succession. Currently, Spain’s succession law is male-preference cognatic primogeniture. This means that Leonor, as the elder of King Felipe’s two daughters, is first in line to inherit the throne, and she is the heir presumptive. However, if her parents have a son, he would be the heir apparent, Leonor would forfeit the title of Princess of Asturias and other titles to her brother, and both Leonor and Sofía would each move down a step in the line of succession to the Spanish throne. There have been discussions of changing the succession law to absolute primogeniture, where the eldest child, regardless of gender, inherits the throne, but no legislation has been forthcoming.

On September 15, 2010, Sofía began her formal schooling at Santa María de los Rosales School (link in Spanish) in Madrid, Spain, where her father and sister attended until they were 16. In August 2023, she began a 2-year International Baccalaureate program at the UWC Atlantic College in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.

 

On June 2, 2014, King Juan Carlos, Infanta Sofía’s grandfather, announced his intention to abdicate the throne in favor of his son. On June 18, 2014, King Juan Carlos signed the formal instrument of abdication, and Sofía’s father Felipe ascended the throne at midnight. King Felipe VI was sworn in and proclaimed as king on June 19, 2014, in a ceremony in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish legislature.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.