Early life
Madeleine Thérèse Ameline Josephine, Princess of Sweden and Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland, came into the world on 10 June 1982, at Drottningholm Palace. The youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, she has an elder sister – Crown Princess Victoria, five years her senior – and a brother, Prince Carl Philip, who was born in 1979.
Madeleine began her schooling at the Vasterled Parish Pre-school aged three, continuing her education at Smedslattsskolan in nearby Bromma four years later. The keen equestrian and gymnast went on to attend Carlssons Skola in Stockholm, finishing her studies at the city's Enskilda Gymnasiet in 2001. She moved to the UK that autumn in order to study English. Then, in January 2003, the Princess who is fluent in Swedish, English and German, enrolled at the prestigious University of Stockholm, where she studied history of art – later embarking on a further course in ethnology.
Hobbies and charitable pursuits
While committing to her studies, Madeleine was sure to maintain her passion for horse-riding. She owned her own horses for a time and entered showjumping competitions under the name Anna Svensson. On adulthood, the royal also stepped up her royal duties, and soon became patron of high-profile Swedish charity Min Stora Dag (My Big Day), which grants wishes to youngsters with serious illnesses. She also interned for UNICEF in New York, working for the Child Protective Services division.
Marriage and children
Madeleine announced that she was engaged to lawyer Jonas Bergstrom in August 2009. Their wedding was planned for later 2010, but in April 2010 it was announced that it would no longer be going ahead as the couple had split.
Two years later, Madeleine announced she was engaged to the British financier Christopher O'Neill. They married in June 2013 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The pair share three children: Princess Leonore who was born in February 2014, Prince Nicolas who was born in June 2015, and Princess Adrienne, born March 2018.
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