In a candid new interview, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden opened up about her harsh battles with anorexia, dyslexia and anxiety. On SVT, her country’s television station, the 39-year-old Swedish royal discussed handling the problems that she’s struggled with since she was a teenager. In addition, the future queen expressed her concerns over the mental health of young people today.
Crown Princess Vicotoria opened up about suffering from anorexia and anxiety Photo: Erika Gerdemark/Kungahuset.se
“I used to think I was stupid and slow,” Princess Victoria said in the conversation, ahead of her 40th birthday on July 14. Although the mother-of-two says she no longer suffers from anorexia, she continues to grapple anxiety daily. “The performance anxiety I had is still there,” she said, adding: “I’ve been given different kinds of tools and learned how to manage it.”
On a brighter note, Victoria said the passage of time has eased her issues. She admits that she has dismissed the idea that her high-profile lifestyle has contributed to producing anxiety. “There are as many reasons to feel bad as there are people.” The royal then turned to discussing her fears for the youngsters of the world and their mental health.
Princess Victoria with her children Prince Oscar and Princess Estelle Photo: Kate Gabor, The Royal Court, Sweden
Seeming to pinpoint the negative aspects of social media and photo editing, Victoria referred to “all the perfect images that are uploaded” and how it affects the more impressionable people of society. She touched on how the expectation that “everything has to be polished” adds massive pressure on young people and hinders their wellbeing. “For me it is important that children be children,” she told to SVT, “My parents felt exactly the same about me.” It’s clear Victoria is implementing this belief on her little ones: five-year-old Princess Estelle and one-year-old Prince Oscar.
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Back in May, the princess revealed that she realized she had an eating disorder shortly before she was set to attend Sweden’s Uppsala University. Fortunately for her, loving parents King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia were quick to intervene and encouraged their daughter to take some time off before she her started her undergraduate degree. “I needed time to sort things out and get my balance back again. I needed to get to know myself, discover where my limits were, not constantly push myself too much,” she explained.
