princess madeleine baby

Revealed: the touching reason Princess Madeleine chose to name her baby Adrienne

The Swedish royal and her husband Chris O'Neill welcomed their daughter on Friday

Content Managing Editor
March 13, 2018

Princess Madeleine of Sweden is said to have chosen the name Adrienne for her daughter simply because she likes it. But according to Swedish publication Svenskdam, there's a truly touching story behind the moniker. Madeleine's mother Queen Silvia has loved the name for years, and even considered it for her own daughter, Madeleine.

Another Adrienne – Adrienne Riddez – shared an anecdote on her Facebook page, revealing that she met the queen at a charity event in the nineties. Silvia is reported to have told her: "Oh, your name is Adrienne, it's such a beautiful name. I was considering it for Madeleine." The court has refused to comment on the story, but after it was made public, Adrienne Riddez again clarified that the story was true, but she hadn't realised there would be so much interest.

Madeleine's mother Queen Silvia has loved the name Adrienne for years

Princess Adrienne's full name – Adrienne Josephine Alice – was announced by her grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf at a Council of State meeting on Monday morning. Of her middle names, Josephine is a traditional Bernadotte family name and also happens to be Madeleine's fourth name and her husband Chris O'Neill's grandmother's name. Alice is the name of the baby's maternal great-grandmother, Alice Sommerlath, Queen Silvia's mum.

RELATED: See the first photo of baby Adrienne!

© Photo: Instagram

Princess Adrienne with her big sister Princess Leonore and big brother Prince Nicolas

Madeleine, 35, and Chris, 43, have three children together: newborn baby Adrienne, four-year-old Princess Leonore and two-year-old Prince Nicolas. Chris has previously revealed why they named their son Nicolas; the businessman was originally given the name at birth! In 2015, after welcoming Nicolas, the doting dad revealed: "Actually, I was called Nicolas for less than a day. But then my dad said, 'Forget it, he's a Christopher.'"

Baby Adrienne was born on Friday at 00:41am, weighing 3.4kg and measuring 50cm long. Chris was present at the birth and later said: "We are thrilled about the new addition to our family. Leonore and Nicolas are looking very much forward to finally meeting their new little sister."

MORE: Madeleine's friend says she's a 'normal girl'

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