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princess madeleine© Photo: Getty Images

Inside Princess Madeleine's heartbreak: How former romance turned sour for Swedish royal

Madeleine was previously engaged to Jonas Bergstrom

Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
March 7, 2023
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Princess Madeleine of Sweden will celebrate her tenth wedding anniversary this summer, marking a decade of happiness with her husband Christopher O'Neill.

The couple tied the knot on 8 June 2013 at the Royal Palace Chapel and they have since gone on to welcome three children together: Princess Leonore, nine, Prince Nicolas, seven, and Princess Adrienne, four. See their very sweet engagement annoucement here...

Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill announce their engagement!

However, prior to finding love with British-born American financier Christopher, Madeleine experienced heartbreak when her first engagement to Jonas Bergstrom came to a sudden end.

Madeleine – King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia's youngest child – met and started dating Jonas in 2002 and he later popped the question in Capri in June of 2009.

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princess madeleine jonas bergstrom© Photo: Getty Images

Madeleine was previously engaged to Jonas Bergstrom

The wedding was set to take place in the second half of 2010 but was later postponed due to "many things happening in an intense period of time" – most notably her sister Crown Princess Victoria's wedding to Daniel Westling on 19 June that same year.

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The decision to delay the wedding sparked numerous reports in the media of relationship troubles and on 24 April 2010 it was announced that the ceremony would not be going ahead and that the engagement was over.

As the news broke, Madeleine had already boarded a plane to escape Sweden and media scrutiny.

princess madeleine jonas bergstrom 1z© Photo: Getty Images

Madeleine and Jonas's wedding was called off in April 2010

It was later reported that the princess had ended the romance following Jonas's supposed infidelity with model and sportswoman Tora Uppstrom Berg, who claimed she had had a brief affair with him at an exclusive ski resort.

Happily, Madeleine went on to find love again with Christopher. The couple met through mutual friends after she moved to New York.

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Their romance was confirmed when he accompanied Princess Madeleine to the christening of her niece, Princess Estelle, in May 2012.

princess madeleine wedding day© Photo: Getty Images

The Princess went on to find love with Christopher O'Neill

Later that year, Christopher proposed to Madeleine after obtaining permission from her father, and on 25th of October 2012, the engagement was officially announced in a video posted on the Royal Family's website.

In the video, Chris stated: "Madeleine and I have known each other for the past two years. Recently I summoned up the courage to ask her to marry me. Thankfully she said yes."

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