© kungahuset.se

Princess Estelle was born on February 23, 2012. Her godparents are:

Prince Carl Philip (maternal uncle)
Anna Westling Söderström(paternal aunt)
Crown Prince Haakon of Norway
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, wife of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark

While some reacted with surprise at the baby’s first name, historians found that there was a previous Estelle linked to the Bernadotte dynasty – Estelle Romaine Manville, the American wife of Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg. The Countess of Wisborg died in her adopted homeland of Sweden in 1984, 36 years after the assassination of the Count [read more].

Now, little Estelle joins the ranks of other European princesses set to be Queen of their respective countries one day: Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands and Infanta Leonor of Spain.

‘Estelle’ is a French name and is not usually heard in Sweden. The Bernadottes do, however, have the name within their family. The first Estelle was the American wife of Count Folke Bernadotte, a Swedish diplomat whose father, Prince Oscar Bernadotte, had renounced his right to the throne.

‘Silvia’ is a touching tribute to Victoria’s mother, and ‘Ewa’ is in honor of Daniel’s mother. ‘Mary’ may be in honor of Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary, who could potentially be a godmother, but no explanation was provided for the choice.

The baby’s name was formally announced today by her grandfather, King Carl XVI Gustaf. She will be known as Stella within the family, and her title is HRH Duchess of Östergötland.

Image via Wikipedia

HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has given birth to the new heir to the Swedish throne – a baby girl! Her husband, HRH Prince Daniel, spoke to the press about his new daughter.

“My feelings are a little bit all over the place,” said the Prince as he announced the birth of their first child.

The baby weighed 3.28 kg (7lb) and was 51cm (20in), he said.

From the Swedish Royal Court:

Announcement from the Marshal of the Realm
2-23-2012

Svante Lindqvist
Marshal of the Realm

Image via Wikipedia

HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall will be begin their tour of Scandinavian countries in late March, and their first stop will be Norway. The tour marks the start of Their Royal Highnesses’ official overseas celebrations of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

King Harald and Queen Sonja will host the couple during their stay in Norway. Charles and Camilla will perform official duties which include visiting Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, attending a banquet at the Royal Palace in Oslo, and visiting the Nobel Peace Center to meet the survivors from the 2011 Utøya island massacre.

This tour will also be a time to visit with family – Charles’ great-grandfather was the brother of Harald’s grandmother (King George V was the brother of Princess Maud of Wales, who later became Queen of Norway).

After Norway, the British royals will visit Sweden. It is highly likely that the couple will get a chance to meet the new heir to the Swedish throne – Crown Princess Victoria is due to give birth in the early days of March. Though the prince has met King Carl XVI Gustaf, this will be Charles’ first official visit to Sweden.

The Windsors are also connected to the Bernadottes of Sweden through Gustaf VI Adolf, who was married first to Princess Margaret of Connaught (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria) and then to Princess Louise of Battenberg (the sister of Lord Louis Mountbatten).

The next stop will be Denmark to pay a visit to Queen Margrethe II, another family member. Like Elizabeth II, Queen Margrethe is celebrating a Jubilee this year – 2012 marks her 40th year on the Danish throne. She is related to the British royal family through her grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught. Charles was previously in Denmark in 2009, and his son William, along with wife Catherine, visited Copenhagen and met with Crown Prince Frederik to view UNICEF relief operations in November 2011.

The tour will take place from March 20th to 27th.

Related articles

• Queen Margrethe marks 40 years on Denmark’s throne (cbsnews.com)
• Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to Visit Scandinavia (royalcorrespondent.com)

I like this style, and the color is very flattering on her. Click here for the original photo.

I really like how soft and elegant Victoria looks here. This hairstyle came from one of Princess Maxima’s 40th birthday portraits. See the original here.

Image via Wikipedia

Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria is expecting her first child with her husband, Prince Daniel.

Victoria, 34, and Daniel, 38, are expecting their bundle of joy next March, three months before their second wedding anniversary.

The historic marriage of Crown Princess Victoria and the former Mr. Daniel Westling took place on June 19th, 2010.

Corbis

Dutch Photo Press

Reuters Slideshow

CNN – Royal Wedding “Unveiled”

The BBC