A Queen In The Making
A pretty brunette with shining brown eyes gleefully shows off her engagement ring. She is happy and radiant, a smile from ear to ear.
Like all newly-betrothed women, the girl is in the midst of wedding plans. Unlike most of those brides-to-be, however, she’s going to be rehearsing a ceremony that will be seen by millions. Some of her decisions will be influenced by government officials and a royal palace: How much of the media should attend? Do we seat this king by that prince? Will this president attend?
This happy lady is no ordinary fiancée. She is Princess Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée, the future Queen of Sweden.
Born July 14, 1977, Victoria is the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Through her father she is descended from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Victoria has two younger siblings, Princess Madeleine and Prince Carl Philip, both popular figures in Sweden.
Carl Philip was born the Crown Prince of Sweden, but in January 1980, nearly a year after his birth, a change in the Act of Succession introduced equal primogeniture (a female can inherit before a male). The outgoing toddler Princess Victoria then became heir apparent.
Since that time Victoria has been prepped in the ways of ‘queening’. She attended a state elementary school and Enskilda Gymnasiet in Stockholm, graduating in 1996. Afterward, she studied for a year at a university in Angers, France. The Crown Princess followed this up with conflict resolution studies and international peacekeeping at the Swedish National Defense College, and concluded her studies at Yale University in Connecticut.
Crown Princess Victoria has traveled the world representing her father and her country. She speaks fluent English as well as her native Swedish, charming her audiences wherever she goes. At home, she has established The Crown Princess Victoria Fund, which aims to provide support for leisure and recreational activities for children and young people with functional disabilities or chronic illnesses.
Every year Victoria visits several clubs or projects that have been granted money via her fund. These visits are not announced, but kept private. Sveriges Television often accompanies Victoria on these particular outings and airs only short programs from these visits.
Private Princess
The Crown Princess has always been quiet about her private life. The lack of news from the royal court has caused speculation to form around all of Victoria’s relationships, and it has caused annoyance to the family. Her fiance, Daniel Westling, hates the press attention and has avoided it whenever possible.
Given this gun-shy reaction to the media, it is no wonder that Daniel and Victoria took their time in the relationship. As the future Queen of Sweden, Victoria will always be at the forefront of Swedish news and culture, documented at every turn. She was certainly used to it, and understood that Daniel was not.
After a 7-year courtship, Daniel decided that he would be able to handle the pressure of being a royal consort. During their engagement interview, he stated that “I have definitely needed this time to adjust myself to this and to understand what this is all about. It would have been naïve of me to get down on my knee and propose marriage after just one year. I think that would have been a mistake. Quite simply, I have needed this time.”
Westling is a successful personal trainer and business owner, and runs a company called Balance Training which has three gyms in central Stockholm.
Westling is older than Victoria by four years, born on September 15, 1973. He met the Crown Princess in 2002 when he was employed as her personal trainer. The pair went on to form a solid friendship, and a few months later at a friend’s party, a photographer snapped them kissing.
Though Victoria would not divulge details, she did confirm that she did “have someone in my life.”
Victoria will marry Daniel in Stockholm on June 19th of next year. The Swedish Royal Court has confirmed that upon his marriage to Victoria, who is Duchess of Västergötland, Westling will receive the titles of “Prince Daniel” and “Duke of Västergötland”.
This marriage sets the precedent in Sweden of a commoner man marrying the female heir apparent and being granted a royal title.
