While Sweden's Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel have always seemed like one of the happiest royal
couples on earth, tabloids have recently been spreading gossip about betrayal and unrest. Is
there any truth to it? Let's delve into the timeline of their relationship and find out.
"I'm ready…I want to know!"
Though Princess Victoria had planned to go to Uppsala University in Sweden to study political
science, she instead decided on Yale. This was back in 1998, not long after Victoria had publicly
battled an eating disorder. Her decision to go to Yale was partially due to her desire to be out
of the public eye. She had a long-term boyfriend at the time, but the relationship ended in 2001.
As many do after a breakup, Princess Victoria joined a gym once she returned to Stockholm,
and it ended up being quite a fateful choice: Her personal trainer — and the
owner of the gym — was Daniel Westling. The two got along very well — so well,
in fact, that they would eventually get married.
Although the story of how Daniel and Victoria met is cute enough to be the plot of a rom-com,
their relationship was actually a slow burn. According to Now to Love, Victoria explained
at a press conference that she and Daniel were initially just friends, not romantic partners.
"Daniel and I had a great and well-founded friendship. It
was a friendship that grew and turned into love."
Rumors that Daniel and Victoria were dating began to circulate in 2002,
and despite the couple's attempts to keep their relationship private, the media
couldn't get enough. Photographers followed Victoria to a birthday party in Stockholm,
where they waited until they could capture a shot of the two of them kissing. The Local SE
refers to that first photo of Victoria and Daniel as the first occurrence of paparazzi in Sweden,
a country known for its more respectful media as compared to other countries.
It's easy to see why Victoria and Daniel's romance was so exciting to the media:
Not only did it involve the princess, but her beau was also an unexpected choice. Daniel was
from a small town in northern Sweden and did not come from a wealthy family. As pointed out
by historian Herman Lindqvist, a commoner marrying into royalty is far from typical.
"This has not happened since the medieval ages. So in a way, it is a saga, a Nordic saga."
But it wasn't long after the two started dating that Daniel began
to fit the part of a future prince. As the outlet noted:
"His clothes got better, his haircuts sharper,
and his little Alfa Romeo was replaced by a more imposing Lexus."
In the 2009 biography "Victoria — Queen of the Time," Victoria shares that her
parents were concerned about her dating Daniel. She said:
"They wanted to make it clear that I would get the best possible support
and backing for my job now and [in] the future."
Due to the fact that Daniel lived a completely different lifestyle than Victoria prior to the
two of them being together, it's understandable that her parents had some doubts about whether
he could handle the royal duties that would come with marrying Victoria.
However, by the time the two announced their engagement in 2009,
King Carl Gustaf had a change of heart. According to Hello! Magazine, he said:
"It is of course a special day for us, but it is also a special day for
Sweden. Over the past few years, we have got to know Daniel well and have
understood that he is a young man who works hard and takes life seriously."
Princess Victoria and Daniel dated for some eight years, and by 2008,
Daniel was living in the Drottningholm Palace — though in a separate wing from Victoria,
according to Hello! Magazine. In February 2009, the couple officially announced their
engagement. Daniel said he proposed on a sunny day at the palace, explaining:
"I was hoping for a 'yes,' but I wasn't entirely sure."
He did break tradition in a small way with his proposal;
prior generations of Swedish royals used simple gold engagement bands,
while Daniel proposed with a solitaire diamond on a white gold band.
Breaking tradition seemed to be no problem for the princess, as she appeared to be nothing but
happy to be engaged to Daniel. Princess Victoria said in an official statement:
"With Daniel by my side, I feel secure. You have probably noticed that in recent years,
I have seemed stronger and happier. And now
the time has come for us to begin building something together and starting a family."
The couple were married on June 19, 2010, in a highly anticipated wedding that the
media dubbed Europe's biggest royal wedding since Prince Charles and Lady
Diana wed in 1981. The ceremony included 1,200 guests and an estimated 500,000
people lining the streets to celebrate the newlyweds.
Though the royal couple kept much of their dating life relatively private,
what we do know seems straight out of a fairytale. Prince Daniel shared a sweet memory at his and
Victoria's wedding reception, according to The Local SE. He explained that before Victoria left
for a long trip to China, she stayed up all night writing him love letters — 30 in total.
"...one for every day she would be away."
The love the couple has for each other is evident, but it's even more heartwarming
when thinking about their unlikely pairing — from their vastly different backgrounds
to the ambivalence from Princess Victoria's family. Despite the trials, things eventually
came full circle for them, and Daniel later said in a speech at the wedding reception:
"Once upon a time, the young man was perhaps not a frog in the beginning of
the fairytale first told by the Grimm brothers, but he was certainly not a
prince. The first kiss did not change that. His transformation was not possible without
the support of the wise king and queen, who had ruled the kingdom for many years,
and who were full of wisdom [and] experience and had good hearts. They knew what was best,
and guided the couple with a gentle hand, generously sharing all their valuable experience."
Though Queen Silvia and King Carl may have been hesitant at the start of Princess Victoria and
Daniel's relationship, they definitely came around. In fact, King Carl and Princess Victoria
broke Swedish tradition at Victoria's wedding when he walked her down the aisle — although
it's a normal tradition in many countries, it is not at all customary in Sweden, where couples
are expected to walk down the aisle together as a symbol of equality. Instead, King Carl
walked Victoria halfway down before she joined her husband to finish walking down the aisle.
Though some thought it was controversial,
it was a personal and poignant choice. According to The Local SE, this was
Victoria's father's way of showing his approval of the marriage. King Carl said at the wedding:
"I am your father; you are my beloved daughter. Nobody should
believe anything other than that my greatest wish is to see you happy."
King Carl wasn't the only one who had a change of heart. Victoria's mother,
Queen Silvia, said in a TV interview:
"I think he's going to do well. He's going to be successful in his task of helping the
princess. I hope he can share his experiences and help bring modernity to the court."
On February 23, 2012, Princess Victoria gave birth to a daughter, Estelle. Her son Oscar
came four years later, on March 2, 2016. When asked if Estelle was excited to have a sibling,
Victoria told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that she was more interested in getting a hamster.
Despite Estelle's apparent lack of excitement to have a sibling,
it appears the little prince and princess get along well;
many photos and Instagram posts show the children happy and smiling on different outings.
As for Victoria and Daniel's parenting experience, the two share duties and attempt
to give their children as "normal" a childhood as possible. Prince Daniel told The Local SE:
"You need to know how the metro works,
and what it's like to travel by bus and what it's like to stand in line."
He further explained that he wanted his children
to feel comfortable being out in the world, saying:
"We want our children to have the same opportunities
we've had to feel safe in that environment."
Princess Victoria has described her daughter as "curious, social, and brave" — all positive
attributes that will serve her when she eventually becomes the Queen of Sweden.
Media outlets have consulted body language experts to try to get the secret scoop on
hidden relational dynamics between royals. But if the experts were to analyze Princess Victoria
and Prince Daniel's body language, it seems they would simply find a happy, loving couple.
Photos over the years show Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel holding hands, laughing,
cozying up, and being generally loving in public and at events. In a photo of
the couple on a Berlin tour in 2011, the two lean in toward each other, laughing;
at a concert for Victoria's 32nd birthday, they hold hands across their chairs,
smiling. Even the happiest couples are sometimes photographed on an off day or at
an inopportune moment, but when it comes to Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel,
it is truly difficult to find a single picture of the two together where they aren't both smiling.
"Ain't love grand?"
Though it's true that photos can only say so much,
it's hard to argue that the couple seems happy and in love. Additionally,
the fact that Prince Daniel is present for many of Princess Victoria's events and royal
duties speaks volumes about his character and his ability to support the future queen.
A Swedish newspaper called Stoppa Pressarna published an article in
early 2022 that suggested a "betrayal" had happened in Princess Victoria and Prince
Daniel's marriage. The article claims that an anonymous source came forward and said:
"It is an incredible betrayal and the crown princess is completely
destroyed. It was not on her map and she is shocked, to say the least."
These allegations of betrayal are vague,
and Stoppa Pressarna claimed this ambiguousness is intentional, saying:
"For reasons of press ethics, Stoppa Pressarna chooses not to reveal exactly
what has happened, as it is a family drama where children are involved."
Stoppa Pressarna doubled down on its unfounded claims of marital trouble in another article,
focusing on a gathering that took place on December 20,
2022. Victoria was present at the event, while Daniel was missing due to illness. The outlet
postulated that Daniel's sickness was a lie and that, in actuality,
Victoria herself had made the decision for him to not attend. The outlet wrote:
"It was Victoria who ordered her husband to stay at home at Haga Castle — she couldn't
bring herself to smile in front of the gathering of photographers at the Stock
Exchange in Gamla Stan shortly after she found out what her husband was up to."
The tabloid appears to be alluding to an affair on Daniel's part, concluding
that despite the couple's happy appearances in public, there was a "marital crisis" brewing.
Aside from the rumors circulated by the tabloids, there was no evidence of a
betrayal or marital troubles between Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. In February 2022,
the couple responded to the unfounded rumors by making a statement on Instagram, stating:
"It has come to our attention that there is an extensive negative rumor being
spread regarding our private relationship. Allegations are spreading about betrayal in
the relationship and an impending divorce. Normally, we do not comment on rumors and
speculation. But in order to protect our family, we wish to make it clear,
once and for all, that the rumors that are now spreading are completely baseless."
Since then, the couple has seemed to be as happy as ever. They are frequently photographed at
events and continue to show affection toward one another in photos, smiling at each other
and holding hands. They celebrated Victoria's 45th birthday together in July 2022, sitting side by
side in a royal carriage ride, with their children nestled in front of them. Despite the rumors,
there is no indication of marital issues and the pair seems to be doing well.