HRH The Crown Princess (2024)

Following her birth, the newborn princess was witnessed by Speaker of the Riksdag Henry Allard, Prime Minster Torbjörn Fälldin, Marshal of the Realm Gunnar Lagergren and First Lady of the Court Countess Alice Trolle-Wachtmeister.

The Princess was christened by Archbishop Olof Sundby in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace on 27 September 1977. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld, Crown Prince King Harald (V) of Norway and Mr Ralf Sommerlath were appointed godparents at the christening.

When The Crown Princess was born, Sweden still had an agnatic order of succession, meaning that only males could inherit the throne, and she was therefore born a princess. Legislation on full cognatic succession was introduced in 1980, meaning that the oldest child inherits the throne, and Princess Victoria thereby became Crown Princess of Sweden.

On 9 January 1980, The King decided to grant The Crown Princess the title duch*ess of Västergötland.

The Crown Princess spent her early years living at the Royal Palace in Stockholm's Gamla Stan. In 1981, The King and Queen, The Crown Princess and her newborn brother Prince Carl Philip moved from the Royal Palace to Drottningholm Palace on Ekerö, just outside the capital.

Schooling

In 1982, The Crown Princess started preschool in Västerled Parish.

In August 1984, The Crown Princess started the first grade at Smedslätt School in Bromma. She continued her primary schooling at Ålsten School. The Crown Princess then began her secondary schooling at Carlssons School in Stockholm in 1990.

In summer 1992, The Crown Princess was confirmed at Borgholm Church on Öland.

I will always remain loyal to The King and to the Riksdag. I will also carefully respect Sweden's constitutional laws.

HRH The Crown Princess's speech on the occasion of her coming of age, 14 July 1995.

Post-upper secondary education

After completing her upper secondary studies, The Crown Princess moved to France to study French at the Catholic University of the West's International Centre of French Studies in Angers between 1996 and 1997.

In autumn 1997, The Crown Princess studied a specially devised programme to gain a deeper insight into the work of the Riksdag and the Swedish Government.

In spring 1998, The Crown Princess moved to the USA to study political science and history at Yale University. While studying in the USA, The Crown Princess also spent time learning about the work of the Swedish Embassy in Washington DC and the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations in New York.

On returning to Sweden, The Crown Princess enrolled at Uppsala University where she studied courses in conflict resolution and international peace promotion.

In spring 2001, The Crown Princess worked with Sweden's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

She then completed two special study programmes. In autumn 2001, The Crown Princess was based at the Government Offices of Sweden, and she spent the following spring at Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

Autumn 2002 saw The Crown Princess learn about the work of the Swedish Trade Council during a practical placement at the Swedish trade offices in Paris and Berlin.

That same year, she also completed a study and work experience programme in agriculture and forestry.

In 2004, The Crown Princess travelled to Saudi Arabia and Hungary with official Swedish delegations. That same year, she also visited UN bodies in Rome and Geneva, carried out study visits to companies in Sweden and continued with her official engagements.

In autumn 2004, The Crown Princess studied at the Swedish Defence University, focusing on Political Science, International Relations and Conflict Resolution.

The Crown Princess's foreign travels on behalf of Sweden continued in 2005, including visits to Australia, Japan and Turkey. The Crown Princess also visited a number of aid projects in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during 2005. In autumn 2005, The Crown Princess spent a month at the Swedish Embassy in Beijing.

During 2006 and 2007, The Crown Princess studied the diplomatic programme at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The Crown Princess continued with her studies in Political Science at Stockholm University during autumn 2007 and spring 2008. She also spent a period with Sweden's Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels.

In spring 2009, The Crown Princess completed a bachelor's degree at Uppsala University, majoring in peace and conflict studies.

Family

The engagement between HRH The Crown Princess and Mr Daniel Westling was announced on 24 February 2009..

Having been placed at the disposal of the Swedish Government in the 1960s, Haga Palace became a royal home once again in autumn 2010 when The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel moved in.

The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel's first child, Princess Estelle, was born in 2012. Their second child, Prince Oscar, was born in 2016.