Prince Madeleine of Sweden to marry Chris O'Neill

It somehow seems fitting that I start off this blog with an engagement. It was announced yesterday that HRH Princess of Madeleine of Sweden is to marry her boyfriend of two years Chris O'Neill. This will be the second wedding for the children of the King of Sweden.  His eldest daughter, Crown Princess Victoria married another commoner, Daniel Westling (now known as Prince Daniel) 2 1/2 years ago and they now have a baby daughter Princess Estelle. This is especially good news because Princess Madeleine suffered heartbreak just before her sister's wedding when she broke off her previous engagement to Swedish lawyer Jonas Bergstrom after allegations arose that he had cheated on her with a Norwegian student during a skiing holiday. After her sister's wedding, Madeleine moved to New York to work for the World Childhood Foundation, a nonprofit founded by her mother.  It was there that she found love again with 38 year old financier Chris O'Neill

 

Sweden's Princess Madeleine and her former fiance Jonas Bergstrom. The two ended their engagement in 2010 which came with reports he may have slept with another woman at a popular Swedish skiing resort in 2009. (photo: New York Daily News) Her mother Queen Silvia confirmed the news, speaking to news agency TT. "The princess is very happy and so are we. He is every mother-in-law's dream," said the bride-to-be's joyful mother, who celebrated her daughter's news during a trip to the Big Apple with her husband a few weeks ago.

At the same time the royal Court published an official confirmation on their website, reading:

"The Marshal of the Realm is delighted to announce the engagement between Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O'Neill.

"After His Majesty The King of Sweden had given his consent to the marriage between Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O'Neill, His Majesty requested the approval by the Swedish Government, in accordance with the procedures set out in the Swedish Constitution."

The wedding will be celebrated next summer in Sweden – though no official date has been set yet. It was released with three photos which were taken of the couple on Wednesday at Stockholm's Royal Palace by world-renowned French photographer Patrick Demarchelier.

He's a tall, drink of water isn't he? Chris is half-American, half-German, although he was born in London on June, 27th, 1974, to Eva Maria and Paul O’Neill and has five half-sisters: Tatjana, Natascha, Stephanie, Annalisa and Karen. He holds dual American and British citizenship, according to a CV released by the royal palace. After studying at a Swiss boarding school in St. Gallen, Switzerland, he moved to the U.S. where he received his  bachelor’s degree in international relations from Boston University and a master’s degree from Columbia Business School in New York. O’Neill now works as a partner and head of research at Noster Capital, a hedge fund with offices in London and New York. His interests include Alpine skiing, tennis, golf, music, literature and Chelsea Football Club in London. O’Neill is now working on learning Swedish.

“I have come to know the Swedish royal family well. I have been very well received and felt welcome from the very first moment. They are all friendly and we have a truly pleasant time when we’re all together,” he said in an interview published on the Royal Court website.

Meanwhile, Princess Madeleine has only great things to say about his family.

“I appreciate Chris’s family very much. They have always been kind to me and welcomed me with open arms. Chris has a wonderful family,” she said.

O'Neill's father Paul moved to London from New York in the 1960s to help establish the European headquarters for New York investment bank Oppenheimer & Co. He died in 1994. His Austrian-born mother Eva Maria is reportedly close with Britain's Prince Charles. In fact, according to the Daily Mail, Eva Maria and Charles were more than friends.  Rumor has it that in 1986, when the marriage to Diana began to break down, Eva Maria and Charles began a short-lived affair. She is involved in numerous charitable organizations and has a particular interest in the cultural preservation of Salzburg, Austria.

From the excerpts of the interview on the web-site for the Swedish Royal Family, O'Neill sounds terribly romantic.  He's 8 years older than Madeleine and comes across as very stable and mature.  I also noticed that he speaks English with a British accent, adding to that James Bond appeal.  Since he's a partner in a hedge fund, he's doing incredibly well in his career.  Having grown up in Europe as well as the States, he has a more cosmopolitan view of the world, and no doubt speaks more than one language which is an asset when attending the myriad royal functions that will no doubt crop on their calendar over the next several years (weddings, christenings etc.). 

Their wedding next year will no doubt be a smaller occasion than Crown Princess Victoria's since it won't be a state occasion but there will probably be plenty of speculation as to who will design Madeleine's dress.  Will she go for a Swedish designer or a US designer like Vera Wang (or even better Austin Scarlett!).  The couple are planning to continue to live in New York for the forseeable future.  One of Madeleine's titles is the Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland.  It remains to be seen if O'Neill will be the Duke of Hälsingland and Gästrikland or whether he will continue to be known by Chris O'Neill.

Now that Madeleine is engaged, that leaves her brother Prince Carl Philip as one of the few eligible Princes left.  Since 2010, he's been dating Swedish model Sofia Hellqvist. The couple's romance caused something of a stir at first since the 27-year-old brunette is known in Sweden for having participated in reality TV show Paradise Hotel in 2005. Royalty watchers will no doubt be keeping their eyes peeled for another engagment announcement.

You can read the interview with Chris O'Neill and Princess Madeleine here.