Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée; born 14 July 1977) is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden's fourth queen regnant (after Margaret, Christina and Ulrika Eleonora) and the first since 1720. Her inheritance is secured by Sweden's 1980 Act of Succession, the first law in Western Europe to adopt royal absolute primogeniture.
Princess Victoria was born on 14 July 1977 at 21:45 CET at the Karolinska Hospital in Solna, Stockholm County, the first child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. She was baptised by Archbishop Olof Sundby at the Royal Palace Church on 27 September 1977. At this time she was also conferred with the additional names of Ingrid, Alice, and Désirée, after relatives on both sides of the family.
Princess Victoria was heir presumptive until 13 May 1979, when her younger brother Prince Carl Philip was born. He was the Crown Prince and heir apparent for about seven months until 1 January 1980, when an amendment to the 1810 Act of Succession came into effect. It replaced the previous system of agnatic primogeniture (male-only inheritance) with absolute primogeniture (oldest child inherits regardless of sex). It established Victoria as the Crown Princess of Sweden, and she was also made the Duchess of Västergötland. Carl XVI Gustaf objected to the reform being retroactive, as he felt his son should not have been stripped of the Crown Prince title after it had already been bestowed upon him.
The family initially lived in a private apartment at Stockholm Palace, but moved to Drottningholm Palace about a year before the birth of Victoria's younger sister Princess Madeleine on 10 June 1982.
Victoria was confirmed in the summer of 1992 at Räpplinge church on the island of Öland.
For upper secondary school she attended Enskilda Gymnasiet, where she studied natural and social sciences. She graduated in 1996.
From 1982-1984 Victoria began her education at Västerled Parish Preschool. In the autumn of 1984, she entered Smedslättsskolan in Bromma, completed in the junior level. She later studied for a year (1996–97) at the Catholic University of the West at Angers in France, and in the fall term of 1997 participated in a special program following the work of the Riksdag. From 1998 to 2000, Victoria resided in the United States, where she studied various subjects at Yale University.
In May 1999, she was an intern at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. Victoria completed a study program at the Government Offices in 2001. In 2003, Victoria's education continued with visits to Swedish businesses, a study and intern program in agriculture and forestry, as well as completion of the basic soldier training at SWEDINT (the Swedish Armed Forces International Centre).
In 2006, Victoria enrolled in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' Diplomat Program, running from September 2006 to June 2007. The program is a training program for young future diplomats and gives an insight to the ministry's work, Swedish foreign and security policies and Sweden's relations with the rest of the world. In June 2009, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in peace and conflict studies from Uppsala University.
She speaks Swedish, English, French and German.
In August 2024 the Crown Princess started officer training at the Swedish Defence University. This training will take around 20 months to complete and has the goal of teaching the Crown Princess about military strategy and tactics, as well as preparing her for her future role as head of state which includes representing the Armed Forces.
Victoria's first boyfriend was Daniel Collert. They socialised in the same circles, went to the same school and were already friends when their romance developed in the mid-1990s. When Victoria moved to the United States in 1998 to study and recover from her eating disorders, Collert moved with her and settled in New York. In September 2000, Victoria's relationship with Collert was confirmed in an interview with her at Expo 2000. The relationship ended in 2001.
Relationship with Daniel Westling
In the early 2000s, Victoria joined a gym upon the advice of her sister Madeleine. There she worked with personal trainer Daniel Westling; they eventually started a romantic relationship which was kept secret for about six months.
In May 2002, Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Victoria and Daniel were dating. When the news broke and the media turned its attention on him, it was obvious that he did not like being in the public eye. He was photographed crossing a street against a red light in order to avoid a camera. In July 2002, Victoria and Westling were pictured kissing for the first time at a birthday party for Caroline Kreuger, a friend of Victoria's.
In Tre dagar med Victoria, which profiled her work during a three-day period that aired on TV4 in December 2004, Victoria commented on criticism directed at Westling, "Many unfair things are written." Victoria also gave her opinion that happiness is important, and that these days it is not so much about background and pedigree but about two people who have to live with each other. She said that if they are not happy and comfortable with each other, it is impossible to do a good job.
Swedish media often speculated about upcoming engagements and marriages for Victoria. On 24 February 2009, rumours that wedding plans were imminent became particularly intense preceding an information council between the King and Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. Under the terms of the Swedish Act of Succession, the Government, upon the request of the King, gives the final consent for a dynastic marriage of a prince or princess of Sweden. The prince or princess otherwise loses their right to the throne. Later that day, it was confirmed that permission had been granted and that Victoria would marry Westling in the summer of 2010. The wedding date was set in Stockholm Cathedral for 19 June 2010, the 34th anniversary of her parents' marriage. Her engagement ring features a solitaire round brilliant-cut diamond mounted in white gold.
The wedding took place on 19 June 2010. Guests including royalty and ambassadors from various countries were invited to the wedding ceremony which took place at Stockholm Cathedral. After the wedding the newlyweds were driven through Stockholm in a coach and then rowed in the antique royal barge Vasaorden to the royal palace where the wedding banquet was held. On the evening before the wedding, there was a gala concert dedicated to the couple in the Stockholm Concert Hall.