Christopher Paul O'Neill, (born 27 June 1974) is a British-American financier and husband of Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, with whom he has three children. He declined to become a Swedish citizen and accept any titles; he could then continue as a businessman with no royal duties.

Early life

O'Neill was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to Paul O'Neill (1926–2004), an American investment banker who came to London in the 1960s to set up the European head office of Oppenheimer & Co. His mother is Eva Maria O'Neill (). O'Neill has two half-sisters on his mother's side: Tatjana d'Abo and Countess Natascha von Abensberg und Traun, and three on his father's side: Stefanie, Annalisa and Karen. He grew up in

, St. Gallen, Austria and Germany, and holds dual American and British citizenship.

Education and career

O'Neill was educated at Eaton House and Westminster Under School in

, Institut auf dem Rosenberg in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and graduated with a BA degree in

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. He also obtained an MBA from

Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and one of ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was a partner and head of research at Noster Capital and former employee of NM Rothschild and Sons and Steinberg Asset Management. His marriage to a Swedish princess necessitated that, if he continued with Noster Capital, the fund would have to divest entirely from companies that traded on the

Stockholm Stock Exchange Nasdaq Stockholm, formerly known as the Stockholm Stock Exchange (), is a stock exchange located in Frihamnen, Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863, it has become the primary securities exchange of the Nordic countries. As of March 2021, a total ...

and, moreover, divest from any company which had more than a third of its sales in Sweden. O'Neill resigned from Noster Capital in consequence of these demands.

Marriage and family

The first time

Princess Madeleine Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

and O'Neill appeared publicly together was in January 2011. Their engagement was announced in an official interview on 25 October 2012, and in late April 2013, it was announced that their wedding would take place on 8 June 2013 at the Royal Chapel, Stockholm Palace, and be followed by dinner at the Swedish royal family's residence, Drottningholm Palace. Unlike his brother-in-law Prince Daniel and his sister-in-law Princess Sofia, O'Neill is untitled and undertakes no royal duties, since members of the Swedish royal family must hold Swedish citizenship, which O'Neill has declined. The Royal Court refers to him in Swedish as ''Herr Christopher O'Neill'', a form of title which is not normally used (it would normally be ''herr''). Thus, remaining a private citizen, he can continue his career in finance. Their daughter, Princess Leonore, was born in New York on 20 February 2014. Their second child, Prince Nicolas, was born in Stockholm on 15 June 2015. In February 2015, the Swedish Royal Court announced that the family had moved to Stockholm from New York. In May 2015, the Swedish Royal Court announced that O'Neill had moved to London in April. In Autumn 2015, several months after the birth of Prince Nicolas, the entire family moved to London, where O'Neill's business is located. On 9 March 2018, their second daughter, Princess Adrienne, was born at Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm. In August 2018, the Swedish Royal Court announced that the O'Neill family was moving to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Distinctions

His father-in-law, King Carl XVI Gustaf, conferred upon O'Neill: * Knight Commander of the Royal Order of the Polar Star (KNO) (6 June 2013). * Recipient of the Commemorative Ruby Jubilee Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (15 September 2013). * SWE King Carl XVI Gustaf Jubilee Medal III

SWE King Carl XVI Gustaf Jubilee Medal III

Recipient of the 70th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (30 April 2016). * Recipient of the Golden Jubilee Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (15 September 2023).

Foreign honours

* : Grand Knight's Cross of the Order of the Falcon (6 May 2025)https://www.kungahuset.se/arkiv/nyheter/2025-05-06-statsbesok-fran-island/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill, Christopher 1974 births Living people British people of Austrian descent Businesspeople from London 21st-century American businesspeople Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Columbia Business School alumni Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star British people of American descent British people of Irish descent British people of Italian descent Institut auf dem Rosenberg alumni