The wedding of

Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine; born 10 June 1982) is the second daughter and youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Upon her birth, she was third ...

, and the British-born American financier

Christopher O'Neill 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 ...

took place in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

on 8 June 2013.

Background

Princess Madeleine is the second daughter and youngest child of

King Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. Having reigned since 1973, he is the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history. Carl Gustaf was born during the reign of his paternal great-grandfather, K ...

and

Queen Silvia of Sweden Silvia (born Silvia Renate Sommerlath; 23 December 1943) is Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf. She has held this title since her marriage to Carl XVI Gustaf in 1976. The king and queen have three children: Crown Princess Vict ...

. As such, she is currently seventh in the line of succession to the throne. In 2009, she was engaged to marry the Swedish lawyer Jonas Bergström, with whom she had been in relationship since 2002. The wedding was set to take place in 2010, shortly after the June

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

of Princess Madeleine's elder sister and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the throne,

Crown Princess Victoria 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. If she ascends to the throne as expect ...

. In April 2010, however, the wedding was canceled and the engagement was broken off. Madeleine subsequently moved to

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 ...

, where she met the British-born financier Christopher O’Neill. The first time they appeared in public as a couple was in January 2011. Their engagement was announced on 25 October 2012. The wedding was both publicly financed and paid by for by the king (who did not reveal how much he paid). The wedding cost an estimated 3 million kronor.

Ceremony

The ceremony was held at the Royal Palace chapel in

on 8 June 2013.

Lars-Göran Lönnermark Lars-Göran Lönnermark, born 26 August 1939, is a Swedish bishop emeritus. Lönnermark studied at Michigan State University in 1958–1959 through the international exchange program, where he became a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. After r ...

, Chief Court Chaplain of the Royal Court and Bishop Emeritus of Skara, and

Michael Bjerkhagen Michael Russel Johannes Bjerkhagen (born 28 November 1966 in Kandy, Sri Lanka) is a Swedish priest. He is pastor of the Royal Court Parish and chaplain to the King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Early life He left Sri Lanka in July 1972 when he wa ...

, Vicar of the Royal Court, conducted the ceremony. SVT, TV4 and

TV4 News TV4 News was a Swedish television channel owned and operated by the TV4 Group. It started broadcasting on 24 January 2012 as Sweden's first 24/7 news channel in the Swedish language, with some material from BBC World News also rebroadcast on the ...

broadcast the wedding live throughout the entire day for Swedish viewers. Madeleine wore a wedding dress designed by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

fashion designer

Valentino Garavani Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (; born 11 May 1932), known mononymously as Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer, the founder of the Valentino (fashion house), Valentino brand and company. His main lines include Valentino, Valentino G ...

. She wore a private tiara called modern fringe tiara. Madeleine was escorted halfway down the aisle by her father King Carl XVI Gustaf. She and Chris walked together for the other half. At the left of the altar sat the crown of Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte, Queen of Norway and Sweden, the same crown that was present at the baptismal font at Princess Madeleine's christening.

Wedding cake

The cake was made of 700

macaron A macaron ( , ) or French macaroon ( ) is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and often food colouring. Since the 19th century, a typical Parisian-style macaron has been a ...

s stacked into a pyramid shape.

After the wedding

Princess Madeleine did not adopt the surname

O'Neill The O'Neill dynasty ( Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically one of the most prominent family of the Nor ...

and instead remained without a surname, allowing her to retain the style of ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Kings and their female consorts, as well as queens regnant, are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of a ...

''. Christopher O'Neill also did not change his last name, unlike his brother-in-law

Daniel Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the acti ...

, husband of Crown Princess Victoria. In May 2013, the Marshal of the Realm

Svante Lindqvist Lars Svante Albert Lindqvist (born 26 April 1948) is a Swedish people, Swedish History of technology, historian who was the Marshal of the Realm (Sweden), Marshal of the Realm of Sweden and chief of the Royal Court of Sweden from 1 January 2010 u ...

announced that O'Neill had asked not to be granted royal status and to remain a private citizen. O'Neill wished to retain his UK and US citizenships and his business as Head of Research at an investment firm in

, while relinquishing both the citizenships and business are necessary to become a member of the Swedish Royal Family. O'Neill therefore did not become Prince of Sweden or Duke of Hälsingland and Gästrikland. On the website of the Swedish Royal Court he was listed as a member of the royal family until the site was updated. O'Neill is

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and the couple intended to continue residing in New York immediately after their wedding (but later moved to London, England for a few years), but their children will have to be raised in Sweden and as

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

, like their mother, in order to have succession rights. On 7 October 2019 Madeleine's father the king issued a statement rescinding the royal status of her three children in an effort to more strictly associate Swedish royalty to the office of the

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

; they are still to be styled as princesses and prince, as well as duchesses and duke of their provinces, and they remain in the line of succession to the throne. Madeleine commented that her children now will have greater possibilities to format their own lives as private persons. In August 2018, the Swedish Royal Court announced that the princess and her family were to move to Florida.

Guests

The bride's paternal family

* The

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

and

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, ''the bride's parents'' ** The

Crown Princess A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown princ ...

and

Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland (born Olof Daniel Westling; born 15 September 1973) is a member of the Swedish royal family by marriage to Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, making him the likely next consort of Sweden. Prior to his ...

, ''the bride's sister and brother-in-law'' ***

Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland Princess Estelle of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland (Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary; born 23 February 2012) is a member of the Swedish royal family. She is the elder child of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland. She ...

, ''the bride's niece'' **

Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Duke of Värmland (Carl Philip Edmund Bertil; born 13 May 1979) is the only son and the second of three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. , Prince Carl Philip is fourth in the line of successi ...

, ''the bride's brother'' * Princess Margaretha, Mrs Ambler, ''the bride's paternal aunt'' * Princess Birgitta and

Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (''Johann Georg Carl Leopold Eitel-Friedrich Meinrad Maria Hubertus Michael''; 31 July 1932 – 2 March 2016) was a German prince, and through his marriage to Princess Birgitta of Sweden, was brother-in-law of ...

, ''the bride's paternal aunt and uncle'' ** Prince Carl Christian and Princess Nicole of Hohenzollern, ''the bride's first cousin and his wife'' *** Prince Nicolas of Hohenzollern, ''the bride's first cousin, once removed'' *

Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld (Désirée Elisabeth Sibylla; born 2 June 1938) is a member of the Swedish royal family. She is the third child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and ...

, and

Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld Baron Niels-August Otto Carl Nicolas Silfverschiöld (31 May 1934 – 11 April 2017) was a Swedish aristocrat and landowner. From 1964, he was the husband of Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld, Princess Désirée of Sweden, third siste ...

, ''the bride's paternal aunt and uncle'' *

Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, (''Christina Louise Helena''; born 3 August 1943) is a member of the Swedish royal family. She is the fourth child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ...

, and Mr

Tord Magnuson Tord Gösta Magnuson (born 7 April 1941) is a Swedish business executive and the consul general for Mauritius. He is married to Princess Christina of Sweden, the youngest of the older sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf. With the deaths of John A ...

, ''the bride's paternal aunt and uncle'' *

Marianne Bernadotte Gullan Marianne, Princess Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg (née Lindberg, later Tchang; 15 July 1924 – 16 May 2025), also known as Princess Marianne Bernadotte, was a Swedish actress, fashion icon, and philanthropist who in 1961 married Sigvar ...

, ''the bride's paternal grandaunt by marriage'' * Gunnila Bernadotte, ''the bride's paternal grandaunt by marriage''

The Bride's maternal family

* Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath and Mrs Charlotte de Toledo Sommerlath, ''the bride's maternal uncle and aunt'' ** Carmita Sommerlath Baudinet and Mr Pierre Baudinet, ''the bride's cousin and her husband'' ** Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath and Ms Bettina Aussems, ''the bride's cousin and his partner'' *** Tim de Toledo Sommerlath and Ms Kristina Junghans, ''the bride's cousin, once removed and his partner'' *** Philip de Toledo Sommerlath, ''the bride's cousin, once removed'' *** Giulia de Toledo Sommerlath, ''the bride's cousin, once removed'' * Walther L. Sommerlath and Mrs Ingrid Sommerlath, ''the bride's maternal uncle and aunt'' ** Patrick Sommerlath and Mrs Maline Sommerlath, ''the bride's cousin and his wife'' *** Leopold Lundén Sommerlath, ''the bride's cousin, once removed'' *** Chloé Sommerlath, bridesmaid, ''the bride's cousin, once removed'' *** Anaïs Sommerlath, bridesmaid, ''the bride's cousin, once removed'' ** Helena Christina Sommerlath, ''the bride's cousin'' ** Vivien Nadine Sommerlath, ''the bride's cousin''

The groom's family

* Eva Maria O'Neill, ''the groom's mother'' ** Annalisa O'Neill, ''the groom's half-sister'' ** Karen O'Neill, ''the groom's half-sister'' ** Stefanie O'Neill, ''the groom's half-sister'' ** Tatjana d'Abo and Henry d'Abo, ''the groom's half-sister and her husband'' *** Anouska d'Abo, ''the groom's niece'' *** Celina d'Abo, ''the groom's niece'' *** Jasper d'Abo, pageboy, ''the groom's nephew'' ** Countess Natascha von Abensberg-Traun and Count Ernst von Abensberg-Traun, ''the groom's half-sister and her husband'' *** Countess Milana von Abensberg-Traun, ''the groom's niece'' *** Count Moritz von Abensberg-Traun, ''the groom's nephew'' *** Countess Chiara von Abensberg-Traun, bridesmaid, ''the groom's niece'' *** Count Louis Cajetan von Abensberg-Traun, pageboy, ''the groom's nephew''

Foreign royalty

The following members of foreign royal families attended the wedding:

Members of reigning royal families

* The

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

and Crown Princess of Denmark (representing the

Queen of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was alrea ...

) * Prince Joachim and

Princess Marie of Denmark Princess Marie of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, (born Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier; 6 February 1976) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger brother of King Frederik X of Denmar ...

Princess Benedikte of Denmark Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid o ...

(Princess Madeleine's godmother) *

Princess Takamado (born ; 10 July 1955), is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Norihito, Prince Takamado. Background and education Hisako was born on 10 July 1955 in Shirokane, Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo. She is the eldest daughter of ...

(representing the

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

) * The

Princess of Monaco 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 ...

(representing the

Prince of Monaco The sovereign prince () is the monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. All reigning princes and princesses have taken the name of the House of Grimaldi. When Prince Rainier III died in 2005, he was Europe's longest reigning mo ...

) * The

and Crown Princess of Norway (representing the

King of Norway The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty king ...

) *

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a Norwegian self-described clairvoyant, businesswoman and a member of the Norwegian royal family, although she is not a member of the royal house and has no public role. She is marri ...

and

Ari Behn Ari Mikael Behn (; , or ; 30 September 1972 – 25 December 2019) was a Norwegian author, playwright, and visual artist, best known for his marriage to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway from 2002 to 2017. He held no title or special status, an ...

* The

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

and

Countess of Wessex Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created twice in British history – once in the pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon nobility of England, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In the 6th century AD the region of Wessex (the lands of the ...

(representing the Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Realms) * The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (representing the

Grand Duke of Luxembourg The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was created from territory of the former Duchy of Luxembourg. It was in personal union with the United Kingdom of ...

)

Members of non-reigning royal families

* Prince Leopold and Princess Ursula of Bavaria ** Prince Manuel and

Princess Anna of Bavaria Princess Anna of Bavaria (; née Princess Anna-Natascha zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; born 15 March 1978), known professionally as Anna von Bayern, is a German journalist and author who has been serving as the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at ...

Crown Prince Pavlos Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, Prince of Denmark (; born 20 May 1967) is a Greek financier who is the former heir apparent to the Monarchy of Greece, defunct throne of Greece, becoming the Head of the Royal House of Greece Death and funeral o ...

and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece *

Prince Nikolaos Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark (Greek: Νικόλαος, romanized: ''Nikólaos''; born 1 October 1969) is the third child of Constantine II and Anne-Marie, who were the last King and Queen of Greece, from 1964 to 1973. Early life an ...

and

Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark (born Tatiana Ellinka Blatnik, 27 August 1980) is a Venezuelan entrepreneur, author and philanthropist. She was a member of the non-reigning Greek royal family and the extended Danish royal family as the wi ...

* Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark *

Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark (; born 26 April 1986) is the youngest child of Constantine II and Anne-Marie, who were the last King and Queen of Greece, from 1964 to 1973. Early life and education Philippos was born at St Mary's ...

* The

Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha This is a list of princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from the accession of Ernest I to the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1826. Individuals holding the title of prince will usually also be styled "His Highness" (HH). The wife of ...

** The Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha * Maharana

Arvind Singh Mewar Arvind Singh Mewar (; ; 13 December 1944 – 16 March 2025) was an Indian businessman who was a member of the house of Mewar and chairman of HRH Group of Hotels. He was the 76th custodian of the House of Mewar on behalf of Sri Eklingji. Early ...

of Udaipur

Wedding attendants

* Chloé Sommerlath (bridesmaid) * Anaïs Sommerlath (bridesmaid) * Lillie von Horn (bridesmaid) * Countess Chiara Abensperg und Traun (bridesmaid) * Jasper d'Abo (pageboy) * Count Louis Cajetan Abensperg und Traun (pageboy) * Cedric Notz (best man)

References

External links

Official information about the wedding
{{Swedish royal weddings 2013 in Sweden Marriage, unions and partnerships in Sweden Madeleine 2010s in Stockholm June 2013 in Europe Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill

Background

Ceremony

Wedding cake

After the wedding

Guests

The bride's paternal family

The Bride's maternal family

The groom's family

Foreign royalty

Members of reigning royal families

Members of non-reigning royal families

Wedding attendants

See also

References

External links