| Prince Daniel | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Västergötland | |
| Daniel after his wedding 19 June 2010 | |
| Spouse | Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden |
| Full name | |
| Olof Daniel Bernadotte Westling[1] | |
| Father | Olle Gunnar Westling |
| Mother | Anna Eva Kristina Westling née Westring |
| Born | 15 September 1973 Örebro, Sweden |
Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland (Swedish: Daniel, Prins av Sverige, Hertig av Västergötland, né Olof Daniel Westling; born 15 September 1973) is the husband of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Prior to his marriage to the heiress apparent, Daniel was a personal trainer and gym owner and ran a company called Balance Training with three gyms in central Stockholm.[2]
Contents |
Daniel was born in Örebro (on the day his future father-in-law became King of Sweden) while his parents lived in the Brickebacken area there, and grew up in Ockelbo. He is the son of Olle Gunnar and Anna Eva Kristina Westling (born Westring) and has a sister named Anna.[3] After having completed school, he briefly served, as part of national conscription, in the Swedish Army at Hälsinge regemente in Gävle.[3] In 2001 he met the Crown Princess as he became her personal trainer.
On 1 July 2008, he moved to a one-bedroom rental apartment in the Pagebyggnaden building in an area of Drottningholm Palace. The move was confirmed by the Royal Court.[4]
On 24 February 2009, Westling and the Crown Princess received official permission to become engaged from King Carl XVI Gustaf and the Government of Sweden.[5] Such permission is necessary according to the terms of the Swedish Act of Succession.
Westling suffered from a congenital (but not hereditary) ailment causing impaired renal function. Three months after his engagement, on 28 May 2009, Westling underwent a kidney transplant at Karolinska University Hospital. His father was the donor. The operation was a success. Victoria could not be present when the operation took place because she was performing royal duties in Greenland.
The wedding took place in Stockholm Cathedral on 19 June 2010, the 34th anniversary of her parents' wedding.
After their wedding on 19 June 2010, the Duke and Duchess of Västergötland moved in to Haga Palace.
On 17 August 2011 the Swedish royal court announced that Prince Daniel and Crown Princess Victoria were expecting their first child in March 2012.[6]
Swedish Royal Family |
|---|
|
| Styles of Daniel, Prince of Sweden |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Sweden has practised absolute primogeniture by law only since 1980 (SFS 1979:932, passing the law in 1979, which came into constitutional force in 1980). This means that Victoria is the first heiress apparent, and questions arose as to how Daniel Westling would be known after their marriage.
When Carl XVI Gustaf married Silvia Sommerlath in 1976, he discontinued the established norm that Swedish princes must marry royalty to be eligible to inherit the throne. But men, royal or not, had only twice before, in the 13th and 17th centuries, obtained new title or rank as the spouse of a Swedish princess, and even three queens regnant left no clear precedent. Margaret (reigned 1388–1412) was the widow of Haakon VI of Norway and Christina (reigned 1632–1654) was unmarried. The most recent Ulrika Eleonora (reigned 1718–1720) was already married during her tenure as queen regnant: her husband, Frederick, was given the title "Royal Highness" during his tenure as consort, a title granted to him by the estates.[7] Ulrika Eleonora later abdicated so her consort Frederick—who was born a prince of Hesse-Kassel—could be king. In Daniel's case, the Swedes were treading on new ground.
The Swedish Royal Court announced that Westling would become "Prince Daniel" and "Duke of Västergötland",[5] corresponding in form to the style used by previous Swedish princes, including Victoria's younger brother Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland, i.e. Prince + Given name + Duke of [Place]. Prince Daniel's getting his wife's ducal title jure uxoris was something new for a royal male consort in Sweden.
As further announced in May 2010, on his wedding day Westling was made a Prince of Sweden and was granted the style Royal Highness, making him an official member of the Swedish Royal Family and on a par with other senior members of the Royal Family, such as Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine and Princess Lilian. At Stockholm Cathedral, he was also then made a knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim and already wore its badge and ribbon upon emerging after the ceremony.
After they got engaged, the prince (then still Daniel Westling) accompanied Victoria on a few official occasions:
In November 2009 it was reported[8] that Daniel Westling was to step down as CEO and member of the Board of Directors of the Balance company. He will still be an equity partner. It was expected that the same procedure would be followed with his involvements in other companies, before he became Prince.
Westling's business positions
Balance – CEO and member of the Board of Directors (stepped down November 2009)
Master Training – CEO and member of the Board of Directors
Brasil Development – member of the Board of Directors
Daniel's style and title in full: His Royal Highness Prince Daniel of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland
In connection with his engagement to Victoria, the Swedish National Archives published an account of Westling's ancestors, most of whom were farmers in the province of Hälsingland. His paternal grandfather Anders Andersson (1900–1980) adopted the surname of Westling from his mother.[11][12][13][14] In June 2010, genealogist Björn Engström published Westling's ancestors as far back as to the 14th century, and showed that Westling is descended from some medieval noble families in the region of Stora Kopparberget, among these Svinhufvud.[15]
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||