The royal wedding between Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling took place on 19 June 2010 in Stockholm Cathedral.[1] It has been described as "Europe's biggest royal wedding since the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981."[2] Westling's style and title after the marriage is now His Royal Highness Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland.[3]
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Westling was Victoria's personal trainer at Master Training. In July 2002, Victoria and he were pictured kissing for the first time[4] at a birthday party for Caroline Kreuger, a close friend of Victoria's. Westling and Victoria's engagement was announced on 24 February 2009. The wedding date was set in Stockholm Cathedral for 19 June 2010, the 34th anniversary of her parents' marriage.[3] The chosen year 2010 also marks the 200th year since Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte became heir to the Swedish throne.[5]
On 17 September 2009, the cathedral parish of Stockholm announced that 12.4 million Swedish kronor would be used for a cleanup and renovation of Stockholm Cathedral during the period January–April 2010.[6] The wedding itself cost about 20 million kronor which was paid half by the Swedish Royal Family and half by the Swedish government from tax money.[7] This was criticized by some Swedish subjects.[8]
On 24 November 2009 it was decided that the days between the Swedish national day on June 6th and the wedding date on 19 June would be Love Stockholm 2010 days.[9] With festivities for residents and visitors such as music, art, culture, food, design, and history, the city of Stockholm had hoped for sponsor deals to pay for the arrangements.[10]
On 18 June, the Parliament of Sweden honoured the couple with a gala performance at Stockholm Concert Hall. Performers at the gala included Malena Ernman, Helen Sjöholm, and Peter Jöback. The famous Swedish band Roxette was reunited on stage, and they performed their hit song "The Look".[11]
The wedding service began at 15:30 local time in Stockholm Cathedral, with around 1,100 guests present.[8] The music in the ceremony was headed by Gustaf Sjökvist, court organist and organist for the Cathedral Parish of Stockholm. He was also in charge of the music during the wedding of Victoria's parents in 1976.[12]
The service was conducted by Anders Wejryd, Archbishop of Uppsala. He was assisted by Lars-Göran Lönnermark, Royal Court Chief Chaplain, and Dr Antje Jackelén, Bishop of Lund. The Great Marriage Litany was sung by Åke Bonnier, Dean of the Cathedral and Royal Court Chaplain.[13]
Victoria's dress was by Swedish designer Pär Engsheden. The duchess satin white dress was with a five meter long train. The dress has a striking resemblance with Pronovias spanish designer Manuel Mota's Chabeli from the 2010 collection.[14] She wore the same diadem that her mother wore when she married . The first piece of music that was played was written by Karin Rehnqvist especially for the couple as a gift from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Victoria walked down the aisle with her father, who then handed her over to Daniel. The wedding couple then stood in front of the archbishop, who told them about the importance of supporting each other in a marriage. After Victoria and Daniel were pronounced husband and wife, Swedish singers Agnes Carlsson and Björn Skifs finished the ceremony with the song "When You Tell The World You're Mine", written for the couple.[15] Victoria and Daniel walked under crossed swords after stepping out of the cathedral.[16]
The King's wish that the Crown Princess should be led to the altar by himself, and thereafter be handed over to the groom, created a public debate in Sweden.[17] Critics among the clergy held that the symbolism in handing over the bride from father to groom reflects reactionary societal norms, as if an unmarried woman is the property of her father and is about to turn into the proprietary ownership of the groom; and secondly, that it would violate the established customs of the Church of Sweden, where bride and groom walk up to the altar together.[18] The Royal Court defended the handing over with the statement "the King conveys the heir to the throne and hands her over to a man who has been accepted".[17] In the end a compromise was reached, as the King handed over the Crown Princess to her groom downstairs the altar choir.
A carriage procession followed the ceremony, in which the wedding couple was transported through the streets of Stockholm. On their way they passed by twenty musical bands, nineteen of which were military. Victoria and Daniel then proceeded in a royal barge over Stockholm's waters; the same barge that was used by Victoria's parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, during their wedding in 1976.[19] 500,000 people are estimated to have gathered to watch the procession,[8] which was nearly seven kilometers long.[19] 18 fighter jets flew across the sky as the barge approached its landing place at the royal palace, where the wedding banquet was later held.[16]
The wedding of Victoria and Daniel was the biggest event that has ever been covered on television in Stockholm, according to Sveriges Television.[12]
Notable guests include:[20][21]
The wedding banquet was held on the night of the wedding day in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, Sweden's finest ceremonial hall. The Hall of State was renovated for the occasion. 98 guests of the nearly 600 invited guests were accommodated in the main table. Pink and white flowers were strewn over the table decorations, which included silver candelabra and silver bowls.[24] On the seats of honour were sitting the wedding couple, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia, Mr and Mrs Westling, the Queen's brother Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath, the King's uncle Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg, Margrethe II of Denmark, Beatrix of the Netherlands, Harald V of Norway, Albert II of Belgium, the President of Finland Tarja Halonen, and the Archbishop of Uppsala Anders Wejryd.
Sweden has only practiced absolute cognatic primogeniture by law since 1980 (SFS 1979:932).[25] This means that Victoria is the first heiress apparent to marry.[26] Westling became the first man of the people to obtain a new title or rank as the spouse of a Swedish princess since the Middle Ages.[27] All previous princes have been born to royal parents of Swedish origin or have been foreign dukes that have married Swedish princesses.[28] As a result, questions arose as to how Westling would be known after the wedding.
The Swedish Royal Court first announced on 20 February 2009 that upon his marriage to Princess Victoria, who is Duchess of Västergötland (Westrogothia), Westling would receive the titles of "Prince Daniel" and "Duke of Västergötland".[3] It was further announced in May 2010, by the Swedish Royal Court, that Westling will be granted the style His Royal Highness upon his marriage to Crown Princess Victoria. He will thus be known as HRH Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland.[29][30] The last part of his name corresponds in form to the style used by other Swedish princes, including Victoria's younger brother Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland, i.e. Prince + Given name + Duke of Somewhere. The novelty here is that Westling would be using his wife's ducal title, something new for men in Sweden.[31]
Sweden discontinued in the 17th century the grant of provinces as territorial appanages to royal princes which, as dukes thereof, they had governed semi-autonomously. Since then, these provincial dukedoms exist in the royal family only nominally, but each prince or princess traditionally maintains a special public connection to one.[28] The sons of Swedish kings have held the princely title as a rank of nobility (e.g. Fredrik Vilhelm, Furste av Hessenstein), as a courtesy title for an ex-dynast (e.g. Prins Oscar Bernadotte) and, most often, as a royal dynast (e.g. HRH Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland).