While Sweden's Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel have always seemed like one of the happiest royal couples on earth, tabloids have recently been spreading gossip about betrayal and unrest. Is there any truth to it? Let's delve into the timeline of their relationship and find out.
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00:00While Sweden's Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel have always seemed like one of the
00:04happiest royal couples on Earth, tabloids have recently been spreading gossip about
00:08betrayal and unrest.
00:10Is there any truth to it?
00:11Let's delve into the timeline of their relationship and find out.
00:14I'm ready.
00:15I want to know."
00:17Though Princess Victoria had planned to go to Uppsala University in Sweden to study political
00:22science, she instead decided on Yale.
00:24This was back in 1998, not long after Victoria had publicly battled an eating disorder.
00:29Her decision to go to Yale was partially due to her desire to be out of the public eye.
00:34She had a long-term boyfriend at the time, but the relationship ended in 2001.
00:38As many do after a breakup, Princess Victoria joined a gym once she returned to Stockholm,
00:43and it ended up being quite a fateful choice.
00:45Her personal trainer, and the owner of the gym, was Daniel Wessling.
00:49The two got along very well — so well, in fact, that they would eventually get married.
00:53Although the story of how Daniel and Victoria met is cute enough to be the plot of a rom-com,
00:57their relationship was actually a slow burn.
01:00According to Now To Love, Victoria explained at a press conference that she and Daniel
01:04were initially just friends, not romantic partners.
01:07"[Daniel and I had a great and well-founded friendship.
01:10It was a friendship that grew and turned into love."
01:13Rumors that Daniel and Victoria were dating began to circulate in 2002, and despite the
01:17couple's attempts to keep their relationship private, the media couldn't get enough.
01:21Photographers followed Victoria to a birthday party in Stockholm, where they waited until
01:25they could capture a shot of the two of them kissing.
01:28The local SE refers to that first photo of Victoria and Daniel as the first occurrence
01:32of paparazzi in Sweden, a country known for its more respectful media as compared to other
01:37countries.
01:38It's easy to see why Victoria and Daniel's romance was so exciting to the media.
01:42Not only did it involve the princess, but her beau was also an unexpected choice.
01:47Daniel was from a small town in northern Sweden and did not come from a wealthy family.
01:51As pointed out by historian Herman Lindqvist, a commoner marrying into royalty is far from
01:56typical.
01:57This has not happened since the medieval ages, so in a way it's sort of a saga, a Nordic
02:03saga."
02:04But it wasn't long after the two started dating that Daniel began to fit the part of a future
02:08prince.
02:09As the outlet noted,
02:10"[His clothes got better, his hair cut sharper, and his little Alfa Romeo was replaced by
02:14a more imposing Lexus.]
02:16In the 2009 biography, Victoria, Queen of the Time, Victoria shares that her parents
02:21were concerned about her dating Daniel.
02:23She said,
02:24"[They wanted to make it clear that I would get the best possible support and backing
02:27for my job, now and in the future."
02:29Due to the fact that Daniel lived a completely different lifestyle than Victoria prior to
02:33the two of them being together, it's understandable that her parents had some doubts about whether
02:37he could handle the royal duties that would come with marrying Victoria.
02:40However, by the time the two announced their engagement in 2009, King Carl Gustaf had a
02:45change of heart.
02:47According to Hello!
02:48Magazine, he said,
02:49"[It is of course a special day for us, but it is also a special day for Sweden.]
02:52Over the past few years, we have got to know Daniel well and have understood that he is
02:56a young man who works hard and takes life seriously."
03:00Princess Victoria and Daniel dated for some eight years, and by 2008, Daniel was living
03:05in the Drottningholm Palace, though in a separate wing from Victoria, according to Hello!
03:09Magazine.
03:10In February 2009, the couple officially announced their engagement.
03:14Daniel said he proposed on a sunny day at the palace, explaining,
03:17"...I was hoping for a yes, but I wasn't entirely sure."
03:20He did break tradition in a small way with his proposal.
03:23Prior generations of Swedish royals used simple gold engagement bands, while Daniel proposed
03:28with a solitaire diamond on a white gold band.
03:31Breaking tradition seemed to be no problem for the princess, as she appeared to be nothing
03:35but happy to be engaged to Daniel.
03:37Princess Victoria said in an official statement,
03:39"...With Daniel by my side, I feel secure.
03:42You have probably noticed that in recent years I have seemed stronger and happier,
03:46and now the time has come for us to begin building something together and starting a
03:49family."
03:50The couple were married on June 19, 2010, in a highly anticipated wedding that the media
03:55dubbed Europe's biggest royal wedding since Prince Charles and Lady Diana wed in 1981.
04:00The ceremony included 1,200 guests and an estimated 500,000 people lining the streets
04:05to celebrate the newlyweds.
04:08Though the royal couple kept much of their dating life relatively private, what we do
04:11know seems straight out of a fairy tale.
04:14Prince Daniel shared a sweet memory at his and Victoria's wedding reception, according
04:18to the local SE.
04:19He explained that before Victoria left for a long trip to China, she stayed up all night
04:23writing him love letters — 30 in total.
04:26"...One for every day she would be away."
04:30The love the couple has for each other is evident, but it's even more heartwarming when
04:34thinking about their unlikely pairing, from their vastly different backgrounds to the
04:37ambivalence from Princess Victoria's family.
04:40Despite the trials, things eventually came full circle for them, and Daniel later said
04:44in a speech at the wedding reception,
04:46"...Once upon a time, the young man was perhaps not a frog in the beginning of the fairy tale
04:50first told by the Grimm brothers, but he was certainly not a prince.
04:54The first kiss did not change that.
04:56His transformation was not possible without the support of the wise king and queen, who
05:00had ruled the kingdom for many years and who were full of wisdom and experience and had
05:04good hearts.
05:05They knew what was best and guided the couple with a gentle hand, generously sharing all
05:10their valuable experience."
05:12Though Queen Sylvia and King Carl may have been hesitant at the start of Princess Victoria
05:16and Daniel's relationship, they definitely came around.
05:19In fact, King Carl and Princess Victoria broke Swedish tradition at Victoria's wedding when
05:24he walked her down the aisle.
05:25Although it's a normal tradition in many countries, it is not at all customary in Sweden, where
05:30couples are expected to walk down the aisle together as a symbol of equality.
05:34Instead, King Carl walked Victoria halfway down before she joined her husband to finish
05:38walking down the aisle.
05:40Though some thought it was controversial, it was a personal and poignant choice.
05:43According to the local SE, this was Victoria's father's way of showing his approval of the
05:48marriage.
05:49King Carl said at the wedding,
05:50"'I am your father, you are my beloved daughter.
05:53Nobody should believe anything other than that my greatest wish is to see you happy.'"
05:57King Carl wasn't the only one who had a change of heart.
06:00Victoria's mother, Queen Sylvia, said in a TV interview,
06:03"'I think he's going to do well.
06:05He's going to be successful in his task of helping the princess.
06:08I hope he can share his experiences and help bring modernity to the court.'"
06:12On February 23, 2012, Princess Victoria gave birth to a daughter, Estelle.
06:18Her son, Oscar, came four years later on March 2, 2016.
06:22When asked if Estelle was excited to have a sibling, Victoria told the Swedish newspaper
06:26Aftonbladet that she was more interested in getting a hamster.
06:30Despite Estelle's apparent lack of excitement to have a sibling, it appears the little prince
06:34and princess get along well.
06:35Many photos and Instagram posts show the children happy and smiling on different outings.
06:40As for Victoria and Daniel's parenting experience, the two share duties and attempt to give their
06:44children as normal a childhood as possible.
06:47Prince Daniel told the local SE,
06:49"'You need to know how the metro works and what it's like to travel by bus and what it's
06:53like to stand in line.'"
06:54He further explained that he wanted his children to feel comfortable being out in the world,
06:58saying,
06:59"'We want our children to have the same opportunities we've had to feel safe in that environment.'"
07:04Princess Victoria has described her daughter as
07:06"... curious, social, and brave — all positive attributes that will serve her when she eventually
07:11becomes the Queen of Sweden."
07:13Media outlets have consulted body language experts to try to get the secret scoop on
07:17hidden relational dynamics between royals.
07:20But if the experts were to analyze Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel's body language,
07:24it seems they would simply find a happy, loving couple.
07:27Photos over the years show Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel holding hands, laughing,
07:32cozying up, and being generally loving in public and at events.
07:35In a photo of the couple on a Berlin tour in 2011, the two lean in toward each other,
07:39laughing.
07:40At a concert for Victoria's 32nd birthday, they hold hands across their chairs, smiling.
07:45Even the happiest couples are sometimes photographed on an off day or at an inopportune moment.
07:50But when it comes to Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, it is truly difficult to find
07:54a single picture of the two together where they aren't both smiling.
07:57"'Ain't love grand?"
07:59Though it's true that photos can only say so much, it's hard to argue that the couple
08:03seems happy and in love.
08:05Additionally, the fact that Prince Daniel is present for many of Princess Victoria's
08:09events and royal duties speaks volumes about his character and his ability to support the
08:13future queen.
08:15A Swedish newspaper called Ståpa Pressarna published an article in early 2022 that suggested
08:20a betrayal that had happened in Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel's marriage.
08:24The article claims that an anonymous source came forward and said,
08:28"'It is an incredible betrayal and the crown princess is completely destroyed.
08:32It was not on her map and she is shocked, to say the least.'"
08:35These allegations of betrayal are vague, and Ståpa Pressarna claimed this ambiguousness
08:40is intentional, saying,
08:41"'For reasons of press ethics, Ståpa Pressarna chooses not to reveal exactly what has happened
08:46as it is a family drama where children are involved.'"
08:49Ståpa Pressarna doubled down on its unfounded claims of marital trouble in another article
08:55focusing on a gathering that took place on December 20, 2022.
08:58Victoria was present at the event, while Daniel was missing due to illness.
09:02The outlet postulated that Daniel's sickness was a lie, and that in actuality, Victoria
09:06herself had made the decision for him not to attend.
09:09The outlet wrote,
09:10"'It was Victoria who ordered her husband to stay at home at Haga Castle.
09:14She couldn't bring herself to smile in front of the gathering of photographers at the Stock
09:18Exchange in Gamla Stan shortly after she found out what her husband was up to.'"
09:23The tabloid appears to be alluding to an affair on Daniel's part, concluding that despite
09:27the couple's happy appearances in public, there was a marital crisis brewing.
09:32Aside from the rumors circulated by the tabloids, there was no evidence of a betrayal or marital
09:36troubles between Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.
09:39In February 2022, the couple responded to the unfounded rumors by making a statement
09:44on Instagram, stating,
09:45"'It has come to our attention that there is an extensive negative rumor being spread
09:49regarding our private relationship.
09:52Rumors are spreading about betrayal in the relationship and an impending divorce.
09:56Normally, we do not comment on rumors and speculation, but in order to protect our family,
10:00we wish to make it clear once and for all that the rumors that are now spreading are
10:04completely baseless."
10:06Since then, the couple has seemed to be as happy as ever.
10:09They are frequently photographed at events and continue to show affection toward one
10:12another in photos, smiling at each other and holding hands.
10:15They celebrated Victoria's 45th birthday together in July 2022, sitting side-by-side in a royal
10:21carriage ride, with their children nestled in front of them.
10:24Despite the rumors, there is no indication of marital issues, and the pair seems to be
10:28doing well.