Madeleine and Chris: Media and Public Opinion


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i think the media does a story about Chris not being there, they create a story
I do not think swedish people cares about chris as he is not a royal

would sofia do the same but has the title princess of sweden then she would have a harder time to explain a absence at royal events becouse she will work for the royal house. Chris said no to this he is part of the family but not the royal house who represent sweden
 
Oh well I think it's much ado about nothing. Couples all over the world move away from families due to jobs or to go where their spouse lives only seeing their families at holidays and vacations etc. You learn to deal with it.

At least both families have the money to travel often to see each other if they want to.
 
chris I wonder probally had no idea what he was getting into marrying in to the family I and think he isn't one who enjoys all the attention he is not going to change his life style and I think Madde will have a hard time I also think having a second child so close to her first is a mistake she barely got use to being Chris wife and dealing with his life style and her life style and now to bring a 2nd child into all this big stress factor I wouldn't be surprised to see this marriage blow up in smoke
 
janjan said:
chris I wonder probally had no idea what he was getting into marrying in to the family I and think he isn't one who enjoys all the attention he is not going to change his life style and I think Madde will have a hard time I also think having a second child so close to her first is a mistake she barely got use to being Chris wife and dealing with his life style and her life style and now to bring a 2nd child into all this big stress factor I wouldn't be surprised to see this marriage blow up in smoke
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A lot of assumptions! Their situation is not different from other people that have families on different continents and where the work of the breadwinner requires the business to be located at major investment/banking center. The time in Sweden has probably been very calming for Princess Madeleine as she and her family has been close to especially her mom and sister during her pregnancy and also being a new mother. The little Princess Leonore has had a chance to bond with her Swedish relatives. That part is always a challenge when you live far away. There is lots of work to have your children close (I am speaking of personal experience) but it is great once the children are beyond the diaper stage. They will grow up close in their education, friends and age suitable activities. I hope the family will get a wonderful time in London. We will just have to get used to that Chris will not join the family at all the events they attend. When your job is to handle clients financial investments you simply have to be available when they need you. You can not tell them to wait until next week when you have more time to attend to their crisis because you must attend an evening at Skansen. The royal family accepted the arrangement that he should not be a part of the "royal" family and this is what it means.
 
LadyFinn said:
Svensk Damtidning has an article about Chris at their latest issue, the paper version.
SD writes that Madeleine had longed for the move to Stockholm because she wanted to be closer to her family. But it hasn't been as easy for Chris. The rumours tell that Chris thinks that Stockholm is a too small town. For a man raised in Switzerland and London and who has lived the most of his adult life in New York small Östermalm is perhaps not so impressive. It is rumoured that he is depressed. And it is said that Chris thinks that the royal family is a little too fine and mighty for his taste. Nice, yes, but perhaps not similar than he has been used to as a businessman in NY. During the last times yet one rumour came to Svensk Damtidning's office. Chris is missing. Not even a person close to the court has seen him at The Royal Mews and it is gossipped that he is on a secret trip abroad in private commitments. A trip which is said to have a quick interruption at Carl Philip's and Sofia's banns because the king demanded it, but now the trip has continued again.
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The royal court has reacted to this article in Svensk Damtidning.
The director of the press department, Margareta Thorgren calls the article insulting and offensive.
- Generally, we always act against the articles which contain inaccuracies and offensive information that borders on slander. We have done so even with this article that is pure speculation. Svensk Damtidning goes on with untruths and it is of course regrettable. I have contacted chief editor Karin Lennmor asking how they can go with this kind of falsehoods. It is not at all positive for Svensk Damtidning.
- We will discuss this article with our legal advisers who will look at this.
- Chris O'Neill is on the contrary a stable, happy and likeable person who is not at all depressed. He is a great support for Princess Madeleine and considering that they also will have a new member in the family soon so he is very excited.

Karin Lennmor, editor and publisher of Svensk Damtidning, disagrees with Thorgren of criticism.
- It is not offensive and I think that is very neutral. It is based on information which we do not have a damn reason to doubt, from the sources that we have worked with for a long time. I do not understand where the insult is, but I don't discuss it with you. I have had a dialogue with the Royal Court and Margareta Thorgren, says Lennmor.
Hovet kopplar in jurister mot Svensk Damtidning - Dagens Media
Translation

I think that the court wants to scare Svensk Damtidning and other swedish media so that they would not write these kind of stories again.
 
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The Swedish Court is very happy to sue & complain, there is a pattern with the weekly german tabloids that have been inventing all sorts of stories about any member of the SRF, the court will complain about the most absurd ones, and then the tabloid makes a counterstatement based on the courts complaint what creates another story, so complaining doesnt really help with regard to what the court wants to achieve.
 
Why should Chris O'Neil care one hoot about the Swedish press?
As far as I can tell there are few indications pointing to Chris being particularly concerned about what they say about him in the press.

The few interviews he has given have been guarded, he hasn't said or done anything more than the absolute minimum of what is expected of a man about to marry a princess. He has not tried to suck up to the press or even polish his public image. On the contrary he has made it very clear from the beginning that while he is married to a member of the SRF, he is not a (working) member of the SRF.

Without being able to read Chris O'Neil's mind, I suspect he is a full-blooded republican who just happened to fall in love with and marry a royal and such he does not feel he can be true to himself if he became a part of the royal show.
On top of that he is not Swedish, he does not feel remotely Swedish and he has no intention of being Swedish, he is just married to a Swede.
Judging from his background I'd say Sweden in general is too left wing for his taste.
So if he is getting heat from the Swedish press and public for not attending SRF events, he'll probably shrug his shoulders and say: "So"?

Whether he finds Sweden too provincial as has been suggested is anyone's guess. If so I'd say he is either uninformed or a snob, but it's also irrelevant, because I don't think Chris has or has ever had any intention of moving to Sweden.

That his wife got homesick and needed the support of her family while having two small children is something most considerate husbands can understand, so I guess they compromised and decided to settle in London. Until Madeleine "got emotionally stable". It's only a couple of hours flight from Sweden, so Madeleine go for weekend trips whenever she wants to.

To sum it up brutally: Madeleine is Mrs. O'Neil, it just hasn't really dawned on her yet.
 
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Muhler said:
Why should Chris O'Neil care one hoot about the Swedish press?
As far as I can tell there are few indications pointing to Chris being particularly concerned about what they say about him in the press.
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Maybe he doesnt but obviously the court does, otherwise they wouldn't comment or explain or complain about press' comments. Stories about Chris have a negative vibe, hence the title of this thread.
 
Muhler said:
Why should Chris O'Neil care one hoot about the Swedish press?

On top of that he is not Swedish, he does not feel remotely Swedish and he has no intention of being Swedish, he is just married to a Swede.

I don't think Chris has or has ever had any intention of moving to Sweden.

That his wife got homesick and needed the support of her family while having two small children is something most considerate husbands can understand, so I guess they compromised and decided to settle in London. Until Madeleine "got emotionally stable". It's only a couple of hours flight from Sweden, so Madeleine go for weekend trips whenever she wants to.

To sum it up brutally: Madeleine is Mrs. O'Neil, it just hasn't really dawned on her yet.
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I agree with your thoughts.
 
I agree with the Court's pro-active attitude. That there is Freedom of Speech ("We all are Charlie") does not give a free ticket for publishing the most indiotic nonsense and insults.

Also the Dutch Court is active in this. Already when a magazine wrote that the (young) Prince of Orange was seen with a blondine in an Amsterdam hotel, his late father Prince Claus started a lawsuit (which he won as the magazine really sucked the story out of their thumb). I think that the Swedish and Dutch Court are anxious that people might think: "Hmmm... where smoke is, there must be fire..." even when the story was lied from A to Z and from Z to A.
 
I think that the court just wants to send a warning, there has been a lot negative and mean articles about Chris at gossip magazines Hänt Extra and Hänt i Veckan and as far as I know, the court hasn't reacted. The court wants that there would not be negative articles before the wedding and birth of Madeleine's child.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Maybe he doesnt but obviously the court does, otherwise they wouldn't comment or explain or complain about press' comments. Stories about Chris have a negative vibe, hence the title of this thread.
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Sure it does. Because the court hasn't sat down and defined clearly what role Chris is to have in the SRF. I.e. very limited.

AFAIK Chris has not said that he intends to have an active role in connection with the SRF, he doesn't even have a royal title.
Could it be handled better by Chris? - Probably.
Can I understand if the Swedes feel a bit snubbed, also on behalf of the SRF? - Yes! I would probably feel a little snubbed too if I was Swedish. Or rather disrespected as a Swede.
But has Chris not stuck to what he has said from the beginning? I.e. that he is not a member of the SRF
Should he take into consideration that he did marry a princess? - Yes. If Sweden, the SRF and royalty really means anything to him.
Well, he can hardly be accused of being a hypocrite if I'm right.

I think he thinks of himself first and foremost as Mr. Chris O'Neil who happens to be married to a princess. But all that royalty-stuff that's wifey's department.

It's basically a PR issue. The SRF has been badly advised in not making it absolutely clear the Chris is not a part of the show.
Whether that is because Madeleine can't figure out what her role is in regards to the SRF in the future, or whether the SRF doesn't inform their PR office about anything or whether they just send out confused signals is anyone's guess.
One thing is for sure, I'd say. they can't force Chris to become a working royal, that'll just lead to a divorce IMO.

But let's turn it around. Permit me to be the devil's advocate: Has the Swedish press and the Swedish public been fair towards Chris and Madeleine from the beginning?
It seems to me, and correct me if I'm wrong, that the press and the public were very critical towards Madeleine to begin with and once it dawned on the public that Chris refused the title as royal and basically shunned the press as much as he could, and on top intend only to take only a very limited part in the events of the SRF then the Swedish press and public felt snubbed big time and now Chris and Madeleine can't do anything right?
 
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I think its a reaction of the press of Madeleine's attitude during her escape to NY and what followed, when she snubbed the swedish public, press and cancelled events.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
I think its a reaction of the press of Madeleine's attitude during her escape to NY and what followed, when she snubbed the swedish public, press and cancelled events.
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Payback? That's pretty childish, counter productive and provincial IMO.

Unfortunately I think it's plausible because the press in general and the Swedish press in particular (sorry Swedes) have a tendency to think they are the only ones who have seen the light and that the sun only rise in the morning because of them. :whistling:
 
This is from a non-Swede's perspective looking in: everything has seemed to happen at hyper-speed for Madeleine and Chris. Within the past five years, Madeleine's engagement to her boyfriend of 7 or 8 years was broken off, she moved to the US, met Chris, married him, their first baby was born a year after marriage, their second baby is born a year after their first. I don't know if it's possible, in that short of a time, for Chris to fully grasp the implications of marrying into the Swedish Royal Family, or for Madeleine to realize the challenge of living and raising a family and balancing royal duties, all while living far away from family. Chris seems like a reserved person, and I'm sure that it's not easy being in the public eye and particularly being criticized as much as he has been in the Swedish press, all while living in an unfamiliar country where you don't speak the language and don't feel like a part of the nation. I think that at this point they are just trying to figure out how to make their lives work with the circumstances they've been handed, and while they and the SRF as a whole probably could have handled the whole situation better, the relentless criticism from the press seems unfair. They're a young family trying to start out on their own, and all young families face some form of unsteadiness trying to sort out their lives. They aren't perfect people or a perfect family, but they're just doing the best that they can.

Hopefully this move to London will be good for the entire family. It's much closer to Sweden than New York City, and maybe it will be a respite from all the press and criticism. Of course, won't that have to move back to Sweden within the next few years so that the children can attend school there?
 
janjan said:
chris I wonder probally had no idea what he was getting into marrying in to the family I and think he isn't one who enjoys all the attention he is not going to change his life style and I think Madde will have a hard time I also think having a second child so close to her first is a mistake she barely got use to being Chris wife and dealing with his life style and her life style and now to bring a 2nd child into all this big stress factor I wouldn't be surprised to see this marriage blow up in smoke
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Just recently saw a video on You-Tube where Chris says that because he is not titled, he has no official role. He also mentioned that when in NYC or London, their daily life hasn't changed. Only when in Sweden do they have a change in their lifestyle. BTW, in this same video, he seems quite amicable and is shown affectionately interacting with Queen Silvia and Carl-Philip which goes a long way in dispelling rumors that he doesn't really get along with the family.
 
Rocketmom said:
Just recently saw a video on You-Tube where Chris says that because he is not titled, he has no official role. He also mentioned that when in NYC or London, their daily life hasn't changed. Only when in Sweden do they have a change in their lifestyle. BTW, in this same video, he seems quite amicable and is shown affectionately interacting with Queen Silvia and Carl-Philip which goes a long way in dispelling rumors that he doesn't really get along with the family.
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Could you please post the link to the interview you mentioned ? I would be surprised if Chris didn't seem amicable to Queen Silvia and Carl Philip in public, but that doesn't mean he really gets along well with the family.
 
Rocketmom said:
Just recently saw a video on You-Tube where Chris says that because he is not titled, he has no official role. He also mentioned that when in NYC or London, their daily life hasn't changed. Only when in Sweden do they have a change in their lifestyle. BTW, in this same video, he seems quite amicable and is shown affectionately interacting with Queen Silvia and Carl-Philip which goes a long way in dispelling rumors that he doesn't really get along with the family.
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I have never ever seen anything else than warmth, goodwill and amicability when Mr O'Neill is in the presence of the royal family. And why not? He seems a nice guy to me, from a 'good milieu' and with a well-to-do background.
 
So what's the dark secret they refer to?


Sent from my iPhone using The Royals Community mobile app
 
Mbruno said:
Could you please post the link to the interview you mentioned ? I would be surprised if Chris didn't seem amicable to Queen Silvia and Carl Philip in public, but that doesn't mean he really gets along well with the family.
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You are right, of course, it could have been for the cameras but more than how he treated the other members of the family, it was more about how they treated him.

Regarding the link...I have to embarrass myself by admitting that I am really pretty computer illiterate and do not know how to establish links. But if you go to You-Tube and do a search for "Swedish Royal Family in Solliden" there is a brief video that shows what I'm speaking of above. Then, another video titled "Aret med Kungafamilyjen 2014" posted by Sarah Williams is a 58 minute video with several different areas focused on, one of them being Chris and Madeleine talking about the baby and their new life. That is where he spoke of not having a royal role. Hope this helps you find it and I apologize for not knowing enough about how to post links.
 
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Rocketmom said:
You are right, of course, it could have been for the cameras but more than how he treated the other members of the family, it was more about how they treated him.

Regarding the link...I have to embarrass myself by admitting that I am really pretty computer illiterate and do not know how to establish links. But if you go to You-Tube and do a search for "Swedish Royal Family in Solliden" there is a brief video that shows what I'm speaking of above.
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At 3:09 or so one can see Carl Phillip with arms on Chris' shoulders.

Swedish Royal Family in Solliden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zeT4WAfymA
TEXT: "Published on Mar 28, 2015"

Rocketmom said:
Then, another video titled "Aret med Kungafamilyjen 2014" posted by Sarah Williams is a 58 minute video with several different areas focused on, one of them being Chris and Madeleine talking about the baby and their new life. That is where he spoke of not having a royal role. Hope this helps you find it and I apologize for not knowing enough about how to post links.
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At 8:18 starts the section with Chris and Madeleine, in both Swedish and English. And again at 21:40.

At 51:28 Chris and Madeleine talk about 'plans for the future'. (Spoken in 2014)

And lastly at 56:44.

Året med Kungafamiljen 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seIg_hnyvRo
TEXT: "Published on Mar 2, 2015"
 
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CrownPrincessJava said:
Chris needs to ride it out for another week because the focus will shift onto Carl-Philip and Sofia. I suspect they will start pregnancy watch on Sofia from the 14th June....
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I think that the negativity towards Madeleine and Chris will raise again after the summer in August, when the royal family starts to work. Carl Philip and Sofia are starting to represent together, they visit their duchy Värmland and meet common people. Madeleine and the children move to London, Madeleine will not do the "bread and butter" events (and she will be on a maternity leave again). They will be followed by the paparazzis because the swedish press buys the photos.
 
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At the end of Aftonbladet's article about the National day celebration in Skansen: "But the strange thing afterwards is that it is not Sofia's and Carl Philip's happiness that stays in the memory. It is the image of Princess Madeleine. Heavily pregnant, proud and straight and wide smile - but alone. Whoever stole the attention this evening was someone who was not even there. He came to the banns - at the last moment. Now he didn't come at all. Where is Chris?"
Två män stal showen när nationaldagen firades | Nyheter | Aftonbladet
 
Wonderful day yesterday. But agree with the article the image of the Madeleine alone is sad for me.
 
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