Princess Madeleine and Family Moving to London: May 2015


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Didn't Madeleine study for a brief period in London? I remember reading an article in Hello years ago that she was obliged to move back to Sweden because of the paparazzi in London. I wasn't a follower of the SRF back then so I don't recall the details but this must be more than ten years ago now.

From her biography
"Princess Madeleine spent time in England in the autumn of 2001 for English language studies".
Biography - Sveriges Kungahus
 
I think living in London is the best of all worlds for all concerned. Makes perfect sense. :flowers: In fact, raising the children in London may not be an issue in a few years. Victoria will be having her second child, and who knows? She may have a third one day. Sofia is looking very fertile in the picture I just saw of her. I doubt Carl Philip and Sofia will stop at one child. So it's all moot. :flowers:
 
Aftonbladet's royal expert Jenny Alexandersson, Svensk Damtidning's royal reporter Johanna Lejon and Aftonbladet Klick's reporter xxx discussed at a Aftonbladet-TV podcast about Madeleine's many moves.
About the move to London they said that it is rumoured that they moved to Belgravia, one of the most exquisite areas in London where many celebrities live. Alexandersson said that it will not be easy for them with the publicity and paparazzis. Madeleine is very bothered of them, and Chris has already showed photographers his middle finger. Alexandersson said that she has had calls from german and british photographers living in London, they know exact the date when Madeleine and Chris moved but they don't know where and they try to fish for information from Alexandersson. Johanna Lejon says that if they found the princess in New York, they will find a princess in London.
They talked also about Madeleine's many moves, and the big and expensive renovation made to their their new, bigger apartment at the Royal Mews a couple of years ago. They said that Madeleine's moves had made headlines and this expensive renovation with a lot of luxurious details made to their home made headlines. The renovation was paid by the taxpayers, but Madeleine and Chris paid the special details themselves. They said that Madeleine perhaps doesn't still understand that these kind of things get to the press and make big headlines.
Prinsessan Madeleines krav på boende
 
What about leaving them alone now? I don't get all the bash against Madeleine and her family, frankly. I am sure the press will find something to complain about even now that they basically flew away from Sweden.
 
What about leaving them alone now? I don't get all the bash against Madeleine and her family, frankly. I am sure the press will find something to complain about even now that they basically flew away from Sweden.
I agree, bashing people is not good. I hope that they all get left alone in London. Belgravia is a nice area of London.
 
I agree, bashing people is not good. I hope that they all get left alone in London. Belgravia is a nice area of London.

the media will keep up making up stuff though, no matter what. Othewise, they don't have a target for negative things to say!:whistling:
 
Svensk Damtidning has an article about Madeleine’s new home. They know where it is but don't tell the address. Svensk Damtidning tells: SD visited the princess family's block and it's restaurants, gym and hair salons. With Sunday coziness at gallery Saatchi, dinners at Bibendum Oyster Bar and walks with children at the Hyde Park. Madeleine lives at a luxury address in one of most exclusive neighborhoods in London. The living room has light wallpapers, which match with the beige curtains at the pompous windows. In the living room isn't any furniture yet. When SD visits the area we see a man who washes the gates in the area, and he washes even Madeleine’s beautiful black door before he greets the security guard who stands at the neighbor's door. The couple has a small inner courtyard where the children can run without to be seen. On the other side of the street is a private park where only the residents of the area have access. But that is not a park for loud children’s plays, the children must stay quiet and the dogs are not allowed to go there.
SD writes also that at Madeleine's neighborhood there is a lot of luxury cars, and at the gym and jogging trips one can meet superstars like Gwyneth Paltrow. Madeleine and Chris love dinners at the restaurants, and they are lucky – two of London's top restaurants are in the area: Ametsa at the Halkin Hotel and Amaya. And it would take only 13 minutes for Madeleine to walk to get her hair done at Richard Ward's salon, where the duchess of Cambridge goes. Gym KX is a perfect place to train, you must be a member, it is also a perfect place to make contacts.
 
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Its clear that breadwinner Chris has to work night and day to be able to afford London life ;)
 
Amaya is in the Belgravia section of London. It is the west of Green Park and BP and south of Hyde Park. One of the most expensive areas and very wealthy residents.


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Richard Ward's salon is in Sloane Square so Madeleine must live near there. Sophie also has her hair done by Richard but he comes to Buckingham Palace to do her hair and I imagine he goes to Kensington to do Kate's.
 
Aftonbladet's royal expert Jenny Alexandersson, Svensk Damtidning's royal reporter Johanna Lejon and Aftonbladet Klick's reporter xxx discussed at a Aftonbladet-TV podcast about Madeleine's many moves.
About the move to London they said that it is rumoured that they moved to Belgravia, one of the most exquisite areas in London where many celebrities live. Alexandersson said that it will not be easy for them with the publicity and paparazzis. Madeleine is very bothered of them, and Chris has already showed photographers his middle finger. Alexandersson said that she has had calls from german and british photographers living in London, they know exact the date when Madeleine and Chris moved but they don't know where and they try to fish for information from Alexandersson. Johanna Lejon says that if they found the princess in New York, they will find a princess in London.
They talked also about Madeleine's many moves, and the big and expensive renovation made to their their new, bigger apartment at the Royal Mews a couple of years ago. They said that Madeleine's moves had made headlines and this expensive renovation with a lot of luxurious details made to their home made headlines. The renovation was paid by the taxpayers, but Madeleine and Chris paid the special details themselves. They said that Madeleine perhaps doesn't still understand that these kind of things get to the press and make big headlines.
Prinsessan Madeleines krav på boende

As I suspected, Madeleine won't have the same degree of privacy in London that she enjoyed in New York. To make things worse, she won't have the protection she would have in Sweden living in a Crown estate.
 
First time poster here!

I am not sure if this is true in other countries, but in the United States, many "perks" are charged as business expenses. For examples, a lawyer friend of mine charges his beach club fees to his law company as well as the yearly lease on his new car. Dinners at expensive restaurants are often written off as business expenses as well. Perhaps Chris does the same -- since his job REQUIRES that he and his family reside in the UK, maybe the Purple Dragon is a write-off.

Just a thought. Personally, how Maddy and Chris pay for their private lifestyle is their private concern IMHO.

But, I would add that I don't think Chris is as wealthy as has been claimed in other places. Where they lived in NYC was not the most fashionable and expensive by far, and I never read about their being out and about beyond the "official" engagements.The notion that Chris is a fabulously wealthy American/British financier is romantic but probably not realistic.

In any event, I am looking forward to the christening: seeing the adorable children, being envious of the lovely clothes, and wondering what I will have for lunch that day since MY invitation seems to have been lost in the mail!
 
First time poster here!

I am not sure if this is true in other countries, but in the United States, many "perks" are charged as business expenses. For examples, a lawyer friend of mine charges his beach club fees to his law company as well as the yearly lease on his new car. Dinners at expensive restaurants are often written off as business expenses as well. Perhaps Chris does the same -- since his job REQUIRES that he and his family reside in the UK, maybe the Purple Dragon is a write-off.

Just a thought. Personally, how Maddy and Chris pay for their private lifestyle is their private concern IMHO.

But, I would add that I don't think Chris is as wealthy as has been claimed in other places. Where they lived in NYC was not the most fashionable and expensive by far, and I never read about their being out and about beyond the "official" engagements.The notion that Chris is a fabulously wealthy American/British financier is romantic but probably not realistic.

In any event, I am looking forward to the christening: seeing the adorable children, being envious of the lovely clothes, and wondering what I will have for lunch that day since MY invitation seems to have been lost in the mail!

Chris is self-employed, isn't he ? I guess that pretty much rules out his expenses being charged to his business.

Chris' finances are indeed shrouded in mystery. There have been reports in the past that his business ventures were not doing so well and he might even have had some financial trouble, but no concrete evidence has ever shown up. Madeleine, on the other hand, is a millionaire in her own right and might be footing part of the bill. There is always speculation that she may also get some money from her father although, if she does, the money probably comes from Carl Gustaf's private funds and not from the State appanage.

The appanage itself is a block grant paid to the Royal Court of Sweden and currently divided up between the King's Household, the Queen Consort's Household, the Crown Princess' Household, and the Royal Mews. A separate block grant is destined to the maintenance and operation of the Royal Palaces. Madeleine and CP do not get any money directly from the Swedish taxpayers, although they may be reimbursed from appanage money when they perform official duties on behalf of the King. As mentioned before, Madeleine's wedding and the renovation of her apartment in the Royal Mews were partially paid for with State funds.

Royal Finances - Sveriges Kungahus
 
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But, I would add that I don't think Chris is as wealthy as has been claimed in other places. Where they lived in NYC was not the most fashionable and expensive by far, and I never read about their being out and about beyond the "official" engagements.The notion that Chris is a fabulously wealthy American/British financier is romantic but probably not realistic.

According to Expressen, it had documents of testaments, Chris inherited 7 million SEK when his father died in 2004, and shared his fathers cars, furniture etc with his three half-sisters. And in 2007 he and his three half-sisters shared an inheritance of 3 million SEK from their aunt, the nun Cathleen.
So if Chris inherited 7 million + 750000 SEK = 7 750 000 SEK, that is about 950 000 USD in today's currency. And if he works as hard as he claims, has good salary and has invested his fortune well, he can be a quite rich man.
The swedish press writes about him as a millionaire, and that he is, if it is talked in SEK.
Chris arv efter sin pappa_ 7 miljoner _ Dokument _ Expressen
 
Good grief, The man's finances should be his own and private He is not a public figure, just married one. Yes he did inherit money from family, no one's business [except his wife's] As long as he can pay bills and not asking for public hand-outs, good for him. Don't know anything about the man personally, but he seems to be doing well and the way he and wife wants it. Hope they are both happy, healthy and content.
 
Good grief, The man's finances should be his own and private He is not a public figure, just married one. Yes he did inherit money from family, no one's business [except his wife's] As long as he can pay bills and not asking for public hand-outs, good for him. Don't know anything about the man personally, but he seems to be doing well and the way he and wife wants it. Hope they are both happy, healthy and content.

I agree that his personal finances are nobody's business. Personally, I have an issue though with his infamous "breadwinner" interview, as I found it demeaning to his wife.

If the figures that LadyFinn quoted are accurate, Madeleine's inheritance from Prince Bertil alone would exceed Chris' net worth and she probably has other assets as well as her net worth at the time of her wedding was estimated as being at least 3 times what she had inherited. I don't know how that would translate into actual income, but clearly Chris and Madeleine are much closer to "equals" as far as personal wealth is concerned than a "breadwinner" vs "housewife" situation.
 
Good grief, The man's finances should be his own and private He is not a public figure, just married one. Yes he did inherit money from family, no one's business [except his wife's] As long as he can pay bills and not asking for public hand-outs, good for him. Don't know anything about the man personally, but he seems to be doing well and the way he and wife wants it. Hope they are both happy, healthy and content.

Chris' finances came under scrutiny because he 'forgot' to pay taxes in the US and he didnt want to live in Sweden permanently, because in this case his income/taxes would have become public knowledge.
 
If the figures that LadyFinn quoted are accurate, Madeleine's inheritance from Prince Bertil alone would exceed Chris' net worth and she probably has other assets as well as her net worth at the time of her wedding was estimated as being at least 3 times what she had inherited. I don't know how that would translate into actual income, but clearly Chris and Madeleine are much closer to "equals" as far as personal wealth is concerned than a "breadwinner" vs "housewife" situation.

At Expressen's researches they found out that Chris's father Paul O'Neill had had a fortune with company AEON Management Establishment in tax haven in Liechtenstein, that was totally outside his official testament. The assets consisted of large stakes in a variety of American and English companies. Chris and his sisters started take money out from the company in 2012. The company was empty in 2014 and the siblings closed the company. How much money was at the company, that isn't known.
Chris okända rikedom i skatteparadiset _ Nyheter _ Expressen
Translation
 
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Chris is self-employed, isn't he ? I guess that pretty much rules out his expenses being charged to his business.

Chris' finances are indeed shrouded in mystery. There have been reports in the past that his business ventures were not doing so well and he might even have had some financial trouble, but no concrete evidence has ever shown up. Madeleine, on the other hand, is a millionaire in her own right and might be footing part of the bill. There is always speculation that she may also get some money from her father although, if she does, the money probably comes from Carl Gustaf's private funds and not from the State appanage.

The appanage itself is a block grant paid to the Royal Court of Sweden and currently divided up between the King's Household, the Queen Consort's Household, the Crown Princess' Household, and the Royal Mews. A separate block grant is destined to the maintenance and operation of the Royal Palaces. Madeleine and CP do not get any money directly from the Swedish taxpayers, although they may be reimbursed from appanage money when they perform official duties on behalf of the King. As mentioned before, Madeleine's wedding and the renovation of her apartment in the Royal Mews were partially paid for with State funds.

Royal Finances - Sveriges Kungahus
I disagree. People that are selfemployed are the ones that mostly write it off as buissness. Like the family car because you also need the car for work etc.
 
I disagree. People that are selfemployed are the ones that mostly write it off as buissness. Like the family car because you also need the car for work etc.

What I meant is that, if he wrote it off to his business, he would ultimately be charging his expenses to himself as he is actually his own business. It is not like "perks" that big corporation employees have where their companies actually pay their rent, or give them a car, etc.

I must admit though that, since I am just an academic, I don't understand much about the corporate world.
 
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What I meant is that, if he wrote it off to his business, he would ultimately be charging his expensives to himself as he is actually his own business. It is not like "perks" that big corporation employees have where their companies actually pay their rent, or give them a car, etc.

I must admit though that, since I am just an academic, I don't understand much about the corporate world.
True, but they get tax cuts for it. At least here. If you buy through a company you don't have to add the taxes.
 
Good grief, The man's finances should be his own and private He is not a public figure, just married one. Yes he did inherit money from family, no one's business [except his wife's] As long as he can pay bills and not asking for public hand-outs, good for him. Don't know anything about the man personally, but he seems to be doing well and the way he and wife wants it. Hope they are both happy, healthy and content.
I think Chris and perhaps even the SRF itself were more than a little unprepared for the gross intrusion into Chris's life and, in particular, his private finances. I think that naivety was the final nail in the coffin of living happily ever after in Sweden, After all, who wants every man and his dog knowing his private affairs. Certainly here and in many other countries, such an intrusion would be deemed utterly disgusting and not a little vulgar.

Chris doesn't strike me as an overly gregarious sort of person but rather a very private man with a somewhat reserved manner. To such a person, having your private business headlining the scandal rags must have been deeply humiliating and that is not because he is or was hiding anything or was up to some nefarious financial skulduggery, but just because his family's privacy was violated on all levels.

As to those still hung up on "the breadwinner" comment, take it as it was meant, namely that he and Madeleine were not primarily royals and he was going to continue working and Madeleine, who has never even had a job let alone a career, was lucky enough to stay home with the children.
 
What kind of a weird article was quoted here? With "pompous" windows in their living room? How do the reporters know what kind of wallpaper and curtains are in their apartment?

To clarify, it is much better to have an expense billed to your company, like a car, than to write it off if you are self employed, that simply reduces your tax burden to the percentage of your income that is taxed. If you are in the fifty percent tax bracket for example, fifty percent of the item would be deducted from your taxes, not 100 per cent
 
:previous: How do "pompous" windows look, as opposed to, say..demure ones?:lol:

Anyone can sketch us some photos??
 
Lady N., I'd like to give the author the benefit of the doubt. But knowing the snide, accusatory tone the European press seems to customarily take with Chris and Madeleine, I tend to believe there was no gaffe:cool:.
 
I wrote that "pompous" windows. I would like to kindly remind everyone, that english isn't everyone's native language here and our text isn't perfect. I have to use a dictionary sometimes when I write in english. Like I used this time when I read that swedish article and wrote that then in english. Maybe my choice of word wasn't perfectly correct, but perhaps that window thing wasn't the most important thing at the article.
 
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I don't believe and it might be my being niave LadyFinn that anyone meant to criticise your translation. I have always found your post's interesting and insightful and I doubt I am alone. However I suspect that some posters myself included would like to have a word with some journalists and tell them to write better print. I suspect the posters thought it was a direct quote from a journalist and not a fellow poster. I have to thank you or the translator for the 'pompous windows' quote however as it did make me smile :)
 
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