Princess Madeleine, Chris O'Neill & Family, General News Part 4,February 2021


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TV4's court expert Claes-Johan Larsson said at TV4's Nyhetsmorgon that he was happy about the news of Madeleine and family moving to Sweden, not least because Madeleine will have more opportunities to perform royal duties.
It has been difficult for her to take part in the work at home. She is very committed to Childhood. Madeleine is very appreciated when she participates in events of the organizations she is interested in. Larsson says that the King and Queen are not very young anymore and the royal family has a lot of work events and are asked to more and more events. Many people don't know Chris at all, he is very much connected to photos as a partying guy (photos of his bachelor party and others). That is also a little because of the photos seen at the media, there are not so many photos of him playing with his children, he is not seen as a family father he is. Larsson has met Chris a couple of times and thinks he is a polite man. Anders Pihlblad asks if now when the queen is soon 80 years old, Madeleine would work more for World Childhood Foundation. Larsson says that Madeleine is very engaged in her work at WCF and that the organization should tell more how the Queen and Madeleine's work help the organization. Larsson says also that it is interesting to see how long the family will live at the Royal Stables, it is very central and it will be tough for the children.
Prinsessan Madeleine flyttar hem – ”Kungen och drottningen är inte purunga längre”

Somebody said:
The children aren't 'starting school'. Leonore turned 9 last month and Nicolas will turn 8 in June; it's only Adrienne who is reaching 'school age' (for some countries) by turning 6 tomorrow.

The eldest have been in school for several years now and I assume Adrienne has at least been in pre-school/kindergarten so far.
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Adrienne has her 5th birthday today.
 
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In the course of events, I can only say that this latest move seems very precipitous and as the house is (please God) "staged" professionally for sale it is unlikely that the family are actually living there at all. All of this begs the question, where are they?

I wondered why they moved to Florida in the first place as it hardly seems like a major international finance hub, but perhaps the architecture appealed. All those wonderful high ceilings and a colour palate that consists of every name and shade of white could mistakenly be seen as an echo of the soaring
ceilings and white walls of the palaces Madeleine had grown up in. But the reality of lack of variety with no softening touches, not soft gilt edges ore magnificent wooden parquet floors, all of which still managed to exude a warm and welcoming home that includes children.

To call Madeleine and Chris's lifestyle nomadic is to say that they really have not actually "settled" anywhere and the only plus that Sweden has is that Madeleine is beloved royal princess, and they are ensured of a warm welcome for their family by her family, society and her country itself. Moving to an extremely wealthy Floridian society did not mean that they would automatically welcome Madeleine and her avowed family/child centric lifestyle. Royalty doesn't mean much either so IMHO the life they lived in Florida was probably as sterile as the staged homes.

I say this move seems precipitous but that cannot be true as it looks like they don't live there anymore, certainly no children do, as the house is kept in pristine condition for any potential buyers to view. Even with the best staff in the house and grounds, it would have taken some time to ready the house for the market and it seems that the SRF went public about the return of their youngest child and her family the same time that the house went online for sale.
 
The thread has once again been cleaned up. Please stay respectful towards the people you discuss. Thank you!
 
MARG said:
I wondered why they moved to Florida in the first place as it hardly seems like a major international finance hub, but perhaps the architecture appealed.
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Wilton Payments, the firm in which Chris works with his brother-in-law, has always had an office in Palm Beach in Florida.
Contact Us - Wilton Payments

Chris/the O'Neill family had a big house in Palm Beach, bought in 2008, the house was sold in 2018.

*******
The King and queen today to the press at their county visit:
When the King and Queen Silvia visited Västerås on Thursday, they were asked questions about Madeleine's choice to come home.
- It is of course wonderful, we are very happy. The children are very much looking forward to it, they speak Swedish and love Sweden, says Queen Silvia to Expressen's reporter on the spot and continues:
- They are very much looking forward to school and being here. We are very happy about that.
The king also made it clear that it is entirely Madeleine's and the family's decision to move home and leave sunny Florida.
Has the royal family been involved in the decision for Madeleine to move back?
- Decision, what decision? No, why that? They have a life of their own. It's usually like that in most families, says the king to Svensk Damtidning.
JUST NU_ Kungen och Silvias första ord om Madeleines flytt till Sverige_ ”Härligt” _*Svensk Dam
 
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Hänt Magazine:
For Chris, it will be something different to live on the other side of the world after the years in the United States. But what will Chris's life look like after the family settles in Sweden? Hänt reaches the court, they confirm that the princess's husband will not become part of the royal house even if the family moves to the country.
The court in a message to Hänt Magazine:
"Mr Christopher O'Neill's private professional life is not something we comment on. In connection with the wedding between Princess Madeleine and Mr. Christopher O'Neill, the Royal Court stated that Mr O'Neill intends to continue his business. Because of this, Mr. Christopher O'Neill requested to remain an individual citizen and not a member of the Royal House".
Hovets första ord om Chris O'Neills nya liv i Sverige _ Hänt
 
Asteria12 said:
It is a beautiful house and very carefully staged as a family home! Are pool fences not required in America? Thank you for sharing the link JR76!
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In Florida, you only have to have the area surrounding the pool gated, not the pool itself, and locks on exterior doors that face the pool. Each state is different. Having lived in Florida, it has surprisingly lax laws regarding pools, as most pools are caged in, and that fulfills the legal requirements.

MARG said:
In the course of events, I can only say that this latest move seems very precipitous and as the house is (please God) "staged" professionally for sale it is unlikely that the family are actually living there at all. All of this begs the question, where are they?
Click to expand...

My friend is a realtor who sells luxury homes. For photos and videos, if the listing is for a primary residence, typically the family moves out for several days while personal items are stored and stagers come in to stage. That way the photos and video are perfect, and also contain no personal or private info. Then the family moves back in, since viewings are by appointment only with verified buyers.

So what we're seeing in listing photos for properties like this is not what the family truly had day-to-day. Nor do these types of homes have public open houses. If a viewing is scheduled, the family has adequate notice to clean up and leave ahead of time. Schools in Florida finish at the end of May, so it's very likely that the family is still in the house, and will do a lease back if it's sold before the end of school.
 
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I'm guessing eventually the family may move from the Royal Mews apartment to a larger, more family friendly property - with a bit more outdoor space for example. Is there a property somewhere already they could use (like when CP and Sofia moved into Lilian and Bertil's old house) or would they have to buy their own?
 
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Marengo said:
I have seen Villa Loviseberg mentioned, which seems to be near the palace of Ulriksdal.

The source is however the German boulevard press so I am not sure how credible that would be ;).

https://www.gala.de/royals/skandina...edacht--sie-soll-woanders-leben-23031678.html

They first mentioned it one year ago:
https://www.gala.de/royals/skandina...--wird-sie-victorias-nachbarin--22619886.html
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In August 2022 the swedish press wrote widely that Villa Loviseberg (the former home of the King and Queen's good friends, Andrea Brodin's parents Hans Eric and Eva Benita Brodin) will be the residence of the prime minister, when the prime minister's residence will be renovated.
Villa Loviseberg will likely be used by Sweden's prime minister when the Lejonet quarter, where the prime minister's residence Sagerska Palace is located, is renovated.
- We bought Villa Loviseberg to be prepared for an evacuation chain in connection with the renovation of the Lejonet quarter, where Sagerska is located. We have to be at the forefront, you can't get a replacement home when it's time to move, a source tells Kvartal.
However, the renovation of the Lejonet quarter, which also includes the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, is not expected to begin until spring 2024.
Peter Wallin, the director of the National Property Board, tells Kvartal that he can neither confirm nor deny the information. This is because there is no formal decision from the Government Offices.
Statsministern ska bo i hemlig lyxvilla – kostade 59 miljoner

********

Hänt Magazine has asked the court, if there are plans for Madeleine and family to have another accommodation apart from the floor in the Royal Stables?
The court answers that they only have information about the princess's floor in the Royal Stables.
"The information we have is that Princess Madeleine and her family are moving into the apartment at the Royal Stables in Stockholm", the court writes in an email to Hänt.
Orsaken bakom prinsessan Madeleines flytt – hovets ord _ Hänt

********

Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for Migration, had to answer last week at the Livefika of Svenskar i världen (Swedes Worldwide) about Madeleine and Chris' move to Sweden.
The Minister of Migration was asked whether Chris, who is not a Swedish citizen, will have to go through the process of obtaining a residence permit, which can take up to two years, where parents can be forced to live in two different countries for a period of time.
- After all, Chris is British-American and thus comes from a third country in this context. Can they move home together without being separated for up to two years or will he be exempt from the process, which all other "ordinary" people have to go through?, asks Cecilia Borglin from Swedes Worldwide.
- That is a very good question. I think you need to contact the Migration Agency to find out how they are handled, but it is clear that the legislation should apply generally to everyone. But there are a number of reasons for exceptions, and I cannot predict how to do it in this individual case, but it must be up to the law enforcement officer to do it, replies the Minister of Migration.
Minister Stenergard emphasizes that the government welcomes everyone who wants to move back to Sweden, regardless of whether they are royal or not.
Regeringens förvirring – Chris flytt till Sverige kan stoppas _*Svensk Dam
 
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LadyFinn said:
Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for Migration, had to answer last week at the Livefika of Svenskar i världen (Swedes Worldwide) about Madeleine and Chris' move to Sweden.
The Minister of Migration was asked whether Chris, who is not a Swedish citizen, will have to go through the process of obtaining a residence permit, which can take up to two years, where parents can be forced to live in two different countries for a period of time.
- After all, Chris is British-American and thus comes from a third country in this context. Can they move home together without being separated for up to two years or will he be exempt from the process, which all other "ordinary" people have to go through?, asks Cecilia Borglin from Swedes Worldwide.
- That is a very good question. I think you need to contact the Migration Agency to find out how they are handled, but it is clear that the legislation should apply generally to everyone. But there are a number of reasons for exceptions, and I cannot predict how to do it in this individual case, but it must be up to the law enforcement officer to do it, replies the Minister of Migration.
Minister Stenergard emphasizes that the government welcomes everyone who wants to move back to Sweden, regardless of whether they are royal or not.
Regeringens förvirring – Chris flytt till Sverige kan stoppas _*Svensk Dam
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Based on this page from the Migration Agency's website, I had the impression that spouses of Swedish citizens were permitted to stay in Sweden. What am I missing?

https://www.migrationsverket.se/Eng...registered-partner-or-cohabiting-partner.html
 
Tatiana Maria said:
Based on this page from the Migration Agency's website, I had the impression that spouses of Swedish citizens were permitted to stay in Sweden. What am I missing?

https://www.migrationsverket.se/Eng...registered-partner-or-cohabiting-partner.html
Click to expand...

I think the issue is that Chris along with a multitude of others are entitled to the residence permits, but it can presumably take much longer ("up to two years") to be issued one if you are not the King's son-in-law.
 
Prinsara said:
I think the issue is that Chris along with a multitude of others are entitled to the residence permits, but it can presumably take much longer ("up to two years") to be issued one if you are not the King's son-in-law.
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That would make sense. If the 2021 tabloid reports that Princess Madeleine intended to move back to Sweden were true, it might perhaps explain why the move took two years to materialize.
 
Tatiana Maria said:
That would make sense. If the 2021 tabloid reports that Princess Madeleine intended to move back to Sweden were true, it might perhaps explain why the move took two years to materialize.
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If that's the case, then Madeleine may have to explain things have been in motion for that long, in order to avoid potential accusations of favoritism or line-skipping.
 
Given that the issue of the residency permit has been raised, it would be best to ensure and publicly make it known that no 'special treatment' was applied. The fact that they already start about 'exceptions' seems to suggest that he might however/indeed receive a special treatment.
 
I imagine the treatment will be simular to that of most high income expats - with or without a Swedish or royal spouse.
 
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The problems referred to in this very informative talk (I learned a lot) with the Migration Minister isn't that Chris will have any problems with having his application of residence approved, but lies in the generally long processing time for those applications.
While the process can take up to two years the general processing time for applications of residence from partners of Swedish citizens living in the USA is 307 days. Both Chris' citizenships are in so called third countries meaning that they are in countries outside of the European Union.
While the general rule is that when a third country citizen applies for a permit of residence to join their Swedish partner that partner has to be living in Sweden, an exception is made from that rule for families living abroad together with the intention that they should be able to move to Sweden together. Like all couples in their situation Chris and Madeleine would have started the process together at a Swedish embassy or consulate by her stating her serious intent to return to Sweden whereupon he can submit his application of residence and then later during the process they would have to prove their serious intent of moving by showing that they for example have arranged for a place to stay or have jobs. Because of the long processing time many have a hard time arranging these proofs of serious intent because you can't put homes and jobs on hold for to long. This is why many families choose to or are forced to split up while waiting for the permit of residence for the non-Swedish partner to be approved.
As we all know Chris has a job, the family has a home waiting for them and neither Chris nor Madeleine are lacking in funds so he shouldn't have any trouble getting his permit of residence approved without any pulling of strings.
Given that the law states that Chris can't move to Sweden without that permit it's likely that his application has already been approved since they've already communicated when they're coming back.
The possibly long process of getting a permit of residence for Chris together with the enlargement and redecoration of the family's flat and Madeleine visiting Campus Manilla last year (?) indicates that there might have been a long-term plan for the family to return to Sweden.
 
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Somebody said:
Given that the issue of the residency permit has been raised, it would be best to ensure and publicly make it known that no 'special treatment' was applied. The fact that they already start about 'exceptions' seems to suggest that he might however/indeed receive a special treatment.
Click to expand...

Maxima Zorreguieta and Mary Donaldson got special treatment if I am not mistaken since their citizenship applications were fast-tracked in the Netherlands and Denmark respectively.

I don’t know if Chris got any special treatment in Sweden, but, if he did, it would be consistent with unrelated precedent in other European monarchies.
 
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But Maxima and Mary were to beome spouses of future Sovereigns, while Chris is not.
 
JR76 said:
The problems referred to in this very informative talk (I learned a lot) with the Migration Minister isn't that Chris will have any problems with having his application of residence approved, but lies in the generally long processing time for those applications.
While the process can take up to two years the general processing time for applications of residence from partners of Swedish citizens living in the USA is 307 days. Both Chris' citizenships are in so called third countries meaning that they are in countries outside of the European Union.
While the general rule is that when a third country citizen applies for a permit of residence to join their Swedish partner that partner has to be living in Sweden, an exception is made from that rule for families living abroad together with the intention that they should be able to move to Sweden together. Like all couples in their situation Chris and Madeleine would have started the process together at a Swedish embassy or consulate by her stating her serious intent to return to Sweden whereupon he can submit his application of residence and then later during the process they would have to prove their serious intent of moving by showing that they for example have arranged for a place to stay or have jobs. Because of the long processing time many have a hard time arranging these proofs of serious intent because you can't put homes and jobs on hold for to long. This is why many families choose to or are forced to split up while waiting for the permit of residence for the non-Swedish partner to be approved.
As we all know Chris has a job, the family has a home waiting for them and neither Chris nor Madeleine are lacking in funds so he shouldn't have any trouble getting his permit of residence approved without any pulling of strings.
Given that the law states that Chris can't move to Sweden without that permit it's likely that his application has already been approved since they've already communicated when they're coming back.
The possibly long process of getting a permit of residence for Chris together with the enlargement and redecoration of the family's flat and Madeleine visiting Campus Manilla last year (?) indicates that there might have been a long-term plan for the family to return to Sweden.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the informative summing up.
What about schooling: Without special treatment, how far in advance would the couple had to begin reserving places for their children in Stockholm-area schools?


Mbruno said:
I don’t know if Chris had any special treatment in Sweden, but, if he did, it would be consistent with unrelated precedent in other European monarchies.
Click to expand...

The Migration Agency Facebook post linked above says roughly "There is no exemption on the grounds of connection to royalty for a third-country citizen who applies for a residence permit. Nor does the Migration Agency have simplified procedures for this and the file is therefore handled in accordance with the normal process".

Biri said:
But Maxima and Mary were to beome spouses of future Sovereigns, while Chris is not.
Click to expand...

True. Princess Claire of Luxembourg and the children-in-law of Princess Astrid of Belgium were not awarded citizenship even though the marriages were dynastic.
 
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Tatiana Maria said:
Thank you for the informative summing up.
What about schooling: Without special treatment, how far in advance would the couple had to begin reserving places for their children in Stockholm-area schools?
Click to expand...

If they have had to wait two years for Chris' residency approval, it's equally likely that they also put the children's names down for schools during that time. I also recall the rumors that Madeleine was touring schools last year (and the subsequent, now disproven, blather that there must be a divorce coming).

Parents do move and change schools in Sweden with far less than two years notice. Also, the future King of Denmark had to change schools last year with only a few months notice.
 
Tatiana Maria said:
Thank you for the informative summing up.

What about schooling: Without special treatment, how far in advance would the couple had to begin reserving places for their children in Stockholm-area schools?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I have no idea. What I do know is that Campus Manilla has ca 530 students in their primary school classes and 260 students in their high school classes and last year had 10-11000 children waiting in the queue for a place at the school.
From what I understand schools are legally required to follow certain rules regarding their queues so they can't pick and choose any students they want, but are free to set a few terms of their own as long as they don't contradict public policy. Siblings of students already in attendance at the school generally have a priority before other applicants.The school also have a few spots reserved for children of Swedes and foreigners that are recent immigrants to the country. Since this include refugees there was a scandal some time ago when CM had let children from very privileged backgrounds use these spots to cut the line instead of refugees because as they said "no refugees had applied for a place at the school".

That said I'm sure that members of the Royal family won't have problems placing their children in any good school in the Stockholm region.
 
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JR76 said:
From what I understand schools are legally required to follow certain rules regarding their queues so they can't pick and choose any students they want, but are free to set a few terms of their own as long as they don't contradict public policy. Siblings of students already in attendance at the school generally have a priority before other applicants.The school also have a few spots reserved for children of Swedes and foreigners that are recent immigrants to the country. Since this include refugees there was a scandal some time ago when CM had let children from very privileged backgrounds use these spots to cut the line instead of refugees because as they said "no refugees had applied for a place at the school".

That said I'm sure that members of the Royal family won't have problems placing their children in any good school in the Stockholm region.
Click to expand...

Would it be legal for a school to give royal applicants priority over other equally qualified applicants?
 
Tatiana Maria said:
Would it be legal for a school to give royal applicants priority over other equally qualified applicants?
Click to expand...
I highly doubt that it would be. There could of course be issues like security that could justify them being admitted to a school that's already under surveillance because of another royal student already attending, but in general preferential treatment is both frowned upon and in many cases illegal in Sweden. Besides giving priority for siblings and admitting students according to their place in the queue the general rule is that no-one should be able to cut the queue except for special reasons. Also there can't be any testing of primary school students to give admittance admittance with the exception of for classes focusing on music, arts and sports.

Being happily childless I'm gathering facts as I go along so I might not be entirely correct.
 
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Article about family's apartment at the Royal Stables and its renovation in Aftonbladet:
Their apartment in the Royal Stables is probably not a bargain compared to the villa in Florida. The apartment has been renovated for close to 12 million since 2014.
Madeleine and Chris moved into a five-room apartment in 2014. The apartment has since been expanded with two rooms and has today seven rooms. It is not known exactly how big the family's apartment is. Margareta Thorgren said that for security reasons the court doesn't comment on the size and where it is located in the house. Several of the neighbors have floors of between 130 and 230 square meters, but these only have between three and four rooms (..)

Hit flyttar prinsessan Madeleine och Chris – mitt i Stockholm
 
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I know that Madeleine is an enthusiastic equestrienne, but I wonder if any of her children ride?
 
JR76 said:
The problems referred to in this very informative talk (I learned a lot) with the Migration Minister isn't that Chris will have any problems with having his application of residence approved, but lies in the generally long processing time for those applications.
While the process can take up to two years the general processing time for applications of residence from partners of Swedish citizens living in the USA is 307 days. Both Chris' citizenships are in so called third countries meaning that they are in countries outside of the European Union.
While the general rule is that when a third country citizen applies for a permit of residence to join their Swedish partner that partner has to be living in Sweden, an exception is made from that rule for families living abroad together with the intention that they should be able to move to Sweden together. Like all couples in their situation Chris and Madeleine would have started the process together at a Swedish embassy or consulate by her stating her serious intent to return to Sweden whereupon he can submit his application of residence and then later during the process they would have to prove their serious intent of moving by showing that they for example have arranged for a place to stay or have jobs. Because of the long processing time many have a hard time arranging these proofs of serious intent because you can't put homes and jobs on hold for to long. This is why many families choose to or are forced to split up while waiting for the permit of residence for the non-Swedish partner to be approved.
As we all know Chris has a job, the family has a home waiting for them and neither Chris nor Madeleine are lacking in funds so he shouldn't have any trouble getting his permit of residence approved without any pulling of strings.
Given that the law states that Chris can't move to Sweden without that permit it's likely that his application has already been approved since they've already communicated when they're coming back.
The possibly long process of getting a permit of residence for Chris together with the enlargement and redecoration of the family's flat and Madeleine visiting Campus Manilla last year (?) indicates that there might have been a long-term plan for the family to return to Sweden.
Click to expand...

I can confirm this, exactly. A good friend, an Australian with a British passport, married a Swedish woman. They have 2 children. After Brexit, they wanted to leave Britain and go to Sweden. Not a chance to solve this in a plannable time frame. They lived in Spain for a while but eventually returned very reluctantly to Britain because that permit was not given. I was very surprised and honestly confused about this process, that a Swedish citizen cannot bring the family back to the country despite my friend having a good job and a very good income.
 
Madeleine and Chris's house in Pinecrest has now been on sale for 46 days.
The price was lowered yesterday with $200,000 and is now $7,450,000.
 
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