Skavlan/SVT interview with Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill: December 11, 2015


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Marengo said:
I dislike seeing royals in such tv-shows TBH. It devaluates them to just another celebrity. Some Van Vollenhovens also appeared as guests of talkshows here in The Netherlands,but never as informal as this AFAIK, to talk about certain causes they support. Of course the style of the Swedish court is different and as posters said the approach did work for for prince Carl-Philip. I actually prefer the Belgian approach: no interviews at all, just a tidbit here and there about a cause and the rest stays a mystery.
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I agree. It is also a pity that when a swedish princess finally decides to give a TV-interview, it is made in London and there are other, foreign guests at the show too.

Producer Marianne Torp Kierulf tells:
- That's a nice interview with a decent pair. Very open-hearted, nice and pleasant conversation with two people who have it nice in the studio. Viewers can rejoice that they will get to know both the Princess Madeleine and Chris. They are a lovely couple and great guests. They were very trusting and easy to have to deal with.
How did you get Madeleine and Chris to come?
- They had decided. We asked and they had probably decided to give an interview. We have had a conversation with the court a long time, just like several other editors. We have been in contact for a few months.
Reportedly, the focus is on Madeleine and Chris relationship and lives now in London as parents of young children - far from the red carpets at home in Sweden.
- Madeleine and Chris were very decent and simple. We had Adele in the same program. She brought 50 people. Madeleine and Chris arrived with one person.
Torp Kierulf tells that Fredrik Skavlan had a private meeting with the princess couple before the recording:
- Fredrik met the couple once before recording to prepare for the interview. He usually does that sometimes with the guests.
Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill made no demands for Skavlan on editing or retakes:
- There were no demands on what they could talk about or that they should be involved in the editing. It was an interview on the same terms as all interviews. They were curious what guests would be there, but they made no demands. They wanted to know who the other guests were to prepare, all guests get to know that.
The program will reportedly contain no revelations, only "nice Friday entertainment with a princess and her husband".
Madeleine och Chris i första tv-framträdandet – med Adele _ Nyheter _ Expressen
Translation

Johan T Lindwall says that Madeleine and Chris probably wanted a new approach to Madeleine, there has been a negativity around her, the talk of the apanage, that she is not in Sweden and work as a princess and that it is a little odd. They want to show that she is a totally ordinary person and not just a princess at the red carpet. This is a strategy to make her more popular and close to the people. Those who are the most popular are crown princess Victoria and prince Daniel and even princess Sofia and prince Carl Philip and one wants to make Madeleine resemble them more.

SwissRoyal said:
Does anyone know where/ how to watch this interview online?


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If and when it is show at SVTplay at the same time than on TV, SVT will put a link to their website, they normally do that a day before the play.
 
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LadyFinn said:
Producer Marianne Torp Kierulf tells:
- That's a nice interview with a decent pair. Very open-hearted, nice and pleasant conversation with two people who have it nice in the studio. Viewers can rejoice that they will get to know both the Princess Madeleine and Chris. They are a lovely couple and great guests. They were very trusting and easy to have to deal with.
How did you get Madeleine and Chris to come?
- They had decided. We asked and they had probably decided to give an interview. We have had a conversation with the court a long time, just like several other editors. We have been in contact for a few months.
Reportedly, the focus is on Madeleine and Chris relationship and lives now in London as parents of young children - far from the red carpets at home in Sweden.
- Madeleine and Chris were very decent and simple. We had Adele in the same program. She brought 50 people. Madeleine and Chris arrived with one person.
Torp Kierulf tells that Fredrik Skavlan had a private meeting with the princess couple before the recording:
- Fredrik met the couple once before recording to prepare for the interview. He usually does that sometimes with the guests.
Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill made no demands for Skavlan on editing or retakes:
- There were no demands on what they could talk about or that they should be involved in the editing. It was an interview on the same terms as all interviews. They were curious what guests would be there, but they made no demands. They wanted to know who the other guests were to prepare, all guests get to know that.
The program will reportedly contain no revelations, only "nice Friday entertainment with a princess and her husband".
Madeleine och Chris i första tv-framträdandet – med Adele _ Nyheter _ Expressen
Translation

Johan T Lindwall says that Madeleine and Chris probably wanted a new approach to Madeleine, there has been a negativity around her, the talk of the apanage, that she is not in Sweden and work as a princess and that it is a little odd. They want to show that she is a totally ordinary person and not just a princess at the red carpet. This is a strategy to make her more popular and close to the people. Those who are the most popular are crown princess Victoria and prince Daniel and even princess Sofia and prince Carl Philip and one wants to make Madeleine resemble them more.
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Sorry, but their PR is all over the place. They go into a special talk show with supercelebrities like Adele to show how down to earth and ordinary they are ... wow.
I wonder who advises them in PR because this is bound to backfire.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Sorry, but their PR is all over the place. They go into a special talk show with supercelebrities like Adele to show how down to earth and ordinary they are ... wow.
I wonder who advises them in PR because this is bound to backfire.
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You think?
Why? Not serious enough?

I don't know Skavlan. What kind of show is this? Is he an entertainment-interviewer like the legendary Parkinson of BBC? Because that could actually be very good!
Or is he too shallow? Because then this could indeed risk becoming a case of: "Look at us, we are just as ordinary as all the other jet-setters".

IMO whatever they do, say something meaningful! Do not goof, laugh too much and giggle.
 
Hans and Anna Shimoda in gossip magazine Hänt i Veckan have talked with someone who was at the recording and that person confirms Hänt's suspicions that the couple did everything to appear harmonious and at the same time dared to be private. The source says that Chris needed this and that everything was so cute and great. Skavlan asks Adele and Jamie Oliver if they were nervous to meet a royal person, and Chris says that he was nervous in that anyway. They talk about personalities and Chris is asked if he has a temperament and he admits, and Madeleine says: YES, he has a temperament!
She also reveals that he is charming and funny and she laughs at Chris every day, and tells Chris is the one who cooks and the signature dish is the spaghetti aglio e oli and that it was precisely that which he cooked on their first date.
Chris claims that Madeleine and sister-in-law Victoria are born to be mothers and refers to their natural touch.
They like to live in London. Above all, it fits well for Madeleine, she is close to her family in Sweden.
In addition, Madeleine gives her parents King Carl Gustaf and mother Silvia small, but subtle boot.
- I don't want what I myself had it as a child. My parents were away a lot. I want to be home with my children as much as possible.
Prinsessan Madeleines och Chris hemliga avslöjanden hos Skavlan – vi har hela intervjun _ Hänt.se
Translation

On the cover of Hänt i Veckan
Madeleine and Chris reveal everything in Skavlan
The Attitude Problem
Chris temperament
The king and Silvia's betrayal
The full interview
https://www.instagram.com/p/_ESeNDGo68/?taken-by=hant_i_veckan
 
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Well, that's sound interesting and predictable... I thought they were alone while they were being interview though... I didn't know that Adele and Jamie Oliver were present at the interview as well, at least I hope not!

"Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino": spaghetti with garlic, oil and chilli ;-)
 
Skavlan/SVT interview with Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill - 11 Dec. 2015

some talk show like Graham Norton and the Tonight show used to (I don't if they still do) the guests stay on the set when a new guest comes out. They just move a seat down. You get the guests interacting.


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Jenny Grenander, member of the Board of the Republican Association, writes a very critical column in Expressen about today's interview:

Dare to ask tough questions from the princess
She writes that the interview is in a way a reasonable journalistic evaluation. A member of the royal family who is known not to give interviews is obviously an interesting guest. Grenander looks forward to hear the princess answer how the monarchy fits into a modern democracy. How she defends her readiness, as number four in line to the throne, to inherit power, without having done more than happened to be born in the family she was born? Isn't that a little ... medieval?
It would be terrible if SVT uses the interview to giggle, empathy and coziness. When else you can set straight questions, which starts from that the members of the royal family are adults and can talk about the form of government?
Grenander understands that the questions aren't made in the middle of a wedding. But if you never get serious - How do you handle your mission? The head of the Radio Gävleborg openly criticized Madeleine for refusing to answer to questions. The court blamed, among other things, that the sound gets bad on the radio. Radio technology has almost a hundred years worked well for sports stars, politicians and artists, but with the royal family will be problems.
Grenander hopes that Skavlan took contact to colleagues in Gävleborg, and received a note with the unanswered questions.
The princess's appearance in SVT will be just over 14 hours of royal broadcasts in 2015. "We can't send everything", said SVT managers before they changed their minds about the transmission of the prince baptism. It remains for SVT to prove that they don't do just that, send all, as soon as the court asks for it.
Grenander asks from whose initiative Madeleine and Chris ended in Skavlan? SVT has spoken about their good "relationship" and "dialogue" with the court. Other editors ask those in power for interviews when they have something to ask about. SVT has "relationships" and "dialogues"? Is it a nice way of saying that the enquiry sometimes comes from the court?
It is well known that Madeleine has problems with popularity figures. She has never made an effort to be popular, ducks the work events on behalf of Sweden, and goes into exile in one of London's wealthiest neighborhoods. You have to be very naive if you don't see the visit in Skavlan as a conscious way to do personal PR and improve your reputation. Carl Philip listened to his PR agency and made cozyTV on TV4 with good results. Now Madeleine hopes the same effect. It is regrettable that SVT so rapidly set up.
Republikanska föreningen_ Låt inte Madde och Chris slippa de kritiska frågorna, Skavlan _ Debatt _ Expressen
Translation

Photos_ Skavlan Filming in London _ Contactmusic.com
 
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when does the skavlan interview start? Can't find a live link on SVT
 
God, this is so wrong. I don't get the format, it's a talkshow with a constantly laughing audience, with Adele and Jamie Oliver, who have no clue about royalty, joining the interview at times. Fluffy celebrity stuff, like a homestory revealing all these private details that nobody is supposed to know, not even or especially from royals. And this from royals who claim to be 'normal' and 'private'.

Not sure what they want to achieve, and I am sure people will critizise this a lot, espcially in Sweden. Such an interview should have been done at the stage of the engagement but in a royal setting, in Sweden and in swedish, as much as possible. They have refused interviews in Sweden for a long time, even when it was necessary and now they are opening up big time and very detailed, why?

Madeleine's dig at her parents, that they were away a lot and that she wants to stay with the kids all the time (does she?) is really unnecessary.

I don't particulary like CP but his interview was much better done and more credible in the sense of what he wanted to achieve, plus it was exclusive, in a royal setting.

If Madde is Chris are doing this to gain popularity I am not sure this is the right strategy. Madeleine complaining that people think of her as arrogant because she does not answer the press' questions in front of this audience is a joke, really.
 
I am enjoying this interview to be fair! Chris is totally polite and lovely: I like him even better.But Madeleine is clearly uncomfortable...


I didn't know Chris has italian heritage? ??? So glad to hear this! He pronounced "spaghetti aglio e olio" in an impeccable accent! He said he used to spend time in sicily during holidays 'cause his parents came from Italy... is this true?
 
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Here in the UK Adele said... so it wasn't even filmed in Sweden?
I find the fact they chose this type of interview for one of their most major / in depth interview. We have similar formats over here and they work for celebrities who are promoting their latest project, and of course they also talk about themselves and their lives but I don;t think its appropriate for a Royal to appear on it with no obvious project/cause to promote.
I know its annoying when people refer back to the British RF but they are the royals from my country and I'm just trying to imagine William and Kate or Harry appearing on Graham Norton's chat show, it would just seem odd for them to do so without having a really important charity event or cause to promote.
 
Well! The said the most interesting things almost at the end. I loved how Chris said that women make the world better and that he grew with strong women. I als loved how he spoke about CP and Victoria and that the press don't know them (royals in general) and that the might prentend to know them writing things...

I loved hearing the little tidbits about Madeleine and he sister and that Leonore and Estelle are doing the same things right now...She even kind of confirmes she is not going to give up her title but she admits she could do more for Sweden, even on London... And from what Chris has said, they haven't thought about Leonore and Nicolas future school years yet.
After that she talks about Childhood...

The will spend Chrismas in london
 
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From the beginning I heard about this kind of interview I can not say I was excited but I wanted first to see this. Now I can say "no comment". They could do it completely differently. Whose idea was wondering?
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
God, this is so wrong. I don't get the format, it's a talkshow with a constantly laughing audience, with Adele and Jamie Oliver, who have no clue about royalty, joining the interview at times. Fluffy celebrity stuff, like a homestory revealing all these private details that nobody is supposed to know, not even or especially from royals. And this from royals who claim to be 'normal' and 'private'.

Not sure what they want to achieve, and I am sure people will critizise this a lot, espcially in Sweden. Such an interview should have been done at the stage of the engagement but in a royal setting, in Sweden and in swedish, as much as possible. They have refused interviews in Sweden for a long time, even when it was necessary and now they are opening up big time and very detailed, why?

Madeleine's dig at her parents, that they were away a lot and that she wants to stay with the kids all the time (does she?) is really unnecessary.

I don't particulary like CP but his interview was much better done and more credible in the sense of what he wanted to achieve, plus it was exclusive, in a royal setting.

If Madde is Chris are doing this to gain popularity I am not sure this is the right strategy. Madeleine complaining that people think of her as arrogant because she does not answer the press' questions in front of this audience is a joke, really.
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I totally agree.
But the court officers or a hired PR-person had trained them, especially Madeleine well with her answers. It is very clear that they had got the questions before the interview. She tells that she wants to promote swedish business. When she was in New York, she wasn’t very eager to promote the Swedish business, although she is the patron of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce. Not many articles in the news. She spoke what she could do for Sweden. But not what she really has so far done for Sweden. Very cleverly trained, forget the negative things, promise to do this and that and get positive publicity. She should tell what she does at her work in Childhood and for the vulnerable children, does she do more than posts links to articles at her Facebook. She doesn't think she has done something wrong, everyone else is wrong. To me it looks that she doesn't want to understand her responsibilities for Sweden and the swedish people.
Those who prepared them to the interview were also clever to tell Madeleine and Chris to praise Victoria, the most popular member of the royal family. Both praised her and Madeleine highlighted their closeness very much.
Many minutes were wasted to things that weren't necessary to tell at all: Leonore's toys and Nicolas's stomach flu, and what kind of food they cook and does Madeleine choose Chris's clothes.
Madeleine says that she is shy - Chris says that Madeleine is very outgoing and open.
The only good question was made to Chris, if he is irritated about the press. Because Chris has so far pointed so many times out that he is a private person, a surprise, suddenly he told about his work.
They give an interview to a norwegian, the interview is made in England, the guests are foreign celebrities. Could Madeleine get further away from Sweden?
Well, the court surely has very good relationship with SVT to get so much time for Chris and Madeleine at this program.
 
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So negatives first:
I'm not quite sure WHY they'd want to do this to be honest, and I think it does send out a mixed message. I also hate the format.
Positives:
Chris comes across really well. Madeleine looks quite nervous and he gives her a little wink at one point which is sweet. I also think Madeleine sets her stall out in terms of what she'd like to raise awareness of, and it makes me wonder if she's doing World Childhood Foundation stuff behind the scenes, as well looking after her children.

Score one for Mr O'Neill.
 
I thought there was another good question to, if Madeleine had ever thought about giving up her title. I know lots of people on here have suggested Madeleine should have, I was one of them. I didn't think her answer was the best but at least she gave a legitimate reason of why she wanted to keep her title (saying she wanted to use it to help raise the profile of good causes).
 
I'm going to be the odd one out and say I absolutely enjoyed this interview. I didn't realize how funny Chris is and I was surprised by how comfortable and at ease he was in front of the camera/audience. Madeleine seemed a bit nervous at times, but that's probably due to her shyness.

I have to admit that I went into this interview with serious reservations. I thought it was going to be awkward, but the roundtable setup didn't bother me. It felt more relaxed than the normal one-on-one royal interviews, so I ended up feeling as if I got to know Chris and Madeleine better. It was great hearing abut their every day life and her charity. I also liked how they addressed many of the criticisms that have been floating around about them (and their decision to move to London).
 
Skavlan/SVT interview with Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill - 11 Dec. 2015

Skavlan is seen as a more serious (though admittedly still light-weight) talkshow and has gigantic viewing figures in both Norway and Sweden. At its peak it was reported in Swedish media to have one of the largest live audiences for a talkshow in the world. It's filmed in both countries and occasionally also in London to be able to have as many international guests as the show has which is quite a lot for a continental tv-show.
In my opinion both Madeleine and Chris made a very good impression in front of the camera with especially the latter seeming confident and not at all flustered by the attention. Skavlan had them answer quite a few questions we've been discussing a lot here on the forums such as: choice of residence both current and in the future, Madeleine's title, Chris career, their relationship to the media etc...
I think for as much as people care the interview will give my fellow Swedes a somewhat different and more positive image of the couple.
What someone saw as taking a dig at her parents is something that Victoria has mentioned before and even their mother, The Queen has voiced hopes for Victoria to have time to raise her children in peace for as long as possible before succeeding to the throne and not having to leave them as much as she had to leave her own.


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JR76 said:
Skavlan is seen as a more serious (though admittedly still light-weight) talkshow and has gigantic viewing figures in both Norway and Sweden. At its peak it was reported in Swedish media to have one of the largest live audiences for a talkshow in the world. It's filmed in both countries and occasionally also in London to be able to have as many international guests as the show has which is quite a lot for a continental tv-show.
In my opinion both Madeleine and Chris made a very good impression in front of the camera with especially the latter seeming confident and not at all flustered by the attention. Skavlan had them answer quite a few questions we've been discussing a lot here on the forums such as: choice of residence both current and in the future, Madeleine's title, Chris career, their relationship to the media etc...
I think for as much as people care the interview will give my fellow Swedes a somewhat different and more positive image of the couple.
What someone saw as taking a dig at her parents is something that Victoria has mentioned before and even their mother, The Queen has voiced hopes for Victoria to have time to raise her children in peace for as long as possible before succeeding to the throne and not having to leave them as much as she had to leave her own.


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I agree with it all. The thing about the parents not being home is something all 3 kids and the parents have mentioned as a "negative thing about them being King and Queen" so I didn't see any problem at all. I really like Chris appearantly, he will win ALOT of votes for saying that if women ran the world it would be a much better place. Yes, it was a bit odd to do an interview like this, but Skavlan is REALLY popular and appriciated over here.
 
I thought the interview was excellent. I loved the format, and I think having Jamie and Adele were there too was a good idea because they took the emphasis away from royalty and provided opportunities for wider discussion about a range of things such as parenthood and food. And I can't remember whether it was Jamie or Adele but one of them chipped in with the comment about absent parents being an indicator of the times and that led to a discussion about modern, more hands-on, parenting, which diffused the comments about Madeleine's parents being away a lot.

The interview allowed viewers to get to know both Chris and Madeleine far more than I, for example, have been able to "know" them until now. Having seen it, I adore Chris and I really like Madeleine. We got to see them interact and speak about each other and their lives in an informal situation. How they said what they said was as important as what they said, though what they said was definitely enlightening, too. Some things that have been hinted at were confirmed, and we learned some new information and got some endearing insights about Victoria and Carl Philip. I think the interview was a real treat. Not that it really matters what an Australian thinks about them. :D
 
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Roslyn said:
I thought the interview was excellent. I loved the format, and I think having Jamie and Adele were there too was a good idea because they took the emphasis away from royalty and provided opportunities for wider discussion about a range of things such as parenthood and food. And I can't remember whether it was Jamie or Adele but one of them chipped in with the comment about absent parents being an indicator of the times and that led to a discussion about modern, more hands-on, parenting, which diffused the comments about Madeleine's parents being away a lot.

The interview allowed viewers to get to know both Chris and Madeleine far more than I, for example, have been able to "know" them until now. Having seen it, I adore Chris and I really like Madeleine. We got to see them interact and speak about each other and their lives in an informal situation. How they said what they said was as important as what they said, though what they said was definitely enlightening, too. Some things that have been hinted at were confirmed, and we learned some new information and got some endearing insights about Victoria and Carl Philip. I think the interview was a real treat. Not that it really matters what an Australian thinks about them. :D
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I absolutely agree with you. Skavlan was able to ask the unaskable questions about everything you wouldn't normally ask a royal. I actually like that royal protocol was thrown away and made the audience understand the SRF especially Victoria and Carl Philip.
I actually like Madeline input on promoting Swedish business in the British market.
 
I agree not the appropriate thing to be doing and it was quite awkward in fact ......IMO
 
O. k . I admit I´m no fan of that couple either but few ours ago I watched the baptism broadcast of Nicolas´ and I must admit I felt my opinion confirmed: No eye-interaction between Madeleine and Chris, they only seem to communicate if it´s about the kids. Apart from that they don´t seem to deign to look at each other.
 
Stefanie said:
O. k . I admit I´m no fan of that couple either but few ours ago I watched the baptism broadcast of Nicolas´ and I must admit I felt my opinion confirmed: No eye-interaction between Madeleine and Chris, they only seem to communicate if it´s about the kids. Apart from that they don´t seem to deign to look at each other.
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I don't think you've watched the Skavlan show :p
 
:previous: I'd be prepared to bet she hasn't. :)
 
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