Princess Madeleine, Chris O'Neill & Family, General News Part 4: February 2021 - April 2025


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Status
Not open for further replies.
But wasn't that one of the reasons why Chris convinced his family back then that it would be better to move abroad? I also don't understand why they don't just leave this family alone, the other family members aren't exposed to such malicious remarks either. Maybe people resent the fact that Chris didn't want a title or to get involved in any royal issues. He just wants to be independent and earn his own money. That's perfectly understandable.
 
But wasn't that one of the reasons why Chris convinced his family back then that it would be better to move abroad? I also don't understand why they don't just leave this family alone, the other family members aren't exposed to such malicious remarks either. Maybe people resent the fact that Chris didn't want a title or to get involved in any royal issues. He just wants to be independent and earn his own money. That's perfectly understandable.
Stoppa Pressarna writes badly about all members of the royal family.
Nobody in Sweden resents Chris for refusing a title. If anything, the few times it's brought up, it reflects positively on him.
 
I've always assumed their living in the Royal Mews wouldn't be permanent. They had a beautiful home with plenty of space, including outdoor space, in Florida so I guessed they'd look for somewhere of their own in Sweden as well that has a little more room. I get that the apartment is big (not how we all thing of an apartment at all even), but it is still an apartment without, I guess, their own private outdoor space etc. Their move back to Sweden is still relatively new and I'd imagine they don't want to disrupt the children again too soon.
 
Svensk Damtidning tells that Madeleine was yesterday evening with Emma Pernald at Max McNown's concert in Fållan in Johanneshov. Emma writes at her private Instagram account: "Magic with Max McNown and my country girls."

Max McNown published a photo with Madeleine taken after the concert.
 
A new direction for Princess Madeleine:

She shared today that she will launch a natural skincare line - named MinLen in collaboration with the Weleda company:


 
As this is a private business venture, independent of her role within the Royal House, Madeleine will use the name Madeleine Bernadotte in business contexts.

Press release from the Royal House:

Princess Madeleine is launching a new business with the brand MinLen in collaboration with the Swiss company Weleda AG.
The decision to establish the company has been made in consultation with the Royal Court. The Office of the Marshal of the Realm has assessed that this private enterprise is compatible with Princess Madeleine’s role as a Royal Highness.
For many years, Princess Madeleine has not received any share of the appropriations from the Riksdag for the Head of State, and she participates in and carries out official engagements as needed and based on the King’s requests. Instead, she has been actively involved with the World Childhood Foundation and various patronages. This new business venture will not affect her continued dedication to these causes. The Princess’ primary focus remains the well-being of children.

 
As this is a private business venture, independent of her role within the Royal House, Madeleine will use the name Madeleine Bernadotte in business contexts.

Press release from the Royal House:

Princess Madeleine is launching a new business with the brand MinLen in collaboration with the Swiss company Weleda AG.
The decision to establish the company has been made in consultation with the Royal Court. The Office of the Marshal of the Realm has assessed that this private enterprise is compatible with Princess Madeleine’s role as a Royal Highness.
For many years, Princess Madeleine has not received any share of the appropriations from the Riksdag for the Head of State, and she participates in and carries out official engagements as needed and based on the King’s requests. Instead, she has been actively involved with the World Childhood Foundation and various patronages. This new business venture will not affect her continued dedication to these causes. The Princess’ primary focus remains the well-being of children.

Interesting that she is using Madeleine Bernadotte commercially even though the convention in Sweden is that HRHs do not use a last name in official documents and civil registration, if I am not mistaken.
 
Interesting that she is using Madeleine Bernadotte commercially even though the convention in Sweden is that HRHs do not use a last name in official documents and civil registration, if I am not mistaken.

Carl Philip uses Carl Philip Bernadotte at his designing company Bernadotte & Kylberg, so of course Madeleine uses Madeleine Bernadotte:
With over a decade of experience in creating iconic designs for renowned brands, Carl Philip Bernadotte and Oscar Kylberg embarked on a new chapter with the launch of their own label, Bernadotte & Kylberg.
 
Interesting that she is using Madeleine Bernadotte commercially even though the convention in Sweden is that HRHs do not use a last name in official documents and civil registration, if I am not mistaken.
In any case a much better solution then in Norway with Princess Märtha Louise.
 
I am happy to know that Madeleine has preserved her friendship with Emma. 😊
Why she shouldn't? Carl-Phillip and Emma didn't part in anger.

Because it was reported that Emma Pernald was disinvited from the christenings of her friend Princess Madeleine's children, at the instigation of her ex-boyfriend Prince Carl Philip's then-new girlfriend Sofia Hellqvist, and Emma Pernald did not deny the reports when she was asked for comment. See the Prince Nicolas christening thread for links and discussion:

It is nice that in this case the Royal Court transparently announced and addressed the appropriateness of Princess Madeleine's new business (unlike many foreign royal courts, and unlike the past business launches of Prince Carl Philip if I recall correctly).

Although a skincare brand does not strike me as the most "royal" of businesses, it is objectively no different, in terms of compatibility/incompatibility with a role representing the Royal House, from Prince Carl Philip's design brand. And it reflects well on Princess Madeleine that she consulted with the Royal Court in developing her business plan.

Her decision might suggest that she is not interested in expanding her royal duties beyond the minimum and wishes to continue living a mostly private life for the foreseeable future. "Len" is the name by which she is called by family and friends, isn't it?

It will be interesting to see whether the launch of her business can lessen the criticism she and her husband have received from Swedish commentators for following the old-fashioned (in Sweden) "husband as sole breadwinner" economic model for their marriage.

Interesting that she is using Madeleine Bernadotte commercially even though the convention in Sweden is that HRHs do not use a last name in official documents and civil registration, if I am not mistaken.
Carl Philip uses Carl Philip Bernadotte at his designing company Bernadotte & Kylberg, so of course Madeleine uses Madeleine Bernadotte:
With over a decade of experience in creating iconic designs for renowned brands, Carl Philip Bernadotte and Oscar Kylberg embarked on a new chapter with the launch of their own label, Bernadotte & Kylberg.

And Princess Madeleine herself has used Bernadotte in her educational career (as her brother did) and in authoring a children's book.

Of all the reigning families of Europe, it is only the Danes and Norwegians who consistently refuse to use their royal house's family name (which is officially Glücksburg, not Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg as some argue) as a surname. All others either have the name of their house as a legally recognized surname, use their house name as a surname in private life, or both. (I will be glad to move this last comment over to a more suitable thread if anyone wishes to discuss it further.)

I wonder if the choice to collaborate with a Swiss company rather than a Swedish one has significance.
 
I wonder if the choice to collaborate with a Swiss company rather than a Swedish one has significance.

Yes, it is interesting. It's also interesting that Madeleine decided to use her nickname "Len" at the name of the brand.
 
Weleda is a very popular and successful brand for skincare, cold creams, bath salts etc. in my country. It is based on natural ingredients only and always gets the best results by testings. It is more expensive than other cosmetic articles but it's worth the price. I can recommend all products. I am glad that Madeleine chose that company for cooperation. If you look at their homepage you might find maybe another reason why she chose this cooperation because they are making a point for fighting against child labor.

In addition some info about the history of Weleda


Weleda names her as "Princess Madeleine" in the above posted article.
 
Last edited:
I can only applaud the effort of using her private name Madeleine Bernadotte and not her titles for commercial purpose.
Although it can be difficult not to mention the princes titlte
 
I can only applaud the effort of using her private name Madeleine Bernadotte and not her titles for commercial purpose.
Although it can be difficult not to mention the princes titlte
The weledanordics account on Instagram uses the name Madeleine Bernadotte.
 
Well a few places are still using the Princess title




Personally I am a little disappointed Madeleine has gone down this route (a commercial venture) but that said she hasn't been in receipt of an appanage and seems to keep her "royal" work focussed on Childhood and one or two other causes rather than doing lots of civic events.
 
Well a few places are still using the Princess title




Personally I am a little disappointed Madeleine has gone down this route (a commercial venture) but that said she hasn't been in receipt of an appanage and seems to keep her "royal" work focussed on Childhood and one or two other causes rather than doing lots of civic events.
Honestly why? Royals have to pay bills as well. If they don't get royal funding to live off, they need to fund their life. I have never seen anyone take issue with CP's design business. Why would Madeleine's be any different?

The only concern would be using their royal titles and they aren't.

The places using her Princess title are articles about what is happning. Its not actual promotional ads for the brand.
 
Let me make it clear I'm not having a dig at Madeline solely. I'm just a bit fed up of royals going into business - all different royals including CP, including others. I always thought Madeleine's return to Sweden would see her take on more with Childhood etc, not starting her own skincare brand.

Perhaps I am just old fashioned and believe that being royal should be about public service, at the moment it seems every royal is out touting for their next big business venture. But tbf I like Madeleine so I hope she succeeds in it, it just isn't what I was expecting.
 
I'm also not exactly in favor of princes and princesses, siblings of monarchs or future monarchs, having this kind of business. I always thought that Princess Madeleine would like to return to Sweden to represent the royal house on some occasions.
 
while Madeleine apparently intends to use ‘Madeleine Bernadotte’ (not O’Neill which would have been perfectly acceptable and even less clearly connected to the royal family) in her commercial ventures, her business venture starts with a press release by the royal court announcing that ‘princess Madeleine’ has decided to start a business including specifics. I guess, free publicity is always helpful…
 
The places using her Princess title are articles about what is happning. Its not actual promotional ads for the brand.

LadyFinn, tommy100 and polyesco linked to the press release issued by Weleda (the company with which the princess is partnering), and it uses both "Princess Madeleine" and "Madeleine Bernadotte", even though the press release issued by the royal court gave the impression that she would only use her name and not her title for her private business venture.

while Madeleine apparently intends to use ‘Madeleine Bernadotte’ (not O’Neill which would have been perfectly acceptable and even less clearly connected to the royal family) in her commercial ventures, [...]

Bernadotte is also perfectly acceptable to the Swedish public and not a royal-exclusive surname, and it is Princess Madeleine's legal name and established private name, while O'Neill is not. I don't think it has been suggested that Prince Carl Philip needs to use "Carl Philip Hellqvist" in his design business to distance his business activities from the royal family, so his sister should not be held to a higher standard than he is, I would say.
 
Last edited:
LadyFinn, tommy100 and polyesco linked to the press release issued by Weleda (the company with which the princess is partnering), and it uses both "Princess Madeleine" and "Madeleine Bernadotte", even though the press release issued by the royal court gave the impression that she would only use her name and not her title for her private business venture.



Bernadotte is also perfectly acceptable to the Swedish public and not a royal-exclusive surname, and it is Princess Madeleine's legal name and established private name, while O'Neill is not. I don't think it has been suggested that Prince Carl Philip needs to use "Carl Philip Hellqvist" in his design business to distance his business activities from the royal family, so his sister should not be held to a higher standard than he is, I would say.
Re the name, its clear that CP did not take up his wife's name but I am surprised that Madeleine never took up Chris's name, at least in private. Is this custom in Sweden for a married woman to keep her name?
 
Re the name, its clear that CP did not take up his wife's name but I am surprised that Madeleine never took up Chris's name, at least in private. Is this custom in Sweden for a married woman to keep her name?

In terms of legal names, the government statistical office reported that in heterosexual marriages involving at least one Swedish-born person in 2012 (Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill married in 2013), the distribution of naming choices was as follows:

63.9% The wife took the husband's name
21.1% Each spouse kept their own name
10.2% The husband took the wife's name
4.3% Both spouses took the same newly created name
0.5% One spouse took a newly created name


Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill each kept their own legal surname.
 
Re the name, it’s clear that CP did not take up his wife's name but I am surprised that Madeleine never took up Chris's name, at least in private. Is this custom in Sweden for a married woman to keep her name?
Reports indicated that she at least socially did use O’Neill while in the States, which is why I suggested her use of that same name in her business venture. However, if she decided to remain ‘Bernadotte’ upon marriage, it makes sense she continues to use that name - even though she apparently hasn’t been consistent in practice.
 
Reports indicated that she at least socially did use O’Neill while in the States, which is why I suggested her use of that same name in her business venture. However, if she decided to remain ‘Bernadotte’ upon marriage, it makes sense she continues to use that name - even though she apparently hasn’t been consistent in practice.

She did use the name "Madeleine Bernadotte" on her private baby shower registry and on the donor list of her children's school while living in the United States, whereas it was only verbally at a social lunch that she was referred to as "O'Neill", so it would seem that even in private life she uses her legal name for more serious (written) communication.
 
Margareta Thorgren, the Director of the Information department:
– She is happy to have the opportunity to start a company and work with her own brand.

The Swedish press:
Please Madeleine, don't be our Meghan Markle
If Princess Madeleine wants to sell creams, she shouldn't keep her title. Now she is planning to make a Markle. (..)

Am I shocked? No, not particularly. We live in a society where everything is for sale. Am I surprised? Yes, very much. I didn't see Madeleine selling skin creams coming.
My first thought is that it's daring. Maybe because I'm immediately drawing a parallel to the Märtha Louise circus in Norway. No, Madeleine is not Märtha Louise and she probably won't end up in the same commercial frenzy. But let's be completely honest - being royal and selling gadgets has its own commercial power.
(...)

Princess Madeleine becomes an entrepreneur – challenges Bianca Ingrosso
Starts company with Swiss giant.
(..)

Debate: Is it right or wrong for Princess Madeleine to launch a skincare company?
Yesterday, it was announced that Princess Madeleine is launching a skincare company.
Is it right or wrong for royalty to use their name to sell products? Hear a debate between Niclas Malmberg, chairman of the Republican Association, and Stefan Holmström, chairman of the Royalist Association.

Svensk Damtidning tells that Madeleine will fly on Friday to Düsseldorf in Germany to launch her new brand MinLen.
The entire international beauty world will be gathered at Messe Düsseldorf, where the Art of Beauty & Health! trade fair is taking place. There Madeleine will make her international debut as a skincare entrepreneur.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Were there op-eds of a similar nature when Prince Carl Philip went into business? After all, the (valid) question "Is it right or wrong for royalty to use their name to sell products?" is even more apropos to Prince Carl Philip, whose brand name literally includes his (sur)name: About

It is interesting to observe how these opinion pieces compare Princess Madeleine to two foreign royals and a non-royal business owner rather than making the closest comparison to her own sibling, who, like her, is a "spare" to the throne of Sweden with an entrepreneurial venture. Unfortunately, it is not difficult to guess why.
 
I'm also not exactly in favor of princes and princesses, siblings of monarchs or future monarchs, having this kind of business. I always thought that Princess Madeleine would like to return to Sweden to represent the royal house on some occasions.
There has been mixed reactions here in Sweden as well… But according to The King’s decision from 2019, It is The King and The Crown Princess who together with The Queen and Prince Daniel that is Sweden’s foremost representants within the country and towards other states. When Princess Estelle has reached adulthood she is also expected to represent Sweden on a stately level.

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia works with their own charities and patronages, as does Princess Madeleine (who has far fewer than her brother)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom