Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel's marriage in pictures

Even though royal marriages aren’t as strict as they once were, it was only recently that aristocracy married commoners.

The British press may have labelled Duchess Catherine as one, but she was still a part of the United Kingdom’s upper class.

Nowadays, we have Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as the poster couple for this shift, but they owe thanks to the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel.

The royal met her husband when she returned to Sweden after studying in the United States at Yale University.

Victoria was nursing a broken heart after a split from her long-term boyfriend, Daniel Collert when she decided to join a boutique gym in Stockholm.

The establishment was owned and run by Daniel Westling, and when he became her personal trainer, they struck up a friendship.

When the couple got engaged in 2009, the loved-up royal revealed during a press conference that, unlike her parents, she didn’t feel a “click” the moment they met, but rather their affection grew over time.

“Daniel and I had a great and well-founded friendship. It was a friendship that grew and turned into love,” she shared.

Daniel agreed by admitting, “Our friendship developed into love. It is the perfect personal chemistry.”

Despite their palpable love, Hello Magazine reported that elite members of the Swedish royal family weren’t initially impressed that Victoria was marrying a commoner.

Alas, the family didn’t get in the way of their will, and in the following years, the Princess’ brother Prince Carl Philip went on to marry reality show star Sofia Hellqvist.

In 2010 the happy couple said their “I’do’s” in front of their friends, family, and millions of spectators in Stockholm.

Victoria looked divine in her off-shoulder A-line gown, with a five-meter train by Swedish designer Pär Engsheden.

In 2012 the couple welcomed their first child together, a daughter called Princess Estelle, and four years later, Prince Oscar came along.

As is typical for royals, they honour their privacy, but in February 2022, they had to post a rare statement on their Instagram to shut down cheating rumours.

The Swedish newspaper Stoppa Pressarna (Stop The Press) had published the damning piece which claimed Victoria and Daniel were having a “marital crisis” after the Princess heard of an “incident” that “threatens their marriage.”

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The article reads: “It was just before Christmas that Crown Princess Victoria, 44, heard about the serious ‘incident’ that now threatens the entire marriage. Prince Daniel, 48, was not allowed to attend the Swedish Academy’s solemn gathering and the relationship between the spouses was frozen.”

In response, the couple’s message was clear as it condemned the publication’s reports as “completely unfounded.”

“It has come to our attention that there are widespread negative rumours about our private relationship,” the statement began. “Allegations are being spread about betrayal in the relationship and an impending divorce.

“Normally, we do not comment on rumours and speculation. But in order to protect our family, we wish to make it clear, once and for all, that the rumours that are now spreading are completely unfounded,” said the statement.

While we’re glad, the royal couple’s marriage is as happy as we’d hoped, here are their cutest pictures.