Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

ROYAL FAMILY

Third baby on the way for Sweden’s Princess Madeleine

Sweden's Royal Court has confirmed that Princess Madeleine is pregnant with her and her husband Chris O'Neill's third child.

Published: 28 August 2017 07:42 CEST
Third baby on the way for Sweden's Princess Madeleine
Princess Madeleine, Chris O'Neill and their two children Princess Leonore and Prince Nicolas. Photo: Christine Olsson/TT

Madeleine, 35, broke the news about the new addition to her family herself on Facebook, writing: “Chris and I are thrilled to announced that I am expecting. We look forward to four becoming five!”

The Royal Court confirmed that she is in good health and is expected to give birth in March next year.

READ ALSO: More news about Sweden's Royal Family

Madeleine and British-American financier O'Neill – who has chosen not to take a royal title in order to continue his business – married in 2013. The couple already have two children together, Princess Leonore who was born in New York in 2014 and Prince Nicolas, born in Stockholm's Danderyd Hospital in 2015.

They are based in London but are currently in Stockholm, where they have been spotted in restaurants around the capital, and where Leonore earlier this month started attending a Swedish nursery school.

“The family are still living in London, but because they also regularly stay in Sweden it is good that Princess Leonore gets this experience. It is also very important to Madeleine that the children get a strong connection to Sweden and the Swedish language,” Royal Court spokesperson Margareta Thorgren told the Aftonbladet tabloid.

The new baby will have plenty of royal cousins to play with.

Madeleine's older brother, Prince Carl Philip, and his wife, Princess Sofia, are expecting their second baby in September. Their first child, Prince Alexander, was born in April 2016.

Princess Victoria, first in line to the throne, has two children – Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar – with her husband Prince Daniel.

WORKING IN SWEDEN

Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

The King’s mounted Royal Guards will no longer be able to wear their iconic ceremonial helmets on parades, after the Swedish Work Environment Authority warned of serious safety concerns.

Published: 7 July 2023 13:53 CEST
Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

“We take the safety of our employees extremely seriously and we are going to address this immediately,” colonel Stefan Nacksten, head of the Royal Guards, wrote in a statement. 

Employed by the Armed Forces, the Royal Guards are the King’s cavalry and infantry units and are a well-known sight at ceremonies in Sweden, including at the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Stockholm every day in summer – a popular spectacle for Stockholmers and tourists alike.

The helmets will no longer be used by Royal Guards on horseback from July 7th, as they do not conform to safety standards for riding helmets, although guards parading on foot will still be permitted to wear them.

They are part of the 1895 parade uniforms and were last modified in 2000. The Armed Forces will now create an entirely new helmet which looks the part, but is also safe for riding.

“We’re working on finding an alternative solution as quickly as possible which meets safety requirements and can also be used during parades,” Nacksten said.

“We’ve been working long-term with this issue but now that it has been assessed [by the Swedish Work Environment Authority] we need to take measures immediately,” he added.

“This is good, and now we’re working to make sure something good comes out of this and we can get a safe riding helmet for parades in place as soon as possible.”

SHOW COMMENTS