by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014
Princess Estelle of Sweden, 2023; Credit – Wikipedia
Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland was born on February 23, 2012, at Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Sweden. She is the eldest child of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel (born Daniel Westling), and is second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne, after her mother.
Princess Estelle with her mother Crown Princess Victoria and her grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf; Credit – Photo: Thron Ullberg/The Royal Court of Sweden, 2022
In 1979, the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature, introduced an Act of Succession that changed the succession to absolute primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is first in the line of succession. This Act of Succession became law on January 1, 1980, making Sweden the first country to adopt absolute primogeniture. The previous 1810 Act of Succession allowed for only males to inherit the throne. Even after the birth of her brother Prince Oscar, Princess Estelle retains her place in the line of succession as the eldest child of Crown Princess Victoria who is the eldest child and heir of King Carl XVI Gustaf. This means that it is expected that the next two Swedish monarchs will be Victoria followed by her daughter Estelle. Sweden has had only three Queens Regnant: Margaret (1389-1412), Christina (1632-1654), and Ulrika Eleanora (1718-1720)
Princess Estelle is christened as her parents and grandfather look on; Photo: Swedish Royal Court
Princess Estelle was christened in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on May 22, 2012. Her godparents were:
- Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, her maternal uncle
- Anna Westling-Söderström, her paternal aunt
- Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, later King Willem-Alexander
- Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, wife of her mother’s second cousin, born Mary Donaldson
- Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, her paternal grandfather’s third cousin
She was given the names Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary.
Estelle: possibly for Countess Estelle Bernadotte (1904–1984), the American wife of Count Folke Bernadotte; when King Carl Gustaf announced his granddaughter’s names, he said that the name Estelle is very close to the heart of her mother and also the family
Silvia: for her maternal grandmother
Ewa: for her paternal grandmother
Mary: for her godmother Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
Princess Estelle’s family, 2022
Estelle has one younger brother:
- Prince Oscar (born 2016)
On August 25, 2014, Princess Estelle started preschool at Äventyret Preschool in Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm. Äventyret Preschool was founded in 1992 and uses the Ur & Skur outdoor teaching methods to teach children about nature and to convey a sense of the natural world. In October 2016, Estelle started to attend Lilla Kvikkjokk, a Montessori school in the Djurgården section of Stockholm. Princess Estelle has been attending Campus Manilla, an independent primary and secondary school, in the Djurgården section in Stockholm since August 2018.
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