Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden celebrates her 31st birthday today. Accompanied by her parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, Victoria made a public appearance at the family's summer home, Solliden, on the island of Öland. The princess's main squeeze, gym owner, Daniel Westling, did not accompany the princess -- although it is possible that Daniel is sharing private family celebrations with his princess.
When will they marry is a popular game of speculation. Westling did accompany Victoria to the wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Marie Cavallier in May. He is also renting an apartment on the Drottingholm estate in Stockholm.
Wesling owns a company, Balance Training, which runs three gyms in Stockholm.
Although Westling has his own apartment near the princess, it has been suggested that they actually live together in her apartment at Drottningholm Palace. I certainly did not expect an engagement announcement on Victoria's birthday, but is Westling's new residence a sign that the king and queen have finally come around to accepting Victoria's choice.
Marriage is not an easy decision for anyone, but Crown Princess Victoria, who is immensely popular in Sweden, is her country's future head of state. Her future husband will need to provide the emotional support, but also understand that publicly, his role will be a secondary one. He will not be a king consort, but will probably be created a prince of Sweden.
Now if I could arrange royal marriages, I would choose HSH Prince Carl-Albrecht of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg as Victoria's consort. Born in Munich in 1976, Carl-Albrecht is the son of HSH Prince Ludwig-Ferdinand of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his Swedish wife, Countess Yvonne Wachmeister af Johannishus. (Carl-Albrecht's sister, Anna, is married to Prince Manuel of Bavaria.)
Of course, I do not advocate arranged marriages, but -- think how lovely this would, especially as the prince is half-Swedish - and his mom is a member of an important Swedish noble family.
http://www.sollidensslott.se/english/index.htm
