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Princess Madeleine of Sweden has given one of the most candid interviews of her royal life, opening up about the difficulties of growing up in one of Europe’s most visible royal families. The interview, conducted to coincide with Madeleine’s appearance on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia’s August/September issue, marks a rare moment of personal disclosure from a princess who has long kept a lower profile than her older siblings.
“I was always kind of struggling with that,” Madeleine said of her royal role. “My siblings were much more accepting of the roles we had. I always had a bit of a hard time with that. When we had to interact with media photographers, I was always the one who ran away, and they had to chase me.”
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Princess Madeleine at a gala dinner for her father’s 80th birthday in April.
What she craved, Princess Madeleine said, was ordinary anonymity, even if that just meant being able to ride the bus on her own. While equestrian sports has long been a favored pursuit among royals and many have competed openly in the Olympics, Madeleine took a more private route. As a competitive showjumper, she competed under the pseudonym Anna Svensson, which allowed her to participate without her title following her into the ring. It was, she said, the one context in which she said she could “really be myself.”
Princess Madeleine, 44, is the youngest of three children born to King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and the ninth in line to the Swedish throne after her siblings Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Carl Philip and their respective children. Madeleine married American financier Christopher O’Neill in 2013, and he chose not to accept a royal title at the time of their marriage in order to continue his private career. The couple have three children–Leonore, Nicolas, and Adrienne–and returned to Stockholm approximately two years ago after several years living in the United States.
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Princess Madeleine, Christopher O’Neill, and their children at Drottningholm Palace in 2025.
Madeleine’s role within the Swedish royal family has changed significantly since 2019, when her father announced a restructuring of the royal house. Under the new arrangement, the children of both Princess Madeleine and Prince Carl Philip were removed from the Royal House, meaning they no longer hold the title of Royal Highness and will not be expected to carry out royal duties. However, Madeleine and Carl Philip themselves continue to go on royal engagements at the King’s discretion. Madeleine also has several private ventures of her own including a new skincare line named MinLen, developed with Swiss skincare brand Weleda. For these kinds of deals, she uses the name Madeleine Bernadotte, drawing on the surname of the Swedish royal dynasty rather than her princess title.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.