King Carl XVI Gustaf has four sisters, making him the only son among his siblings. Concerned that history might repeat the years of hardship his mother endured as a result of giving birth to him, he strongly supported proposals in parliament at the time to grant succession rights to members royal female. In the late 1970s, granting succession rights to female members of the royal family became the trend of the times. Whether King Carl XVI Gustaf supports it or not, this trend is inevitable. In 1979, a new succession law was passed, which officially took effect in 1980, providing equal succession to the throne for both men and women. This law elevated Princess Victoria, two years older, above her half-year-old brother Prince Carl Philip, making her the official Crown Princess of Sweden.
King Carl with his beloved son. Regardless of King Carl XVI Gustaf's stance on this change, Princess Victoria has risen to become one of Sweden's most trusted public figures through her efforts. Despite the controversy surrounding King Carl XVI Gustaf's attitude, general support for the monarchy remains high among the Swedish public, largely due to the widespread popularity of Princess Victoria. As the first legitimate Crown Princess in Swedish history, Crown Princess Victoria left no stone unturned in her education. She pursued further studies at Yale University and interned at embassies and government agencies.
Department of State and major corporations, and complete basic military training. Having inherited dyslexia from King Carl XVI Gustaf, Crown Princess Victoria faced significant learning challenges despite attending prestigious schools. Her highest academic achievement is a bachelor of arts degree from Uppsala University, which she completed just before getting married in 2009. During her school years, Daniel, who comes from a rural background, had success Average academic record and quite open about it. He was not particularly good at studying, had difficulty with foreign languages and even spoke Swedish with a local accent. After completing middle school, Daniel attended high school for two years studying social sciences and graduated with a modest 3.07 GPA.
He then took the högskoleprov exam, where scores ranged from 0 to 2, with an average score of 1, but he only scored 0.2. During this time, Daniel discovered his passion and talent for sports. In 1994, he left his hometown for the capital Stockholm. Over two years, he completed a sports-focused entertainment management course and underwent professional training as a personal trainer. After that, he mainly worked as a private fitness trainer, which became his main occupation as reported in the media. In the late 1990s, Daniel became quite famous in the bodybuilding scene in Stockholm. He then co-founded Master Training gym with friends and founded another company.
Balance in 2006. His clients are mainly wealthy upper-class individuals, including members of the royal family. It has been confirmed that Princess Madeleine was one of Daniel's clients and that she found his expertise gratifying. Through this relationship, Daniel met an important client who changed his life. Princess Victoria, heir to the Swedish throne and younger sister of Princess Madeleine. During Daniel's growing career, Victoria went through the darkest period of her life in the late 1990s. Due to enormous pressure, excessive media scrutiny, and perfectionism, Victoria had suffered from anorexia nervosa in 1997, quickly transforming from a healthy, plump 18-year-old girl into a dangerously skinny person. It is important to emphasize once again that this situation is extremely distressing, not only aesthetically due to the severe emaciation, but also because of the profound physical and mental damage it causes to the person relate to.
To avoid media scrutiny and undergo treatment, Victoria briefly studied abroad in the United States. During this time, she also ended her relationship with her famous first boyfriend, Daniel Collert. It was reported that the split happened because Collert, who is known for his introverted nature, found it difficult to deal with the pressure of potentially becoming a future prince consort. There is no certain answer as to which spouse the future queen of the new era will choose. Victoria is the only female heir of her generation, first in line under current principles of equal succession without any doubts or hypothetical scenarios regarding inheritance her plan. Throughout history, European monarchies have seen a number of queens whose partners were often suspected of being unsuitable for them. Over time, royal marriages became increasingly unlikely and standards for royal concubines gradually lowered.
However, even at the turn of the century, although aristocratic birth may no longer have been a strict requirement, the public still considered three minimum qualifications for a royal concubine. Middle class or upper, well educated and have a respectable profession. Unfortunately, at the time, Daniel did not appear to meet any of these standards. However, the complexity of emotions is not a simple mathematical equation. I wasn't surprised that Victoria liked Daniel at the time, despite his unremarkable background. For no other reason than that, during Victoria's dark and uncertain years, it was Daniel who helped her escape the abyss and get her back on track. Over time, Daniel had voluntarily achieved things that previous suitors, even those from aristocratic backgrounds, could not match Victoria. He voluntarily accepted the role of a suitable companion and behind-the-scenes supporter for the future queen. Reports say they started dating around 2001.
In 2002, at a friend's gathering, they were captured by paparazzi kissing with a telephoto lens. After their relationship was officially made public, Daniel faced widespread skepticism and opposition from the royal family, the media, and the public, a sentiment that lasted until they married married in 2010. Daniel lacks background, pedigree and education, He not only lacks understanding of poetry, literature and philosophical understanding of life but also has difficulty in communicating in the foreign language outside. On the surface, he seems to be physically strong but simple-minded. Worse still, his appearance left an untrustworthy impression on everyone. No one believed that such a person could actually become the wife of a future queen. Press coverage of Daniel was largely mocking. The only person who spoke positively about him was his ex-girlfriend Maria Ekman.
She praised Daniel a lot, describing him as polite and very funny, basically the perfect boyfriend. Victoria has expressed that media coverage of him is unfair, believing that justice will ultimately prevail. History will prove everything, and time will reveal the truth. Of Victoria's spouses, Carl Philip and Madeleine at the time, Daniel was the least popular, but he and Victoria persevered to the end. In 2005, during a visit to Türkiye, Victoria talked about love. As a princess and future queen, she has long understood that marriage is not just a personal matter, she cannot marry anyone on a whim. She mentioned that being born into the royal family and later becoming the heir to the throne, this predestined her life to devote to Sweden that it was her duty and she would try to fulfill it . At 27 years old, she stated that she has no immediate plans to get married but when the time comes, she hopes to marry someone she loves and will also be well received by the Swedish people.
Most importantly, she emphasized that she would never choose to give up her right to the throne. This is Victoria's very famous statement about "choosing the throne over love". At that time, no European heir held such views. While pursuing love despite all odds may seem romantic, from my perspective as a member of the royal family, following one's duty and understanding one's identity is touching and honorable than. Additionally, Victoria's words also imply that whoever marries her in the future must also be in line with this sense of responsibility. During this time, life passed peacefully, both parties continued their activities as usual. However, it is clear that since meeting Daniel, Victoria's physical health has gradually improved and her mental state has become more stable. When she goes out with her boyfriend, she looks no different from a normal person - dressed simply without being fussy.They attend friends' gatherings, go for walks or exercise together, and she seems happy. In 2006, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden hosted a private party to celebrate his sixtieth birthday, which Daniel attended as a close friend of Victoria.
Mãi đến giữa năm 2008, gia đình hoàng gia cuối cùng mới thừa nhận Daniel là bạn trai của Victoria. Anh đã đi cùng Victoria đến dự tiệc sinh nhật của Thái tử Frederik của Đan Mạch and was permitted to reside in an apartment at Drottningholm Palace. On February 24, 2009, after more than 7 years of courtship, the couple finally announced their engagement. Over the years, Daniel has been under intense media scrutiny, facing multiple instances of magnified examination. Before his engagement to Princess Victoria, two negative incidents from his personal life surfaced one involved speeding on the highway, and the other concerned a tax issue with a bill of 6480 Swedish kronor. He claimed it was a business expense, but tax authorities deemed it a personal expenditure. Shortly after announcing their engagement, in May, Daniel underwent a kidney transplant surgery, with his biological father, Olle, as the donor. It was revealed to the public then that Daniel suffered from a congenital, non-hereditary kidney disease, which he had been aware of since 2007, anticipating the need for a transplant. Before the surgery, his condition required him to undergo dialysis treatments three to five times per week, a fact Princess Victoria had been aware of from the beginning.
Daniel's kidney disease explained the choice to set their wedding date for June 2010 and helped the public better understand earlier opposition from the royal family. Indeed, his health condition raised concerns, prompting questions about why a physically unhealthy person was chosen, even if extensive knowledge wasn't required for the future royal consort. Adding to the confusion, during Daniel's surgery, Victoria did not stay in Sweden but instead traveled to Greenland with Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway for environmental conservation work. Despite having access to top medical teams and advanced kidney transplant technology, the surgery was still a major procedure. It was surprising that Victoria wasn't by her fiancé's side, but once the surgery was completed and Victoria returned, she promptly visited Daniel. These facts illustrate three points, firstly there is no doubt that Daniel is Victoria's true love, as she genuinely cares deeply for him; secondly, for Victoria, her public duties may be her foremost priority thirdly, they share a deep understanding between them. Additionally, it cannot be denied that during the period from engagement to marriage, Victoria was in excellent form, radiating brilliance in her attire and demeanor, displaying utmost grace and elegance.
The questioning of Daniel continued until their wedding in June 2010, when he officially entered the Bernadotte family. However, criticisms gradually subsided. At the wedding, Daniel's affectionate demeanor with Victoria was evident, and his bilingual speech was remarkably impressive. During his speech, he expressed love for his wife, gratitude for his parents' upbringing, appreciation for his in-laws' support, and even made a joke about being a frog prince. In fairy tales, a princess kissing a frog prince turns him back into his original form, but in real life, this frog had to go through much more to deserve the title of prince. Before his marriage, Daniel underwent an intensive cultural crash course to better fit the role of a future prince consort to the royal family. He worked hard to improve his Swedish accent, while also advancing his proficiency in English, French, and German. Additionally, he studied basic subjects such as poetry, philosophy and natural sciences. It is said that he encountered some difficulties during his language-learning journey, which occasionally led to mistakes in public appearances. Formerly uncomfortable with the spotlight, limited in English proficiency, and lacking cultural refinement, Daniel's ability to deliver such outstanding speeches off-script in live broadcasts reflects the immense effort he put in.
If not for love, Daniel wouldn't have needed to exert such effort. While he initially became a fitness trainer due to academic struggles, he quickly transitioned into owning a high-end gym. Without his relationship with Crown Princess Victoria, he could have been hailed as a successful entrepreneur in both urban and rural settings, escaping widespread criticism and questioning. After marriage, Daniel stepped back from managing the gym but retained ownership. Balance was sold in 2019 due to declining profits, netting Daniel 9 million Swedish Kronor. Master continues to operate successfully;Swedish media reported he withdrew 28.8 million from profits between 2016-2021, part of which he used to purchase a vacation home. Financial reports indicate their annual public expenses are approximately 4.5 million, and Daniel's income appears quite substantial.Additionally, upon marriage, Daniel changed his surname to his wife's, Bernadotte. Regarding all of the above, Daniel doesn't think much of it. He once said, "I haven't given up much, but I've gained a lot. I've never regretted anything." Speaking of being a future prince consort and a man, having to fade into the background under public scrutiny and following in his wife's footsteps, Daniel also finds it perfectly normal. He has said, "Most people want to hear and see Victoria, and I feel good about that. I think she's great. I follow behind, enjoy it, and of course, try to contribute, but I do not doubt my role and situation in the whole matter. After marriage, Daniel's primary task was to become the father of the next generation of heirs. They have a son and a daughter, Estelle, born in 2012, and Oscar, born in 2016. Although there might have been an opportunity to welcome another child if the marriage hadn't been delayed so long, the current situation looks quite wonderful.
Their elder daughter Estelle is the heir, and the whole family of four usually attends important public occasions together. In the future, the focus of education will inevitably be on Estelle, while Oscar will participate more in nature-related activities. In addition, Daniel's other roles are to support Crown Princess Victoria and the daily work of the Swedish royal family.After undergoing special training and practical experience, he almost shows no trace of his rural origins, and some uninformed people even think he has more of a royal demeanor than other family members. Of course, he has also paid a price. The most obvious is the severe hair loss on the back of his head. Regarding his duties, records show that Daniel has had a long-standing and active interest in public health. For many years, he has been committed to raising awareness of the need to promote healthier lifestyles for children and adolescents, reduce health disparities, and support medical research and education. Additionally, Daniel has shown a keen interest in the fields of culture, arts, and sports. In 2019, he and Crown Princess Victoria established a foundation in the name of their daughter Estelle, dedicated to promoting cultural activities in Sweden. This is a photo of Daniel working from home, with a picture of his wife on his desk. Privately, he is like any other ordinary dad, often taking his children for walks or to watch sporting events.
Two years ago, Daniel received an honorary doctorate from Karolinska Institutet. Last year, to celebrate his 50th birthday, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise established a scholarship in his name to provide funding for young entrepreneurs, which is also a recognition of his work to some extent. Victoria and Daniel, having been together for over 20 years, may not be as sweet as they were during their early romance, but there have indeed been many loving moments. As Victoria said in her early years, Daniel proved to the media and even the Swedish people that their prejudices were wrong. Regarding Daniel's years of dedication and companionship, Victoria has the following assessment: "I was lucky to meet someone who was willing to share responsibility with me, someone who wanted to join this journey and become a supporter of He plays his role with his whole being. He means a lot to me, not only because he is my husband and the father of our children, but also because he is a co-worker. My closest colleague and supporter." Common efforts and achievements are the most important characteristics of Daniel and Victoria's relationship and the most enviable aspect.