Swedish Princess Madeleine marries US-British financier

The fourth in line to Sweden's throne, Princess Madeleine, has married US-British businessman Christopher O'Neill in a ceremony in Stockholm.

The 30-year-old returned to the Swedish capital from New York, where she met Mr O'Neill two years ago.

Some 500 guests were invited to the ceremony at the Royal Chapel in Stockholm.

Sweden's royal family enjoys wide public support and the ceremony was broadcast live on state TV.

Princess Madeleine's elder sister, Crown Princess Victoria, married her personal trainer Daniel Wesling in Stockholm three years ago. But Saturday's wedding was not considered as big an occasion.

In June 2010, the whole of the Swedish capital was transformed for the celebrations.

Along with representatives from many European royal families present for Princess Madeleine's wedding, John Taylor of UK pop group Duran Duran was among the guests.

The couple tied the knot in a ceremony that was part in Swedish and part in English. They then travelled in a horse and carriage procession through the city centre.

'Party princess'

Princess Madeleine, also known as the Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland, met Mr O'Neill in New York while she was working for a non-profit organisation, the World Childhood Foundation.

The youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia has been keeping a low profile since moving to the US in 2010 after her engagement to a Swedish lawyer came to an abrupt end.

She has also had a complicated relationship with the Swedish press, who dubbed her the "party princess" when she was spotted frequenting high-end Stockholm clubs in her early twenties.

Roger Lundgren, the editor of a Swedish magazine about royalty, told Associated Press news agency the occasion was not as big as Crown Princess Victoria's wedding "because Madeleine is not a successor to the throne".

"Secondly, this is a private wedding - the king is paying for it himself," he added.

The royal guest list included the UK's Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward and Sophie; Princess Takamado of Japan; and princes and princesses from Norway, Denmark, Greece, Luxembourg and Monaco.

The Royal Court said on Friday that Madeleine's wedding dress was made by Italian designer Valentino Garavani.

The couple plan to remain in the US and continue working

Source: KUNA