Princess Madeleine of Sweden has opened up about struggling with her royal role, admitting she found it difficult growing up in the spotlight before the monarchy’s slimmed-down structure allowed her to take on fewer official duties.
The Princess of Sweden dazzles on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia, posing in Djurgården and the Royal Stables in a flowing red dress with her long blonde hair styled in waves.
While conversing with the outlet, Princess Madeleine shared an insight into her life growing up in the Swedish royal family, admitting: "I was always kind of struggling with that".
The daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia added, "My siblings were much more accepting of the roles we had.”
She shared, "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."
The royal said she envied her friends’ independence, particularly being able to ride the bus alone, while showjumping gave her a chance to escape royal life under the name Anna Svensson.
Princess Madeleine shares three children, Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne, with husband Christopher O’Neill, whom she married in 2013.
In 2019, King Carl Gustaf slimmed down the royal family to focus on Crown Princess Victoria’s household.
Madeleine previously noted that the slimmer royal family structure gave her and her brother Carl Philip the chance to focus on “other things.”
She wrote on Instagram at the time: "This change has been planned for a long time. Chris and I think it is good that our children now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as individuals in the future."
To note, Madeleine runs skincare brand MinLen with Weleda and created the children’s animated series Hidden Islands.
She uses her name, Madeleine Bernadotte, rather than her royal title for the brand.
