Sweden’s Crown Princess and her husband have announced that they are expecting their first child.
The widely anticipated news that Princess Victoria and her former personal trainer, Prince Daniel Westling, have conceived broke last Wednesday, sending the country’s tabloids into a frenzy.
“Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are happy to announce that the Crown Princess is expecting their first child,” the Royal Court wrote in a statement. “The mother-to-be is doing well. No changes in the schedule of The Crown Princess’ public engagements are planned during the autumn of 2011,” the statement continued. The pair, who were married in a lavish ceremony in June last year, are expecting their new arrival in March.
Speaking to news agency TT, former royal press secretary Elizabeth Tarras-Wahlberg said that, in her previous position as the head of the Crown Princess’s household, Victoria’s love for children was clear. “Even in my time I witnessed how she was happy for her friends who had babies and how she delighted in her many God children,” Tarras-Wahlberg said.
Congratulatory messages have been flooding in from heads of state, including Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who issued a statement saying: “It is with great joy that I have been informed of the news that the Crown Princess and Prince Daniel are expecting a baby. You have a fantastic experience to look forward to and I want to send my warmest congratulations to you both.”
Centre Party leader Maud Olofsson also said, “What joyful news! Two fabulous people who are so very much in love and now get to share the joy of having a child together”.
Princess Victoria is first in line for the Swedish throne, with the baby becoming the next in line to succeed her when it is born.