Princess Madeleine, Chris O’Neill & their children moving to Sweden

[LadyFinn]

Expressen has seen documents that Madeleine and her children and their nanny are booked on a flight to Stockholm: first to Newark and from there to Stockholm.
On the flight to Newark, the family is booked in economy class. Even if they were booked in economy, they will have a much smoother route to the plane. Swedish embassy has applied for a fast track through the security check for the royals, a service that the US Department of Foreign Affairs is responsible for, offered to especially important people at a limited number of airports. Embassies or UN missions should request such VIP treatment for it to be considered.
When Chris joins the rest of the family in Sweden is still unclear.

Kolla – prinsessan Madeleine reser precis som Svensson

NEW YORK. Kolla, de kungliga reser precis som vi! Nya detaljer om prinsessan Madeleines flytt visar att hon och barnen (men inte Chris O’Neill) bokats på platser långt, långt bak på flyget – i ekonomiklass. Men av dokument från amerikanska UD framgår att inte allt är exakt som för vanligt folk.

www.expressen.se

 

[Mbruno]

In their case it sounds as if they want to try it out and if it truly doesn’t work out for Chris they will once again move/make other arrangements. Probably not back to Florida but I wouldn’t be surprised if the UK ends up being in de cards again at some point in the future.

It seems that it will depend on whether Belgravia AB will be successful or not. Chris is probably unsure about the viability of running his business from Sweden, especially when, as far as I understand, his company is focused on American clients.

I hope it works out for them.

 

[Alisa]

I don't know...I really hope they stay put in Sweden. They tried London already, yet they moved. Chris seems to be a man of contradictions. Years ago he down played Florida. He complained about the weather, the cost...etc Yet they have lived there for a few years. Who knows!

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Chris is a cosmopolitan, I imagine it will be too small minded for him in Sweden, plus the scrutiny. And not everybody likes the in-laws close by, especially this kind of in-laws. But if his job needs him to travel abroad frequently, good for him.

 

[LadyFinn]

It seems that it will depend on whether Belgravia AB will be successful or not. Chris is probably unsure about the viability of running his business from Sweden, especially when, as far as I understand, his company is focused on American clients.

I hope it works out for them.

Chris owns 100 % of Belgravia Advisors AB and of course it would be good if the company would be successful, especially because the swedish media will follow the company all the time although Chris said the company is a private matter.

 

[tommy100]

I have to say I find Expressen's detail in their article worrying - they know what airline, flight, class, and seats they will be in for their flights - and are giving some of that info away quite publicly.

 

[FigTree]

I would be sceptical of that. They really spent 2 minutes living in a London. Not much longer in Sweden. However, you know. Free house amd all. And he can travel for work. We will see.

 

[LadyFinn]

I would be sceptical of that. They really spent 2 minutes living in a London. Not much longer in Sweden. However, you know. Free house amd all. And he can travel for work. We will see.

The most interesting thing is how the whole family will adjust to living at the Royal Stables (or will they really live there for a long time, we will see). Now they have a big house with quite big own yard, a swimming pool and garage for three cars. At the Royal Stables they have a seven-room apartment with no own yard. They can of course use the swimming pool at Drottningholm Palace, but it's over 10 km away.

********

Allt om kungligt web magazine:
There is great interest in the financier, whether he likes it or not.
Chris turned down the title of prince in some kind of vain hope that he could live his life in private.
For journalists, however, it is completely irrelevant whether he is royalty or not as long as he is married to a princess.

Madeleines make Chris O'Neill kartlagd efter senaste utspelet

Nu granskas Chris O’Neill av utländsk press. Amerikanen kan inte längre gå under radarn.

alltomkungligt.se

 

[FigTree]

There was extension work going on wasn't there?

 

[Hans-Rickard]

The most interesting thing is how the whole family will adjust to living at the Royal Stables (or will they really live there for a long time, we will see). Now they have a big house with quite big own yard, a swimming pool and garage for three cars. At the Royal Stables they have a seven-room apartment with no own yard. They can of course use the swimming pool at Drottningholm Palace, but it's over 10 km away.

********

Allt om kungligt web magazine:
There is great interest in the financier, whether he likes it or not.
Chris turned down the title of prince in some kind of vain hope that he could live his life in private.
For journalists, however, it is completely irrelevant whether he is royalty or not as long as he is married to a princess.

Madeleines make Chris O'Neill kartlagd efter senaste utspelet

Nu granskas Chris O’Neill av utländsk press. Amerikanen kan inte längre gå under radarn.

alltomkungligt.se

If they will live at the Royal Stables… I happen to know by first hand sources that the staff there are not too happy about having them there permanently, as it means they may have to close a lot more, wich means a lot less much needed money…

I can well imagine it may be a short term solution, while a house is getting renovated or being purchased.

 

[Sarahbellar]

If they will live at the Royal Stables… I happen to know by first hand sources that the staff there are not too happy about having them there permanently, as it means they may have to close a lot more, wich means a lot less much needed money…

I can well imagine it may be a short term solution, while a house is getting renovated or being purchased.

I think they are looking at houses around Stockholm.

 

[Marengo]

Chris is a cosmopolitan, I imagine it will be too small minded for him in Sweden, plus the scrutiny. And not everybody likes the in-laws close by, especially this kind of in-laws. But if his job needs him to travel abroad frequently, good for him.

Is it though? Compared to London and New York indeed. But Stockholm appears rather more cosmopolitan to me than Miami does. Esp. since I imagine they must have lived in a gated community there.

 

[Mbruno]

The most interesting thing is how the whole family will adjust to living at the Royal Stables (or will they really live there for a long time, we will see). Now they have a big house with quite big own yard, a swimming pool and garage for three cars. At the Royal Stables they have a seven-room apartment with no own yard. They can of course use the swimming pool at Drottningholm Palace, but it's over 10 km away.

********

Allt om kungligt web magazine:
There is great interest in the financier, whether he likes it or not.
Chris turned down the title of prince in some kind of vain hope that he could live his life in private.
For journalists, however, it is completely irrelevant whether he is royalty or not as long as he is married to a princess.

Madeleines make Chris O'Neill kartlagd efter senaste utspelet

Nu granskas Chris O’Neill av utländsk press. Amerikanen kan inte längre gå under radarn.

alltomkungligt.se

I imagine that the apartment at the Royal Mews will be a temporary solution and they will soon buy (or rent?) a house, probably close to the children's school.

Is it though? Compared to London and New York indeed. But Stockholm appears rather more cosmopolitan to me than Miami does. Esp. since I imagine they must have lived in a gated community there.

I agree. Most places in the USA, except for New York City or maybe Los Angeles, are the opposite of "cosmopolitan".

 

[FigTree]

That's a buy mean. All cities are cosmopolitan to varying degrees - depending on their size of course. Cites are prese native of cities and are more similar.to eachother than the country they represent. London is not England or even like any other city in the UK.

And Stockholm is a very beautiful, unique city.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I am curious what they will do, in the US they lived in a gated community but then, in the US nobody cares about royalty. As Lady Finn said, the interest in Chris will always be there not because of him or what title he has or doesnt have but because of who his wife is. IMO they need to live in a gated community or within royal grounds to keep the photographers away, especially in Sweden where there is maximum interest in the family.

 

[Marengo]

I imagine there will be lots of attention in the beginning but once she and her family are settled the interest will slowly wane. Madeleine and Chris are rather middle age now, and will be less and less interesting to the press while the attention will slowly move to younger members of the family.

Are there any gated communities in Sweden? It doesn't feel in line with Swedish -or even European- values somehow.

Carl Philip lives in Djurgarden, without too much press intrusion. It could be a nice area for Madeleine and her family too.

 

[Hans-Rickard]

I imagine there will be lots of attention in the beginning but once she and her family are settled the interest will slowly wane. Madeleine and Chris are rather middle age now, and will be less and less interesting to the press while the attention will slowly move to younger members of the family.

Are there any gated communities in Sweden? It doesn't feel in line with Swedish -or even European- values somehow.

Carl Philip lives in Djurgarden, without too much press intrusion. It could be a nice area for Madeleine and her family too.

There are several gated areas at Djurgården.

Also at Diplomatstaden at Östermalm where many of the embassies and ambassadorial residences are…

Djursholm where many of Swedens absolutely richest people lives, also has some really impressive villa’s with advanced protection installed… That is an area i can imagine Madeleine and Chris would like

Villa Loviseberg close to Ulriksdal Palace have also been rumoured but is maybe less likely… It was bought a couple of years ago by Statens Fastighetsverk (the swedish crown estste) with the aim that it should be the temporary home of the swedish prime minister while the ”Sager House” in central Stockholm was being renovated…. That renovation has since been heavily delayed by the new government so Villa Loviseberg is still empty and noone really knows what will happen…

An entirely gated community is hard to find here in Sweden i’m afraid

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I imagine there will be lots of attention in the beginning but once she and her family are settled the interest will slowly wane. Madeleine and Chris are rather middle age now, and will be less and less interesting to the press while the attention will slowly move to younger members of the family.

Are there any gated communities in Sweden? It doesn't feel in line with Swedish -or even European- values somehow.

Carl Philip lives in Djurgarden, without too much press intrusion. It could be a nice area for Madeleine and her family too.

Chris is so interesting for the press because he refuses to play the game, lots to write about that with photo proof. I can imagine that CP and his family live without much attention because there seems no controversy in their relationship and they love to play the game, appear at royal events and enjoy the attention.

 

[LadyFinn]

Madeleine and the children arrived to Stockholm this morning, Svensk Damtidning has photos from the airport.

JUST NU: Här landar Madeleine och barnen i Sverige – utan Chris

Prinsessan Madeleine och barnen har landat i Sverige – utan Chris O'Neill. Se Svensk Damtidnings exklusiva bilder från Arlanda.

www.svenskdam.se

Their house in Miami is still with"pending", not "sold" at the broker's website.

If they will live at the Royal Stables… I happen to know by first hand sources that the staff there are not too happy about having them there permanently, as it means they may have to close a lot more, wich means a lot less much needed money…

I can well imagine it may be a short term solution, while a house is getting renovated or being purchased.

The Royal Stables are temporarily closed for guided tours during 2024 because the Royal Court must save a lot of money this year, they welcome only prebooked Group visits. So Madeleine and her family living there doesn't affect the income this year. The Royal Court of course hopes to open the Royal Stables for public again next year.

Opening hours, The Royal Stables

www.kungligaslotten.se

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Out of curiosity, are there members here who could comment on the degree of adjustment that (affluent and with connections to Sweden) Americans like Chris O'Neill and his children might experience (I count the children as cultural Americans as they are unlikely to remember their early life in Sweden) after moving to Sweden? I am especially curious about the adjustment from American to Swedish schools, especially since the children, though bilingual, probably cannot read and write at grade level compared to Swedish-raised children.

If they will live at the Royal Stables… I happen to know by first hand sources that the staff there are not too happy about having them there permanently, as it means they may have to close a lot more, wich means a lot less much needed money…

I can well imagine it may be a short term solution, while a house is getting renovated or being purchased.

Or while they decide whether or not to settle in Sweden permanently, since they have always announced the move as "tills vidare".

I have to say I find Expressen's detail in their article worrying - they know what airline, flight, class, and seats they will be in for their flights - and are giving some of that info away quite publicly.

Don't many European countries have privacy laws which would ban the publication of such details without consent? Is that the case in Sweden? If so, perhaps the princess allowed Expressen to view the information about her commercial flight in the hopes that they would write about it and refute the perception of her and her husband in Sweden as snobbish, luxurious, etc.

 

[LadyFinn]

The Swedish press has reported, that Madeleine will bring the family's dogs Teddy and Oreo with them. At the photos we see Oreo at a dog bag.

Madeleines kontroversiella val för hunden Oreo – beslutet väcker frågor

Prinsessan Madeleines beslut med hunden Oreo väcker kontroverser!

www.svenskdam.se

 

[Frelinghighness]

I agree that Kris is a story for the Swedish media continuing to give them exciting for them news. If he became very boring and complacent like CP and Sophia might have an easier time.

 

[LadyFinn]

I imagine there will be lots of attention in the beginning but once she and her family are settled the interest will slowly wane. Madeleine and Chris are rather middle age now, and will be less and less interesting to the press while the attention will slowly move to younger members of the family.

Chris is so interesting for the press because he refuses to play the game, lots to write about that with photo proof. I can imagine that CP and his family live without much attention because there seems no controversy in their relationship and they love to play the game, appear at royal events and enjoy the attention.

Carl Philip and Sofia work for the Royal House and Carl Philip owns the house they live in and pays all the costs of it.
Madeleine hasn't worked very much for the Royal House, has lived in Miami and still there has been a seven-room apartment at the Royal Stables for her and her family (empty for the most of time). She pays no rent of it and it has been renovated with SEK 12 million during the last ten years. The renovation was mostly paid by the National Property Board (Statens Fastighetsverk), Madeleine paid only a small part of the renovation. And now the press writes that their house in Miami has been sold with SEK 75 million. A lot of money for many Swedes and now the family move to Sweden and don't pay any rent for their apartment.
And if Madeleine and Chris move to a house, who pays it and who of the court staff needs a seven-room apartment at the Royal Stables?
So it is not so strange that Madeleine and Chris are seen as controversial people.

 

[Marengo]

Perhaps not if the apartment would indeed be the reason they were seen as controversial. But I would say the causality is the other way around. She was controversial before -due to the fact she left Sweden- and parts of the press are going out of their way to consider anything she and esp. her husband does as controversial and to paint it in an unfavourable light.

12 million crown is just above 100.000 Euros? Over ten years that is 10.000 euro/dollar a year, not such an enormous amount. Renovation cost indeed tend to be for the owner.

A seven room apartment isn't all that excessive. Esp. not for somebody with 3 children.

As for who will pay for the permanent residence of Madeleine: that remains to be seen. As long as the tax payer does not I don't see why it would be a concern to anybody other than to those involved.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Would not paying stand against everything Chris has ever said: breadwinner, he'll provide for the family? I would expect them to pay rent.
And isnt not paying any rent a touchy subject since the Queen's nephew was called out as a freeloader when the sex scandal broke?

 

[Marengo]

I have no clue what Chris has said over the years. But (temporarily) accepting the hospitality of your parents-in-law whle house-hunting -as they probably see it- doesn't mean he is not providing for the family.

 

[tommy100]

I do think long term they'll move somewhere else - as in the apartment in the Mews / Stables isn't going to become their main home. They'll either move to another property in Sweden - somewhere detached with more garden, or move to another country.

 

[Mbruno]

Perhaps not if the apartment would indeed be the reason they were seen as controversial. But I would say the causality is the other way around. She was controversial before -due to the fact she left Sweden- and parts of the press are going out of their way to consider anything she and esp. her husband does as controversial and to paint it in an unfavourable light.

12 million crown is just above 100.000 Euros? Over ten years that is 10.000 euro/dollar a year, not such an enormous amount. Renovation cost indeed tend to be for the owner.

I believe SEK 12 million is just over 1 million Euros, which is a considerable sum of money.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Would not paying stand against everything Chris has ever said: breadwinner, he'll provide for the family? I would expect them to pay rent.
And isnt not paying any rent a touchy subject since the Queen's nephew was called out as a freeloader when the sex scandal broke?

Good points, though I wonder how much that criticism of Patrick Sommerlath was present before the sexual scandal.

I have no clue what Chris has said over the years. But (temporarily) accepting the hospitality of your parents-in-law whle house-hunting -as they probably see it- doesn't mean he is not providing for the family.

I understood DoM's comment to be following up your comment on payment for their (for now hypothetical) permanent residence:

As for who will pay for the permanent residence of Madeleine: that remains to be seen. As long as the tax payer does not I don't see why it would be a concern to anybody other than to those involved.

Regarding the "breadwinner" comment, Chris O'Neill stated it in a 2015 interview to explain why the couple were emigrating from Sweden for the sake of his career:

Why don't you live in Sweden?
- We would definitely stay in Sweden if it had gone with my job, but I have a job that requires I'm in London. Until now, I have had three to four flight per week in Europe, mostly to London. It doesn't work in the long run. At the end of New York time I commuted between London and New York. It wouldn't also worked in the long run. I had a while twelve days a month from New York to London. I and Madeleine have now taken the decision that we are going to stay in London so that I can do my work. I don't want to come home to a hotel room alone. I want to come home to my family and eat dinner together. Everything else is not important. It is I who am the breadwinner of the family. I must first and foremost think of our little family.​

The interview and the discussion of the negative reaction to his self-description in Sweden (where the social norm is for wives and husbands to jointly provide for the family) can be found here:

Princess Madeleine, Chris O'Neill and Family, General News 2: June 2015 - Sept 2017

Arms of Princess Madeleine Welcome to the General News of Princess Madeleine, Chris O'Neill, Princess Leonore and Prince Nicolas, Part 2 June 15, 2015 - September 21, 2017 The previous thread can be found here Please take a look at the TRF Community Rules & FAQs · Only pictures that...

www.theroyalforums.com

 

[LadyFinn]

Perhaps not if the apartment would indeed be the reason they were seen as controversial. But I would say the causality is the other way around. She was controversial before -due to the fact she left Sweden- and parts of the press are going out of their way to consider anything she and esp. her husband does as controversial and to paint it in an unfavourable light.

12 million crown is just above 100.000 Euros? Over ten years that is 10.000 euro/dollar a year, not such an enormous amount. Renovation cost indeed tend to be for the owner.

A seven room apartment isn't all that excessive. Esp. not for somebody with 3 children.

As for who will pay for the permanent residence of Madeleine: that remains to be seen. As long as the tax payer does not I don't see why it would be a concern to anybody other than to those involved.

SEK 12 million is about 1,06 million Euros, not 100 000 Euros.
No, seven room apartment isn't so big - but the apartment was renovated by combining another apartment to it. At the Royal Stables apartments lives mostly members of the Staff of the Court. If Madeleine moves away, who of them needs a seven room apartment rumoured to be 350-400 m2? For instance, the Marshal of the Realm Fredrik Wersäll lives at a 153 m2 apartment at a house on Djurgården the King has the right of disposition.

Would not paying stand against everything Chris has ever said: breadwinner, he'll provide for the family? I would expect them to pay rent.
And isnt not paying any rent a touchy subject since the Queen's nephew was called out as a freeloader when the sex scandal broke?

If Madeleine and family move away to an estate covered by the royal right of disposition, they will live rent-free, according to the re-examination of the Form of Government in 1809-10 done by the National Property Board and the Royal Court in 2015. Since June 2015, Madeleine has not paid any rent for the apartment at the Royal Stables.

Madeleine och Chris blev lurade på flera hyror – blev av med 100 000-tals kronor

Madeleine och Chris O'Neill behåller den nyrenoverade lägenheten i Stockholm. Samtidigt kan EXTRA nu avslöja att prinsessparet lurats av en statlig myndighet på hundratusentals kronor i hyror de aldrig skulle ha betalat. – Vi gjorde alltså en felaktig eller ofullständig tolkning av...

levaochbo.expressen.se

For members of the so-called Royal House, the rent is even zero crowns.
- Princess Madeleine has an apartment that she disposes of when she is in Stockholm. She pays no rent for it, says Margareta Thorgren in 2023.

Kunglig gräddfil till attraktiva bostäder - Reporter Mikael Bergling

berglingmedia.se

Of course if Madeleine and her family don't like living at the Royal Stables, the best solution for them is to buy an own house/apartment.