A shock, not a surprise. Princess Madeleine of Sweden has broken off her engagement with attorney Jonas Bergström, the Royal Court announced Saturday. "They have decided that the best for them is to go their separate ways", the palace said in a brief statement.
The court asked for the media to leave the princess and her former fiance alone. ""They need peace and quiet in this difficult situation. The heavy coverage does not ease the situation for them", it said, adding it would not comment further on the issue.
The couple announced their engagement in August last year, but a date had not yet been set for the wedding. The reasons for the break up were not disclosed. Stories of a rift in the relation have been circulating for months, with Queen Silvia only recently saying there would be no wedding this year.
Norwegian magazine Se Og Hør published an interview this week with handball player Tora Uppstrøm Berg who claimed she had spent a night with the princess' fiance at a popular Swedish skiing resort last year. She did not who he was at the time. "I feel sorry for Madeleine", she said. The court has not commented on the report.
* Madeleine’s parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia were in Monaco Saturday, where the met with Prince Albert, while marking the 59th World Baden Powell fellowship scout foundation event.
According to the Royal Court calendar, the princess is set to spend the next few weeks in the U.S. to work with the World Childhood Foundation. Madeleine, 27, is third in line to the Swedish throne, after her sister Crown Princess Victoria and brother Prince Carl Philip.
After completing an undergraduate degree in art, history and ethnology in 2006, she has combined studies in social affairs with work for the World Childhood Foundation in Stockholm. Bergström, 31, has a master's degree in law and has worked as an associate lawyer at a firm in Stockholm since 2006. Madeleine and Jonas had been together for eight years. © GPD, with additional reporting from AP
Comments