As the Crown Princess Couple marks their 15th anniversary, we take a look back at the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden.
Victoria married her prince in what was dubbed the biggest royal wedding since Charles and Diana in 1981. She married her commoner fitness trainer on 19 June 2010 – her parents’ 34th wedding anniversary.
From National Day (6 June) until the day of the wedding, Sweden celebrated Love Stockholm 2010 with festivals and a huge welcome for tourists to celebrate the heir’s wedding.
The pair wed at Stockholm Cathedral with over 1,000 people in attendance.
The Archbishop of Uppsala, Anders Wejryd, conducted the ceremony with Lars-Göran Lönnermark and Antje Jackelén assisting. Gustaf Sjökvist, who was in charge of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s wedding music, led the music.
Crown Princess Victoria wore a bespoke gown by Swedish designer Pär Engsheden; she also wore the Cameo Tiara like her mother and paternal aunts before her.
In a break with tradition, she had her father, the King, walk her down the aisle. In Swedish tradition, the bride and groom enter the church together. However, Victoria wanted her father to walk her down the aisle. To compromise, the King walked her halfway down the aisle to Daniel. They then walked the rest of the way to the altar.
The ceremony included a performance by Swedish singers Agnes Carlsson and Björn Skifs with the tune “When You Tell the World You’re Mine” written especially for the couple.
There were familiar faces among the bridal party. Three future monarchs featured in the wedding. Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Princess Amalia of the Netherlands and Prince Christian (now Crown Prince) of Denmark served as bridesmaids and pageboys. All three are also Victoria’s godchildren.
Prince Carl Philip, Victoria’s brother, served as Daniel’s best man.
After the ceremony, the couple took a carriage ride through Stockholm to greet the thousands of people who had come out for their wedding. They then boarded the royal barge Vasaorden to return to the Royal Palace for the wedding banquet and reception.
During the reception, the new Prince Daniel won hearts with his sweet tribute to his new wife, calling her the “princess of my heart.”
He also thanked his new in-laws for their guidance.
“Once upon a time, the young man was perhaps not a frog at the beginning of the fairytale first told by the Grimm brothers, but he was certainly not a prince. The first kiss did not change that. His transformation was not possible without the support of the wise King and Queen, who had ruled the kingdom for many years, and who were full of wisdom, experience and had good hearts. They knew what was best and guided the couple with a gentle hand, generously sharing all their valuable experience.”
Royals from across the globe attended the nuptials, including King Abdullah, Queen Rania and Princess Iman of Jordan; the Norwegian Royal Family, the Spanish Royal Family and the Earl and Countess of Wessex (now known as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh).
Daniel became a Prince of Sweden and took on the male title of Victoria’s dukedom of Västergötland upon their marriage.
An estimated 50,000 people were in Stockholm for the wedding, and Sweden’s SVT reported that it was the biggest event ever recorded on television in the city.
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