Before Princess Madeleine could marry her Chris O’Neill, one problem had to be solved. While the Swedish princess was a Protestant, the American businessman was a Catholic.
Princess Madeleine, 41, has been married to Christopher “Chris” O’Neill, 49, for more than ten years and has three children with him: Princess Leonore, 10, Prince Nicolas, 8, and Princess Adrienne, 6. The Family lives in Florida. But before the Swedish princess could say yes to the American businessman on June 8, 2013, a problem had to be solved: As a member of the Swedish royal family, Madeleine belongs to the Church of Sweden and is therefore a Protestant, while Chris was baptized as a Catholic.
A question of faith?
Before the wedding, Svante Lindqvist, then Imperial Marshal at court, had explained that Chris O’Neill himself did not have to convert in order to marry the youngest daughter of King Carl Gustaf, 77, and Queen Silvia, 80. Because he himself did not belong to the royal family and has no claim to the Swedish throne. But the question remained as to what should happen to the couple’s unborn children. According to current law, in order to be in line to the Swedish throne, they would have to be Swedish citizens, grow up in Sweden and be baptized Protestant.
Chris O’Neill’s upbringing was Catholic
The Catholic faith had shaped Chris O’Neill’s upbringing and was important for his family. According to the “Svensk Damtidning”, his aunt Cathleen O’Neill is said to have been a nun in the Catholic Church and his mother Eva O’Neill’s uncle was a cardinal. Nevertheless, Chris was said to be lenient on the question of faith. And so he decided not to pass on his Catholic upbringing to his children. The reasons for this probably lie in the rules of succession to the throne. “According to the Swedish constitution, the heir to the throne must belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. This is the only Swedish law that contains such a requirement. You can only inherit the throne if you convert to Protestantism,” explains court expert Herman Lindqvist.
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Princess Madeleine’s children are Protestant like her
For this reason, all three of Madeleine and Chris’ children were baptized according to royal tradition in Drottningholm Castle Church. This means they belong to Protestantism and retain their place in the line of succession. As the “Svensk Damtidning” writes, this was a sacrifice that Chris made for Madeleine’s sake. Another requirement for taking the throne is that the person must have been “raised in the kingdom.” But Madeleine and Chris’ children still live mostly in the USA with their parents. According to “Svensk Damtidning” it can be assumed that considerations of succession to the throne led to Madeleine and Chris’ decision to move back to Sweden.
Source used: svenskdam.se, Dana Press