Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, was born on 14 July 1977 at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm.
She was baptised at the Palace Church on 27 September 1977 and given the names Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée. She was baptised in September 1977.
Crown Princess Victoria is the eldest child of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia. She has two siblings, Prince Carl Philip, born on 13 May 1979 and Princess Madeleine, born on 10 June 1982.
In accordance with the 1979 Act of Succession, which entered into force on 1 January 1980, Crown Princess Victoria is heir to the Swedish throne.
The Crown Princess resides at Drottningholm Palace.
Education
The Crown Princess attended Västerled parish pre-school from 1982-84. In autumn 1984 she started school at Smedslättsskolan in Bromma, where she completed her junior level.
She completed her intermediate level at Ålstenskolan in Bromma and went on to pursue senior studies, following a Science and Social Studies programme, at Enskilda Gymnasiet upper secondary school in Stockholm.
The Crown Princess graduated from upper secondary school in June 1996. She spent her summer holidays gaining additional foreign language experience with trips to countries such as Germany and the USA.
The Crown Princess was confirmed in the summer of 1992 at Räpplinge church on the island of Öland.
During her time at school The Crown Princess completed two periods of work experience, one at the Royal Household Collections at the Royal Castle in Stockholm and one at the Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm.
French Language Studies
During the 1996-97 academic year, The Crown Princess studied French at the Centre International D'Études Françaises at the Université Catholique de L'Ouest in Angers, France.
In autumn 1997, The Crown Princess followed a specially designed programme in order to gain a general insight into the workings of the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament) and the Swedish Government.
United Nations experience
In the spring of 1998, Crown Princess Victoria began academic studies in Political Science and History at Yale University in the USA. In conjunction with her stay in the USA, The Crown Princess completed two periods of work experience at the United Nations in New York (June and September 2002) as well as one at the Swedish Embassy in Washington DC in May 1999.
In autumn 2000 The Crown Princess completed studies in conflict resolution and international peace-building.
In spring 2001 The Crown Princess studied the Swedish Presidency of the EU.
Swedish Government Offices
In autumn 2001, The Crown Princess followed a study programme at the offices of the Swedish Government. During this time she visited the 'Swedish Style' exhibition in Tokyo and the west coast of the USA in connection with the Nobel Jubilee.
In spring 2002, The Crown Princess completed a study programme at SIDA, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and spent time in countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia.
During this time she also continued with her official engagements. In autumn 2002 she completed an internship with the Swedish Trade Council in Berlin and Paris.
Basic Military Education
In 2003 The Crown Princess continued her education on Swedish trade and industry with a study and work experience programme in Swedish agriculture and forestry, as well as completing basic military training at SWEDINT (the Swedish Armed Forces International Centre).
In 2004 The Crown Princess participated in a state visit to Iceland , and visited Saudi Arabia and Hungary with official Swedish delegations. She also visited the Rome branch of the UN, made field trips to various companies in Sweden and continued with her official engagement duties.
The Crown Princess also studied at the Swedish National Defence College in Stockholm in 2004, focusing on Political Science, International Relations and Conflict Resolution.
International aid work in Asia
In spring 2005 The Crown Princess travelled extensively, including a trip to Australia in connection with the 'Swedish Style' exhibition, and a trip to Japan to attend the World Exposition in Aichi.
The Crown Princess also travelled to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to study international aid efforts in these countries. In June 2005 she visited Turkey with Thomas Östros, the Swedish Minister for Trade and Industry, in order to promote relations between Sweden and Turkey.
Social Science studies
The Crown Princess began to focus her studies on Social Science in 2005.
Diplomatic studies
In September 2006 the Crown Princess embarked upon the diplomatic programme at the Swedish Foreign Ministry. The programme lasts for one academic year and includes lectures, seminars and group work. The Crown Princess will also be taking field trips to various different authorities and institutions.
Engaged to Daniel Westling
The Crown Princess announced her engagement to Daniel Westling on Tuesday 24 February, 2009. The wedding is due to take place on 19 June, 2010.
