17 December 2023 , 18:30
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The lives of the Prince and Princess of Wales are hardly ever too far away from the headlines.
And it seems their guests at the Royal Variety Performance, which is airing on ITV tonight, are also no strangers to controversy. For the annual show, which was filmed last month at the Royal Albert Hall, William and Kate were joined by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel.
The Swedish couple were on a three-day visit to the UK several weeks ago and were invited to join William and Kate at the annual event. Tonight, they will be seen sitting in the Royal Box alongside each other enjoying acts such as Cher, McFly and Zara Larsson - and here we reveal all about their royal drama.
Succession row
Crown Princess Victoria is the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden and like Prince William is heir to the throne. She has two younger siblings, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine, but her place in the line of succession was not always assured.
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel together with Prince William and Kate at Windsor Castle last month (Christine Olsson/TT/REX/Shutterstock)Her younger brother Carl Philip had previously been heir, but a change to the Act of Succession in Sweden in 1979 introduced absolute primogeniture. This meant that Victoria leapfrogged her brother and is now expected to be the next monarch of Sweden. When she is crowned she will be just the fourth Queen regent of Sweden and the first since the 1700s.
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Intense pressure
However, despite her seemingly privileged position, Victoria has opened up in the past about how intense pressure affected her health. In November 1997, when she was just 20, the Swedish Royal Family confirmed she was suffering from an eating disorder.
The announcement came following intense speculation after she was pictured looking thin at a state visit earlier that year. She received treatment in the United States before going on to study at Yale University. Victoria explained: "In the US, I got professional help, which was really important for me. Just learning to put words to feelings and thus, be able to set limits and to not push myself too much, which I found easy. I wanted all the time so much more than I could do, or could be."
The two couples at the Royal Albert Hall last month (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)It was also later revealed that Victoria suffered from prosopagnosia, which is more commonly known as facial blindness and affects her ability to recognise people's faces. In 2008, she admitted: "I find it very hard to remember names and faces, and that is a big drawback in my capacity because obviously I meet an awful lot of people."
Fairytale wedding
In 2002, Victoria started dating now husband Daniel Westling, after the pair met when he became her personal trainer. They dated for eight years before they announced their engagement in February 2009.
They tied the knot later that year in June in a lavish ceremony in Stockholm Cathedral, which was compared to the scale and size of the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana back in 1981. Among the royal guests that attended the nuptials were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie, who represented the British royal family.
Daniel had to do an 18-month “prince training” programme before the wedding (Getty)However, first, Daniel was put through an 18-month "prince training" programme on "the ceremonies and culture inheritance... linked to the history of the monarchy. The couple now has a daughter Estelle, 11, who is second-in-line to the throne and a son Oscar, seven.
Affair rumours
In 2022, the Swedish royal court made the rare move of putting out a statement to deny reports that Victoria and Daniel's marriage was in crisis following an "incredible betrayal". It said: "We wish to make it clear, once and for all, that the rumours that are now spreading are completely baseless."
The couple even doubled down on divorce rumours by also publishing a statement on Instagram saying: "It has come to our attention that there are widespread negative rumours about our private relationship. Allegations are being spread about betrayal in the relationship and an impending divorce.
The couple with their children Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar (Getty Images)"Normally, we do not comment on rumours and speculation. But in order to protect our family, we wish to make it clear, once and for all, that the rumours that are now spreading are completely unfounded."
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Daniel went one step further in a rare TV interview by denying any infidelity in his marriage or that he and Victoria were on the verge of a split. He branded the rumours "mean and false" and said they had "serious consequences" for his family
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He explained: "Many friends from across Sweden and overseas have got in touch and things arrived at a certain point where we felt we could no longer accept it. I don't think there is any sane person who believes in this rumour."
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk.