Sweden’s Princess Madeleine is the youngest of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s children. She’s 42 years old and the mother of three. I’ve gotten vibes about Madeleine’s marriage to Christopher O’Neill, but they’re still together and if there’s any drama there, they keep it pretty quiet. That’s true of the Swedish royals overall – Madeleine and her brother Carl Phillip have basically been shuffled aside to make more room for Crown Princess Victoria and her children. Various royal titles have been taken away and while it was notable, it didn’t turn into a huge scandal. Madeleine is the one who moved away – she’s spent a huge chunk of the past decade living in America with her husband and children, although I think she and Christopher maintain a home in Sweden as well. Christopher has always had money – he’s some kind of successful financier or something, and Madeleine basically became a stay-at-home mom with some big charitable patronages. But now Madeleine is doing something new: building her own skincare brand. And the Swedish royal house made a statement about how Maddy’s not using her royal titles for her business.
Princess Madeleine of Sweden is getting into the skincare game, but her royal title won’t be part of the branding. On March 24, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s younger daughter announced that she was starting a skincare line called minLen with Swiss company Weleda, but she clarified that she wouldn’t use her princess title in the business venture.
“I’m excited to share that I’m launching ‘MinLen,’ a natural skincare line, developed in collaboration with Weleda, a global leader in certified natural skincare. MinLen is the first natural, responsible, multi-generational skincare brand in Europe — created with the needs of both young and growing families in mind,” Princess Madeleine, 42, said in a statement shared on her Instagram page. “Our product range will officially launch at the end of the summer and as this is a private initiative, I will use my name Madeleine Bernadotte in my work with MinLen,” she continued. “I look forward to sharing more with you very soon.”
Princess Madeleine is the youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, 78, and Queen Silvia, and the younger sibling of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Carl Philip. While she conducts official engagements as necessary at the request of her father the King, Princess Madeleine does not focus on royal duties full-time, and the Swedish Royal Court said it was consulted on her new minLen business.
“Princess Madeleine is launching a new business with the brand minLen in collaboration with the Swiss company Weleda AG,” the court said in a statement on March 24. “The decision to establish the company has been made in consultation with the Royal Court. The Office of the Marshal of the Realm has assessed that this private enterprise is compatible with Princess Madeleine’s role as a Royal Highness.”
“For many years, Princess Madeleine has not received any share of the appropriations from the Riksdag [Parliament] for the Head of State, and she participates in and carries out official engagements as needed and based on the King’s requests,” it continued, specifying that Madeleine doesn’t receive government money. “Instead, she has been actively involved with the World Childhood Foundation and various patronages. This new business venture will not affect her continued dedication to these causes. The Princess’ primary focus remains the well-being of children. As this is a private business venture, independent of her role within the Royal House, Princess Madeleine will use the name Madeleine Bernadotte in business contexts.”
Not to make everything about the Sussexes, but I know people will compare and contrast, so let’s play that game. The whole “Maddy consulted with the palace on this business venture” situation is what “critics” will cite as an example of “what the Sussexes should have done.” They’ll conveniently forget that if Harry and Meghan went to Buckingham Palace and asked for “permission” to do anything, they would be turned down completely, and their request would be leaked and they would be torn to shreds. Note that the Swedish royals are also emphasizing that Madeleine is a “royal highness” in good standing, even if she mostly lives abroad – they’re basically like, yeah, she doesn’t receive any public money but she’s still royal, and so she can start this business and not use her title and it’s all fine.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.