Sweden: More about the name of Princess Adrienne

I wrote the article about the name of Princess Adrienne on Tuesday evening because I didn't have the time to blog on Monday when the Council of State, in which the name was announced, took place. But I still managed to miss out on some additional information about the name, so I will have to write another blog article on the subject.

The Swedish magazine Svensk Damtidning wrote on 12 March 2018 under the headline «Svensk Damtidning avslöjar – hemligheten bakom Madeleines namnval» («Svensk Damtidning reveals – the secret behind Madeleine's name choice») that Adrienne was a name Queen Silvia had loved for many years. According to the Swedish pastor Adrienne Riddez on her Facebook wall (her message seems to have been deleted), they met eachother some time in the late 1990s and the queen had said: «Oh, is your name Adrienne, that is such a beautiful name. I should have given that to Madeleine!» And a generation later the name was given to Princess Madeleine's third child.

The head of the information department at the Royal Court in Sweden, Margareta Thorgren, seems to have confirmed the story, but also stressed that Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill had chosen the name for the simple reason that they liked it. «They chose Alice after Princess Madeleine's grandmother [«mormor» – «mother's mother»] and Josephine after Chris' grandmother [«mormor» – «mother's mother»]. But the name Adrienne stands on its own.»

The last piece of information is quite interesting. Naturally most commentators, myself included, pointed at Queen Josephine of Sweden as the source of inspiration for the name. I should of course have double-checked the ancestry of Chris O'Neill before I published my article on Tuesday night. After all, some information about his family has been published at the Nobiliana forum in the thread «Ancestors of Christopher O'Neill» (too many contributors to mention them all). Svensk Damtidning, and/or Ms. Thorgren, has messed up a bit, though. It is Chris' farmor («father's mother») who was named Josephine, not his mormor: Josephine Cesario, b. around 1896.

Sweden: HRH Princess Adrienne Josephine Alice, Duchess of Blekinge

In the Council of State held at Stockholm Palace yesterday, 12 March 2018, King Carl Gustaf informed his government that his new granddaughter, who was born 3 days earlier, had received the name Adrienne Josephine Alice and the title Duchess of Blekinge. The name in daily use would be Adrienne.

As usual the choice of name immediately became a debate topic in newspapers, TV, blogs and other social media. It was not difficult to point at Queen Josephine, née Princess of Leuchtenberg (1807–1876) as the inspiration for the second name, and to Queen Silvia's mother Alice Sommerlath, née de Toledo (1906–1997) as the inspiration for the third name. Josephine is also the fourth name of Princess Madeleine, mother of the (now relatively) newborn princess, and also appear among the names of other members of the larger Bernadotte family. Princess Adrienne's aunt Crown Princess Victoria has Alice has her third name, as has Adrienne's great-aunt Princess Birgitta. Both Josephine and Alice are rather common names in royal European history.

But what about Adrienne? Of course it was once again a name no-one had guessed. It is has no roots in Swedish royal history and is French of origin, but considering the French roots of the Bernadotte family it is in my opinion a good choice, even if it is deemed «untraditional» in the European royal circle. So where have Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill taken inspiration from? In the Facebook group Royalty Digest Quarterly, its administrator – and editor of the magazine with the same name – Ted Rosvall mentioned yesterday that «The name ADRIENNE does appear in the Bernadotte family. The soon to be 102, Dagmar von Arbin, née Bernadotte af Wisborg, has two granddaughters by that name: JANA Adrienne De GEER [Gummeson] and ADRIENNE Ebba Sophie De GEER [Heurlin]. The former has a daughter named ADRIENNE Maria Madeleine Gummesson De GEER».

I followed up, after having read a Twitter message on the subject, by mentioning that one of Queen Josephine's ancestors (and of Princess Adrienne, of course) had the name Adrienne – Adrienne Dyel de Graville. There was some initial confusion about which Josephine I was actually referring to and the number of generations, and I have to take the main responsibility for that (such things happen when you write in haste during a short break), but eventually I think the connection was well settled:

Princess Adrienne (b. 2018) --> Princess Madeleine (b. 1982) --> King Carl XVI Gustaf (b. 1946) --> Prince Gustaf Adolf (1906–1947) --> King Gustaf VI Adolf (1882–1973) --> King Gustaf V (1858–1950) --> King Oscar II (1829–1907) --> Queen Josephine, née Princess of Leuchtenberg (1807–1876) --> Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (1781–1824) --> Josephine, Empress of the French 1804–1810, née Tascher de la Pagerie (1763–1814) --> Joseph Gaspard de Tascher de la Pagerie (1735–1790) --> Marie Françoise Boureau de la Chevallerie (1709–1787) --> Marie Thérèse de Jaham (b. ca. 1686) --> Adrienne Dyel de Graville (ca. 1658–1729).

And if that is not enough, Adrienne's parents were named Adrien Dyel de Graville and Adrienne Dyel de Vaudroque. However, we should take some reservations about the eldest generations, as the tweet mentioned above based its information on the ancestry table given in the Wikipedia article about Empress Josephine, and as of today it is completely without sources.

There are also other Internet pages which either gives details about Adrienne Dyel de Graville and or mentions the connection between her and the Bernadottes, such as Geneanet.org and Généalogie et Histoire de la Caraïbe, including «G.H.C. Numéro 54 : Novembre 1993 Page 890» and «Généalogie et Historie de la Caraïbe No 115 Mai 1999» (rtf file)). The website covering French-Caribian genealogy seems to be rather serious, but unless my somewhat limited understanding of the French language has failed me, I can't find any sources stated there either.

I should add that the genealogist and author Ted Rosvall in his book Bernadotteättlingar (2010) shows on p. 114 Queen Josephine's ancestry back to Marie Françoise Boureau de la Chevallerie (1709–1787), the granddaughter of Adrienne Dyel de Graville. Chantal Cosnay is responsible for the genealogy research in France.

So, if we for the sake of the argument accepts the connection mentioned above – Adrienne of the 17th century would then be Princess Adrienne's 11 x great-grandmother, if I have not messed up the counting completely – has Princess Madeleine consulted her ancestry table in order to find a suitable name? She has most likely knows her de Geer relatives and can have taken inspiration from them. It is difficult to say for sure before she or her husband should one day in the future decide to comment on the name choice.

Adrienne is, by the way, not a very common name in Sweden, but according to Statistics Sweden there are currently (as of 31 December 2017, that is) 305 women with the name Adrienne, of whom 141 have Adrienne as their call name.

Following the birth of Princess Adrienne, the line of succession to the throne of Sweden is as follows:

1. Crown Princess Victoria (1977)
2. Princess Estelle (2012)
3. Prince Oscar (2016)
4. Prince Carl Philip (1979)
5. Prince Alexander (2016) 
6. Prince Gabriel (2017)
7. Princess Madeleine (1982)
8. Princess Leonore (2014)
9. Prince Nicolas (2015)
10. Princess Adrienne (2018)

Royal birth in Sweden: Princess Madeleine's third child

Photo: © 2017 Christopher O'Neill.

The Swedish Royal Court (The Office of The Marshal of the Realm) announced yesterday morning 9 March 2018 that Princess Madeleine and her husband Chris O'Neill earlier that day had become parents for the third time.

Announcement from HE The Marshal of the Realm

The Office of The Marshal of the Realm is delighted to announce that HRH Princess Madeleine gave birth to a healthy child on Friday 9 March 2018 at 00:41 at Danderyd Hospital.

Both mother and child are in good health.

Svante Lindqvist
Marshal of the Realm

The announcement was later followed up by a press release in which the gender of the child was revealed:

HRH Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O’Neill have had a daughter

On Friday the 9th March at 00.41, Princess Madeleine gave birth to a daughter at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm.

Weight: 3465 gram
Length: 50 cm

Mr O’Neill was present at Danderyd Hospital throughout the birth.

"We are thrilled about the new addition to our family. Leonore and Nicolas are looking very much forward to finally meeting their new little sister," says Mr O’Neill.

Salutes of 21 shots were fired at noon on the occasion of the birth . The parents returned home with their new daughter later the same day.

The newborn princess is the seventh grandchild of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia. The baby has entered the line of succession to the Swedish throne as no. 10. The name and title will be announced in a Council of State to be held on Monday 12 March at 11:15. A Te Deum to mark the birth of the princess will take place the same day at 12:15.

It is more or less impossible to predict what name Princess Madeleine and her husband has decided on. Neither Leonore or Nicolas were traditional names in Swedish royal history. But maybe the couple will surprise us with Martha or Eugenie this time?

Sweden: Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill to become parents for the third time

The Swedish Royal Court announced today that Princess Madeleine and her husband Christopher O'Neill are expecting their third child in March 2018:

HRH Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O'Neill are expecting a child

HRH Princess Madeleine and Mr. Christopher O'Neill are delighted to announce that The Princess is expecting their third child.

The Princess is feeling well and the birth is expected to take place in March 2018.

The couple's first child, Princess Leonore, was born in New York City on 20 February 2014. The second child, Prince Nicolas, was born on 15 June 2015.

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are expected to become parents again for the second time in September, which means that the March child will become King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia's seventh grandchild.

In other words, the Swedish royal house is blessed with many princes and princesses. The king has decided that all his grandchildren will receive the title of Prince or Princess as well as a ducal title. In the next generation I expect that the royal titles will be reserved for the grandchildren of Crown Princess Victoria.

Christening of HRH Princess Leonore of Sweden

The christening of Princess Leonore of Sweden, the daughter of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Chris O'Neill, took place at the Royal Chapel of Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm today, 8 June 2014. The christening coincided both with Pentecost as well as the first wedding anniversary of Princess Madeleine and Mr. O'Neill.

Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland was born at New York City, USA on 20 February 2014, and is fifth in line of succession to the throne of Sweden.

With such a great weather I preferred to stay outdoors rather than watching the televised ceremony, so I am not able to give a personal review of today's events, but here are the main facts.

The ceremony was officiated by Archbishop Anders Wejryd assisted by Chief Court Chaplain of the Royal Court and Bishop Emeritus Lars-Göran Lönnermark and Vicar of the Royal Court, Court Chaplain, Michael Bjerkhagen. The latter two also officiated at the wedding of Princess Leonore's parents, Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill, on 8 June 2012.

Sponsors
Princess Leonore's six sponsors were: 

• Crown Princess Victoria
• Louise Gottlieb (friend of Princess Madeleine)
• Patrick Sommerlath (first cousin of Princess Madeleine)
• Tatjana d’Abo (sister of Chris O'Neill)
• Count Ernst Abensperg und Traun (brother-in-law of Chris O'Neill and Princess Madeleine)
• Miss Alice Bamford (childhood friend of Chris O'Neill)

Guest list
After the christening ceremony there was a reception for all the 160 people who attended the ceremony, followed by a private lunch hosted by the King and Queen for about 100 guests. The following guest list was published at the official website (I haven't always followed the same order of names):

The Royal Family

• King Carl XVI Gustaf
• Queen Silvia
• Crown Princess Victoria
• Prince Daniel
• Princess Estelle
• Prince Carl Philip
• Princess Madeleine
• Christopher O'Neill

HM The King's family

• Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler 
• Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld and Baron  Carl Silfverschiöld
• Baroness Christina Louise De Geer and Baron Hans De Geer
• Hélène Silfverschiöld and Fredrik Dieterle
• Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson and Tord Magnuson 
• Gustaf Magnuson and Vicky Magnuson
• Countess Marianne Bernadotte of Wisborg
• Countess Gunnila Bernadotte of Wisborg

HM The Queen's family

• Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath and Bettina Aussems
• Walther L. Sommerlath and Ingrid Sommerlath
• Patrick Sommerlath and Maline Sommerlath
• Leopold Lundén Sommerlath
• Anaïs Sommerlath
• Chloé Sommerlath

Mr. Chris O'Neill's family

• Eva Maria O'Neill
• Annalisa O'Neill
• Karen O'Neill
• Tatjana d'Abo and Henry d'Abo
• Anouska d'Abo
• Jasper d'Abo
• Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun and Count Ernst Abensperg und Traun
• Countess Milana Abensperg und Traun
• Countess Chiara Abensperg und Traun
• Count Louis Cajetan Abensperg und Traun

Germany

• Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Riksdagen (the Parliament)

• Speaker Per Westerberg and Ylwa Westerberg

The Government

• Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
• Deputy prime minister and Minister for education Jan Björklund and Anette Brifalk Björklund
• Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask

Party leaders

• Chairman of the Social Democrats Stefan Löfven

Corps diplomatique

• Martin Rivera Gómez, Ambassador of El Salvador
• Mark F. Brzezinski, Ambassador of the USA 
• Paul Charles Johnston, Ambassador of the United Kingdom
• Anne K. Lund, Ambassador of Norway
• Kirsten Malling Biering, Ambassador of Denmark
• Harry Helenius, Ambassador of Finland

Other officials

• Fredrik Wersäll, President of Svea Court of Appeal
• Archbishop Anders Wejryd and Kajsa Wejryd
• General Sverker Göranson, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces
• Governor Cecilia Schelin Seidegård, Gotland county

Personal friends

• Sofia Hellqvist (girl-friend of Prince Carl Philip)
• Louise Gottlieb and Ludvig Blomqvist
• Nathalie Werner and Dag Werner
• Katarina von Horn and Robert von Horn
• Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund and Christoffer Cederlund
• Countess Louise Cronstedt and Count Jacob Cronstedt
• Lovisa de Geer and Niklas Bolle
• Ellen Dinkelspiel and Jan Dinkelspiel
• Marco Wajselfisz and Heike Wajselfisz
• Cedric Notz and Andrea Engsäll
• Alice Bamford
• Sofi Fahrman and Nick Zijlstra
• Fredrik Gottlieb and Carola Gottlieb
• Lena Biörck Kaplan 

Arms and monogram
The arms and monogram of Princess Leonore were also published in connection with the christening. The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Gotland (Princess Leonore is also Duchess of Gotland), while the inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte. The arms are crowned by the princess crown. The monogram consists of the initial L and a princess crown above. The heraldic artist Henrik Dahlström has designed the arms, while the monogram has been designed by Vladimir A. Sagerlund. Both were approved by the king. Sagerlund also designed the arms and monogram of Princess Estelle.

It was also announced that King Carl Gustaf had bestowed upon Princess Leonore the Royal Order of the Seraphim in connection with the christening.

All the press releases connected to the christening can be read here. 

Updated on 9 June 2014 at 13.20 (names of heraldic artists corrected), last time on 1 July 2020 at 22.10 (had one place written «Countess of Gotland» when I obviously meant «Duchess of Gotland», as also written otherwise in the article).

More details about Princess Leonore of Sweden's christening

The Swedish Royal Court revealed through a press release on Friday 25 April 2014 more details about the christening of HRH Princess Leonore of Sweden.

The christening will, as earlier stated, take place at the Royal Chapel of Drottningholm Palace on 8 June 2014 at noon. The christening ceremony will be officiated by Archbishop Anders Wejryd assisted by Chief Court Chaplain of the Royal Court and Bishop Emeritus Lars-Göran Lönnermark and Vicar of the Royal Court, Court Chaplain, Michael Bjerkhagen. The latter two also officiated at the wedding of Princess Leonore's parents, Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill, on 8 June 2012.

After the christening ceremony there will be a reception for all of the 160 guests, followed by a private lunch hosted by the King and Queen for about 100 guests. The invitations were sent out on Wednesday 23 April. Among the invited guests are the closest family, representatives of the Parliament (the Riksdag), Government and the official Sweden.

Princess Leonore will wear the same christening gown as Princess Estelle had in 2012, while the baptismal water will be taken from a spring at Öland. The names of the six sponsors will be announced in connection with the christening.

HRH Princess Leonore of Sweden's christening to take place on 8 June 2014

The Swedish Royal Court announced today, 16 April 2014, that the christening of Princess Leonore of Sweden, the daughter of Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill, will take place in the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm on Sunday 8 June 2014.

8 June happens to be Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill's first wedding anniversary. They married in the Palace Church in Stockholm on 8 June 2013. Princess Leonore, the second grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, was born in New York City on 20 February 2014. Her name was announced in a Council of State six days later.

HRH Princess Leonore Lilian Maria of Sweden, Duchess of Gotland

In the Council of State at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Wednesday 26 February 2014, King Carl Gustaf informed his government that his new granddaughter, born in New York City on 20 February 2014, had got the name Leonore Lilian Maria. Her call name was Leonore, and besides her princess title with style of Royal Highness she had also got the title Duchess of Gotland.

According to Dagens Nyheter's coverage of Chris O'Neill's press meeting last Friday, the newborn princess had got five names, but that seems to have been a misquote, unless O'Neill referred to his daughter's middle name and surname as well (Bernadotte O'Neill or the other way around). I guess three given names are far enough...

Princess Leonore's parents have not yet said anything in public about the given names, so it is impossible to know for a fact their motivation behind their choices. We can only guess. It is, however, not difficult to gather that the name Lilian comes from Princess Madeleine's late great-aunt Princess Lilian, who died in 2013. Princess Leonore's paternal grandmother is named Eva Maria, so that surely explains her third name.

The name Leonore surely surprised most people. It could be described as a more modern and trendy version of the name Eleonora, which is well.rooted in Swedish royal history. Queen Ulrika Eleonora (1688-1741), who became reigning Queen of Sweden in 1719, but abdicated in favour of her husband, Fredrik I, the year after, is just one example. One can also find the name, or a variation thereof, in other European royal families (Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands). I think the Swedish connection is more important, but Princess Madeleine and her husband have most likely chosen the name because they like it. It is as simple as that.

The last Duke of Gotland was King Oscar II's second son Prince Oscar (1859-1953), who lost his succession rights, membership of the royal house as well as his ducal title when he married a Swedish "private man's daughter", Ebba Munck af Fulkila in 1888. It is nice that such and old ducal title has come back to light again. It is also nice that in this way the beautiful island of Gotland might get more attention and attract more tourists, as the governor of Gotland, Cecilia Schelin Seidegård, touched upon in an interview on Wednesday. The county administration issued a short press statement, expressing happiness in the fact that the island of Gotland would have a special place in the heart of the royal family.

After the Council of State, the Marshal of the Realm, Svante Lindqvist, informed that the requirement in article 4 in the Act of Succession, which says that "princes and princesses of the Royal House shall be brought up [...] within the Realm", was interpreted into saying that it would be fulfilled if the princess lived and started school in Sweden from the age of 6. In other words, while Princess Leonore and her parents live in New York City today, they would have to move to Sweden by August 2020.

The christening will take place in the Royal Palace Church in the spring.

Swedish Royal Birth in New York City

The Swedish Royal Court announced early this morning that Princess Madeleine the evening before, at 10.41 p.m. (local time), at the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, USA, had given birth to a girl. Princess Madeleine, the youngest child of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, has been married to Christopher O'Neill since June 2013. The pregnancy was announced on 3 September 2013.

According to another press statement released later the same morning, both mother and child are in good health and Mr Christopher O’Neill was present at the hospital throughout the birth. The birth was marked by a 21-gun salute at noon today. The names and titles of the baby girl, who was born into this world as no. 5 in the line of succession to the Swedish throne, will be announced in a cabinet meeting, probably early next week (no date has been set yet). The Royal Court's solicitor informed last fall that Princess Madeleine's child woult be titled, so it would be rather surprising if the king in the meantime has changed his mind.

Chris O'Neill told in a press meeting tonight that baby girl has got five names, which might be somewhat surprising, considering that the newborn's grandfather as well as Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Estelle, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine all received four names "only". On the other hand, King Carl Gustaf's sisters all got three names, so the "four names tradition" is far from being deep-rooted. And if we go back to the king's father's generation, Prince Gustaf Adolf had six names, the then Prince Sigvard three, Princess Ingrid (later Queen Ingrid of Denmark) five, Prince Bertil also five and the then Prince Carl Johan only three.

According to the information given at the press meeting, the newborn princess weighed 3150 grams and measured 50 cm. She looked like her mother, O'Neill said, and had brown hair and dark brown eyes.

It will of course be interesting to hear the names the parents have chosen. After the announcement of Princess Estelle's call name, I am not sure if I will take the chance to make a guess. But as I have said on similar occasions before, I would love a tradtional royal name or at least a name with Swedish/Norse roots, but Princess Madeleine and Chris ONeill might have opted for a more "modern" and trendy call name. Katharina Leibring at the Department of Scandinavian Languages at Uppsala University, who has researched personal names traditions, finds it hard to imagine "something like Hjördis", a comment I thought was rather amusing. According to the Dagens Nyheter article, Elouise and Desirée are the betting companies' favourites.

The Royal Court has informed that a Te Deum thanksgiving service will take place on 2 March in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

Swedish royal baby to be born in New York City

The Swedish Royal Court issued the following press statement today:

Information regarding Princess Madeleine
After careful consideration and in consultation with Their Majesties, Princess Madeleine and Mr. Christopher O'Neill have decided that their child will be born in New York City. The birth is expected to take place in late February 2014.  

Princess Madeleine and Mr. O'Neill kindly ask the media to respect their wish for privacy during this very special and joyous time.

Further information will be provided in due course.

Svante Lindqvist
Marshal of the Realm

The court has earlier confirmed that the royal baby is a girl and that she will be titled Princess with the style of Royal Highness.

Updated on Saturday 11 January 2014 at 18:45.

Swedish Royal Wedding: Princess Madeleine and Mr. Chris O'Neill

 © The Swedish Royal Court (Photo: Ewa-Marie Rundquist).

Princess Madeleine of Sweden, youngest child and daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and Christopher O'Neill, son of the late Paul O'Neill and Eva Maria O'Neill, née Walter, were married in the Palace Church in Stockholm today, 8 June 2013.

I only managed to watch "the basics" of the ceremony, but would describe it as "solemn and nice", but of course less ceremonious than Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel's wedding in 2010. The couple seemed to be marked by the gravity of the occasion, but their love and affection for eachother shined through.

As I hadn't expected to see much of the ceremony, I had not read myself up on the event in advance, and was therefore surprised by little Princess Estelle's presence in the church. She seemed to enjoy herself most of the time, but got a bit bored in the end. The choice of music for the ceremony is of course a matter of taste. I would personally have preferred more traditional hymns rather than the songs performed by Marie Fredriksson (of Roxette fame) and Peter Jöback. I really enjoyed the Bridal Recession (Wedding March from Delsbo). The program of the ceremony can be viewed here.

For the record, the officiating clergy at the wedding were Chief Court Chaplain of the Royal Court and Bishop Emeritus Lars-Göran Lönnermark and Vicar of the Royal Court, Court Chaplain Michael Bjerkhagen. Mr. Christopher O'Neill's best man was Mr. Cedric Notz. He is according to the court a childhood friend of Austrian and Swiss descent and resides in Switzerland. 

The bridal attendants at the wedding were Lillie von Horn, twin sisters Annais and Chloe Sommerlath, Count Louis Countess and Chiara Abensperg und Traun, and Jasper D'Abo. Princess Madeleine's wedding dress was created by the Italian designer Valentino Garavani (and that is as far as I will get into that).

The wedding celebrations begain on Friday 7 June with a private dinner for invited guests at Grand Hôtel, Stockholm. Following the wedding ceremony and the cortège, a wedding banquet (which goes on as I write) took place at Drottningholm Palace. More details about the wedding can be read here.

Several bloggers and royalty board participants have commented on the guest list already, and I have not that much to add. Interesting to note, howver, that Prince Carl Philip's girl-friend/live-in-partner, Sofia Hellqvist, in the Palace Church was sitting in the "family section". Many commentators regard this as yet another sign that she is fully accepted and that an engagement is not too far away.

I have, for the record, posted the guest list as published by the Royal Court, although with a few adjustments. For instance, as I find it a bit strange that Prince Pierre and Princess Silvia of Arenberg (d'Arenberg) were presented just only as "TT.SS.HH. Prince och Princess d'Arenberg", considering the numbers of princes and princesses of that house. But maybe that is just me. I am also intrigued by the presence of a Mr. Herbert Hoover, probably a friend of Chris O'Neill. How is he related to  Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), President of the USA 1929-1933? I consulted the Hoover Genealogy at the website of the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Iowa, but didn't get a clue. The genealogy is not updated, though. I found an obituary of the president's grandson Herbert Hoover III (1927-2010), but as far as I can tell he had no son named Herbert Hoover IV. Anyone out there with more details?

If anyone wonders why Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway was absent from the gala dinner on Friday, it was because she was on her way home from a Red Cross engagement in Burma (Myanmar). She arrived in Stockholm early on Saturday morning.

The bride and groom

• HRH Princess Madeleine and Mr. Christopher O'Neill

The Royal Family

• HM King Carl XVI Gustaf
• HM Queen Silvia 
• HRH Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel 
• HRH Princess Estelle (in church)
• HRH Prince Carl Philip

HM The King's Family

• Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler
• Baroness Sybilla von Dincklage 
• Mr. James Ambler and Mrs. Ursula Ambler 
• Mr. C. Edward Ambler and Mrs. Helen Ambler 
• HRH Princess Birgitta 
• Mrs. Désirée von Bohlen und Halbach and Mr. Eckbert von Bohlen und Halbach 
• Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld and Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld 
• Baron Carl Silfverschiöld 
• Baron Hans De Geer and Baroness Christina Louise De Geer 
• Hélène Silfverschiöld and Mr. Fredrik Diterle 
• Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson and Mr. Tord Magnuson 
• Mr. Gustaf Magnuson and Miss Vicky Andrén 
• Mr. Oscar Magnuson and Mrs. Emma Magnuson 
• Mr. Victor Magnuson and Miss Frida Bergström 
• Countess Marianne Bernadotte of Wisborg 
• Countess Gunnila Bernadotte of Wisborg

HM The Queen's Family

• Mr. Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath and Mrs. Charlotte de Toledo Sommerlath
• Mrs. Carmita Sommerlath Baudinet and Mr. Pierre Baudinet 
• Mr. Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath and Ms. Bettina Aussems 
• Mr. Tim de Toledo Sommerlath and Miss Kristina Junghans 
• Mr. Philip de Toledo Sommerlath 
• Miss Giulia de Toledo Sommerlath 
• Mr. Walther L. Sommerlath and Mrs. Ingrid Sommerlath 
• Mr. Patrick Sommerlath and Mrs. Maline Sommerlath 
• Mr. Leopold Lundén Sommerlath 
• Miss Chloé Sommerlath 
• Miss Anaïs Sommerlath 
• Miss Helena Christina Sommerlath 
• Miss Vivien Nadine Sommerlath

HRH Prince Daniel's Family

• Mrs. Anna Westling Söderström and Mr. Mikael Westling Söderström

Mr. Christopher O'Neill's Family

• Ms. Eva Maria O'Neill
• Ms. Annalisa O'Neill 
• Mrs. Karen O'Neill 
• Ms. Stefanie O'Neill 
• Mrs. Tatjana d'Abo and Mr. Henry d'Abo 
• Miss Anouska d'Abo 
• Miss Celina d'Abo 
• Master Jasper d'Abo 
• Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun and Count Ernst Abensperg und Traun 
• Countess Milana Abensperg und Traun 
• Count Moritz Abensperg und Traun 
• Countess Chiara Abensperg und Traun 
• Count Louis Cajetan Abensperg und Traun 
• Mr. Richard d'Abo 
• Miss Maria Seferian 
• Mr.  Rolf Nikel and Mrs. Olivia Nikel 
• Mr. Wolfgang Schoeller and Mrs. Heidi Schoeller 
• Countess Felicia Abensperg und Traun 
• Master Oliver MacNeely 
• Mr. Christopher Ramsay 
• Miss Lucy Ramsay

Denmark

• HRH Crown Prince Frederik and HRH Crown Princess Mary
• HRH Prins Joachim and HRH Princess Marie

Greece

• HRH Crown Prince Pavlos and HRH Crown Princess Marie-Chantal
• HRH Prince Nikolaos and HRH Princess Tatiana 
• HRH Princess Theodora 
• HRH Prince Philipos

Japan

• HIH Princess Takamado

Luxembourg

• HRH Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and HRH Grand Duchess Stéphanie

Monaco

• HSH Princess Charlene

Norway

• HRH Crown Prince Haakon and HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit
• Princess Märtha Louise and Mr. Ari Behn

United Kingdom

• HRH The Earl of Wessex (Prince Edward) and HRH The Countess of Wessex (Sophie)

Germany

• HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
• HRH Prince Manuel and HRH Princess Anna of Bavaria 
• HRH Prince Leopold and HRH Princess Ursula of Bavaria 
• HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 
• HH Hereditary Prince Hubertus and HH Hereditary Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Riksdagen (The Paraliament)

• Speaker Per Westerberg and Mrs. Ylwa Westerberg

The Government

• Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Conservative Party
• Vice Prime Minister and Education Minister Jan Björklund and Mrs. Anette Brifalk Björklund, Liberal People's Party

Party Chairpersons

• Spokesperson Gustav Fridolin and Mrs. Jennie Fridolin, The Green Party
• Minister for Entreprise Annie Lööf and Mr. Carl-Johan Lööf, Centre Party 
• Minister of Social affairs Göran Hägglund and Mrs. Karin Hägglund, Christian Democrats

Corps Diplomatique

• HE Martin Rivera Gómez, Ambassador of El Salvador (the doyen) and Mrs. Patricia Guirola de Rivera, El Salvador
• Mrs. Anne K. Lund, Ambassador of Norway and Mr. Erling Magnusson, Norway 
• HE Kirsten Malling Biering, Ambassador of Denmark and Mr. Peter Hänschell Biering, Denmark 
• HE Harry Helenius, Ambassador of Finland and Mrs. Barbara Helenius, Finland 
• HE Paul Charles Johnston, Ambassador of the United Kingdom and Mrs. Nicola Johnston, United Kingdom 
• HE Gunnar Gunnarsson, Ambassador of Iceland and Mrs. Unnur Ulfarsdóttir, Iceland 
• HE Mark F. Brzezinski, Ambassador of United States of America and Mrs. Natalia Brzezinski, USA 
• HE Yoshiki Watanabe, Ambassador of Japan and Mrs. Naoko Watanabe, Japan

Authorities

• Landshövding (Governor) Barbro Holmberg, Gävleborg county
• Commander in chief General Lieutenant Jan Salestrand and Commander Rose-Marie Jernbäcker

The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise

• Manager Kenneth Bengtsson and Mrs. Ann-Kristin Bengtsson

Personal friends

• Mr. Hans Eric Brodin and Mrs. Eva Benita Brodin
• Baron Carl de Geer and Baroness Christina de Geer 
• Mr. Ulf Dinkelspiel and Mrs. Louise Dinkelspiel 
• Mrs. Marianne von der Esch 
• Mrs. Agneta Kreuger and Mr. Lars Abrahamson 
• Mr. Fredrik Gottlieb and Mrs. Carola Gottlieb 
• Mr. Michel Rosta and Mrs. Marie Rosta 
• Mrs. Anki Wallenberg 
• Mrs. Lena Biörck Kaplan 
• Mr. Christoffer Cederlund and Mrs. Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund 
• Mr. Peder Dinkelspiel and Mrs. Caroline Dinkelspiel 
• Mr. Jan Dinkelspiel and Mrs. Ellen Dinkelspiel 
• Mrs. Andrea Engsäll 
• Mr. Ulric von der Esch 
• Mr. Anderson Zapata and Mrs. Josephine Zapata Génetay 
• Mr. Jesper Nilsson and Mrs. Caroline Nilsson 
• Mr. Karl Tomas Jonson and Ms. Emma Pernald 
• Miss Louise Gottlieb 
• Baron Gustav Thott 
• Miss Camilla Olsson 
• Mr. Niklas Bolle and Miss Lovisa de Geer 
• Baroness Anna De Geer 
• Mr. Dag Werner and Mrs. Nathalie Werner 
• Mr. Robert von Horn and Mrs. Katarina von Horn 
• Miss Lillie von Horn 
• Count Jacob Cronstedt and Countess Louise Cronstedt 
• Mr. Marcus Livijn and Mrs. Johanna Livijn 
• Mr. Rickard Sylwander and Mrs. Anna Sylwander 
• Mr. Carl Martinson and Mrs. Katarina Martinson 
• Miss Veronica Arph 
• Mr. Johan Hellström and Mrs. Charlotte Hellström 
• Mr. Robin af Burén and Mrs. Tin-Tin af Burén 
• Mr. Gustav Berggren and Mrs. Louise Hasselquist Berggren 
• Mr. Mark Boutros 
• Baron Alexis Barnekow and Baroness Lisa Barnekow 
• Mr. Carl Kuylenstierna and Mrs. Anja Kuylenstierna 
• Count Harald Wachtmeister and Countess Elisabeth Wachtmeister 
• Mr. Graham Cooke and Mrs. Caroline Cooke 
• Mr. Carl Tham and Mrs. Elinore Tham 
• Miss Amelie af Ekenstam 
• Mr. Christian Treschow and Mrs. Gabriella Treschow 
• Miss Annelie Hofström 
• Count Adam Lewenhaupt and Countess Isabelle Lewenhaupt 
• Mr. Jacob Hvid and Miss Minna Boström 
• Mr. Oscar Forsberg and Mrs. Filippa Forsberg 
• Mr. Andreas Mavrakis and Mrs. Anne Mavrakis 
• Miss Sarah Bourghardt 
• Mr. Alex Hult and Mrs. Davina Hult 
• Mr. Ludvig Blomqvist 
• Mr. Pontus Sjögren 
• Mr. Anders Skiöldebrand 
• Mr. Christofer von Reis and Mrs. Sofie von Reis 
• Baron Didrik Thott and Miss Ulrika Arph 
• Mr. Pontus Hagnö and Mrs. Pia Hagnö 
• Mr. Petter von Heidenstam and Mrs. Lina von Heidenstam 
• Mr. Christopher de la Motte 
• Mr. Johan Ekstrand 
• Miss Caroline Winberg 
• Miss Barbara Wennerholm 
• Mr. Gunnar Winbergh and Mrs. Saskia Winbergh 
• Mr. Alexander Gottlieb and Miss Paula Livijn 
• Mr. Philip Gottlieb and Miss Caroline Bonnevier 
• Mr. Axel Bodén and Mrs. Estelle Bodén 
• Mr. Fredrik von der Esch 
• Miss Stephanie Rosta 
• Mr. Pedro Teixeira and Mrs. Karini Gustafson-Teixeira 
• Mr. Peter Aronson 
• Mr. Leon Shaulov and Mrs. Irina Shaulov 
• Mr. Hashem Arouzi and Lady Sophie Hamilton 
• Count Giovanni Revedin di San Martino 
• Mr. Samer Awwa 
• Mr. Brett Hansen and Mrs. Libby Hansen 
• Mr. Paul Maddock and Mrs. Lily Maddock 
• Mr. Dennis I. Paul and Mrs. Coralie Charriol Paul 
• Mr. Ramzi Gedeon and Mrs. Angelina Gedeon 
• Mr. Zachary Thornborough and Miss Dominique Punnett 
• Mr. Matthew Toboroff 
• Mr. William Auslander and Mrs. Heidi Auslander 
• Count Ludwig von Salm Hoogstraeten 
• Mr. Marwan Karam and Mrs. Roxanna Karam 
• Miss Shereen Al Fahim 
• Mr. Christopher Brown and Mrs. Kim Tabet 
• Mr. Alex Schaffel 
• Mr. Roger Metta and Mrs. Melissa Metta 
• Mr. Jack Gorman 
• Mr. John W McCue and Mrs. Anna Boiardi-McCue 
• Mr. Sameer Ahmed 
• Mr. Vishal Tolani and Miss Lucia Tait 
• Mr. Dino Lalvani 
• Mr. David Elghanayan and Mrs. Alexandra Elghanayan 
• Miss Alice Bamford 
• Miss Cassandra Batista 
• Mr. Barnes Benson and Mrs. Fiona Benson 
• Mr. Mohammed Afkhami 
• Mr. Harrison T. LeFrak 
• Mr. Joel Cadbury and Mrs. Divia Cadbury 
• Mr. Philip Rhomberg und Miss Susanne Bengsch 
• Mr. Bruno Wang and Mr. Cyril Gonzales 
• Princess Khaliya Aga Khan 
• Don Pedro de Noronha and Miss Monica Kalpakian 
• Mr. Simon Cho 
• Mr. Sherell Aston and Mrs. Allison Aston 
• Mr. Christopher Barish and Miss Julie Mulligan 
• Mr. Corso Serra di Cassano and Miss Victoria O'Neill 
• Mrs. Garance Massart-Blum 
• Mr. Charles Lubar and Mrs. Dominique Lubar 
• Mr. Raja Hadji-Touma and Miss Milana Tannous 
• Mr. John Chandris 
• Mrs. Christina Chandris 
• Mr. Marco Wajselfisz and Mrs. Heike Wajselfisz 
• Mr. Ashik Dudhia 
• Mr. Scott Sartiano and Miss Alexandra Rizzo 
• Mr. Andrew Miller and Miss Michelle Clark 
• Mr. Philippe Rieser 
• Mr. Lancelot Frick and Miss Beatrice Gratry 
• Mr. Cedric Notz 
• Mr. Aleksandar Pesko 
• Mr. Maxwell Federbush and Mrs. Nishita Federbush 
• Miss Whitney Kroenke 
• Mr. Ali Arouzi and Mrs. Mona Arouzi 
• Mr. Guiseppe de Corato 
• Mr. Keu Zafar and Miss Atessa Barazandeh 
• Mr. Gagan Navani and Mrs. Angela Navani 
• Mr. Nader Panahpour and Mrs. Loryn Panahpour 
• Mr. Hakan Bulgurlu and Mrs. Stephanie Bulgurlu 
• Mr. Anders Bagge 
• Mr. Jesper Parnevik and Mrs. Mia Parnevik 
• Mr. Aiden Barclay and Mrs. Fizzy Barclay 
• Mr. Oliver von Band and Mrs. Dina von Band 
• Prince Paolo Costantino Borghese 
• Mr. Thomas Bowlby and Mrs. Vanessa Bowlby 
• Marquess Carlo Clavarino and Marchioness Isabel Clavarino 
• Miss Carolina Fernandez 
• Mr. Felipe Figueroa and Mrs. Anouska Figueroa 
• Mr. Dimitri Goulandris and Mrs. Christina Goulandris 
• HIRH Archduke Philipp of Austria and HIRH Archduchess Mayasuni of Austria 
• Mr. Robert Rowland and Mrs. Lisa-Marie Rowland 
• Miss Josephine d'Otrante 
• HSH Prince Pierre d'Arenberg and HSH Princess Silvia d'Arenberg 
• Sir Anthony Bamford and Lady Carol Bamford 
• Mrs. Annick Charriol 
• Mr. Peter Darmanin and Mrs. Bilijana Darmanin 
• Miss Katherine Fredriksen 
• Mr. Pedro Girao and Mr. Damian Byrnes 
• Mr. Martin Gruss and Mrs. Audrey Gruss 
• Mrs. Susan Gutfreund 
• Mr. Steven Hessler and Mrs. Stephanie Hessler 
• Mrs. Margheret Hill 
• Mr. Ali Homayoun 
• Mr. Hashem Khosrovani and Mrs. Kate Khosrovani 
• Mrs. Camilla Kolber 
• Mr. Kenneth Lieberman and Mrs. Rosemary Lieberman 
• Miss Antonia Nagel 
• Mr. Constantin Nagel 
• Mr. Ralph Michael Nagel and Mrs. Sabine Nagel 
• Mrs. Anne Dell Prevost 
• Mr. Georg von Opel and Mrs. Emily von Opel 
• Mr. Bjarne Rieber and Mrs. Yvonne Rieber 
• Mr. Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz 
• Mrs. Susan Sangster 
• Mr. Tor Olav Troim and Ms. Celina Midelfart 
• HH Maharana of Udaipur Arvind Singh Mewar 
• Miss Sofia Hellqvist 
• Mrs. Anne Barish 
• Miss Layla Khosrovani 
• Mr. Sven Ley 
• Mr. Lokesh Melwani 
• Mr. Patrick von Ribbentrop and Mrs. Valerie von Ribbentrop 
• Mr. Sebastian von Ribbentrop and Mrs. Isabelle von Ribbentrop 
• Mr. Alejandro Santo Domingo 
• Mr. Erick Sönne and Mrs. Dorothea Hunter 
• Mr. Bob Calhoun and Mrs. Liza Calhoun 
• Mrs. Luce Churchill 
• Mr. Zachary Elfman and Miss Inés Hevia 
• Krögare Marcus Samuelsson and Mrs. Mayla Haile 
• Mr. Fredrik Oscarsson and Mrs. Caroline Oscarsson 
• Mr. Luis Medina Abascal, Count de San Martin de Hoyos 
• Miss Mia von Heidenstam 
• Mr. Karl-Johan Persson and Mrs. Leonie Persson 
• Mr. Wolfgang Seybold 
• Mr. Andreas Carlsson 
• Mrs. Caroline Roth and Mr. Stephan Roth 
• Mr. Ravine Hiranand and Ms. Larena Reyna 
• Mr. Sven Philip Sörensen and Mrs. Marie-Louise Sörensen 
• Miss Maryam Nourian 
• Mrs. Sigrid Brantl 
• Mr. Jerome Fisher and Mrs. Anne Fisher 
• Mr. Achim Middelschulte and Mrs. Beate Middelschulte 
• Miss Melissa Lilley 
• Mr. Valentino Garavani 
• Mr. Giancarlo Giammetti 
• Mr. Antonio Trotto 
• Mrs. Emma O’Byrne 
• Mr. Philip Eschenbach 
• Mr. Herbert Hoover

Others

• CEO Dan Sten Olsson and Jane Thorburn Olsson, Stena AB
• Coiffeur (hairdresser) Peter Ljung 
• Coiffeur (hairdresser) Peter Hägelstam 
• Coiffeur (hairdresser) Johan Hellström 
• Mrs. Kerstin Eliasson 
• Singer Peter Jöback and Mr. Oscar Jöback 
• Mr. Richard Fors 
• Baroness Lena Ramel and Mr. Gunnar Hagelin 
• Mr. John Taylor and Mrs. Gela Taylor 
• Singer Marie Fredriksson and Mr. Mikael Bolyos 
• Mrs. Ingegerd von Porat 
• Miss Tilde Svensson 
• Mrs. Amy Linnéa Deasismont 
• Silvia sister Ann-Charlott Jonsson (http://www.silviahemmet.se/en/silviasyster/) 
• Silvia sister Hilde Knapasjö

Updated on Saturday 8 June 2013 at 22:55 (photo added).

Christmas break summary

I left Oslo on Saturday 22 December in order to celebrate Christmas with my family in Sandefjord, and even though I was connected to the Internet most of the time (too often, perhaps) during the Christmas weekend, I had decided to take a break from blogging and website updating. I had long days at work on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 December, so here comes finally a short summary of the events I find worth mentioning.

1. The Swedish Royal Court announced on Sunday 23 December 2012 - the 69th birthday of Queen Silvia, by the way - that Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill's wedding date was set for 8 June 2013. The wedding will take place in the Palace Chapel in Stockholm. The couple's engagement was announced on 25 October 2012. The wedding date announcement can also be found on Princess Madeleine's Facebook page, which was launched on 7 December.
2. Several European held their traditional Christmas speech on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden's speech can be read, viewed and/or listened to here (in Swedish). A summary by The Local can be read here. See also Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom's Christmas Broadcast on SkyNews. An English summary of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg's speech can be read here, while King Albert II of the Belgian's speeech can be read in Dutch or French. Finally, King Juan Carlos of Spain's speech was broadcasted on Christmas Eve and can be read (in Spanish only) at Casareal.es.
3. Archduke Christoph of Austria married Adélaïde Drapé-Frisch at the city hall in Nancy, France on Friday 28 December 2012. The religious ceremony took place at the Basilica St. Epvre on Saturday 29 December. Archduke Christoph, who is the second son of Archduke Carl Christian and Archduchess Marie-Astrid, née Princess of Luxembourg, had his brother Imre and his first cousin Prince Louis of Luxembourg as witnesses. Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, the bridegroom's uncle and godfather, was also in attendance, among many other guests. See the blog Luxembourg. All things grand ducal for more details.

Sweden: Princess Madeleine engaged to marry Chris O'Neill

The Royal Court in Stockholm announced today, 25 October 2012, the engagement between Princess Madeleine, youngest child of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and Christopher "Chris" O'Neill:

Engagement between Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O'Neill
The Marshal of the Realm is delighted to announce the engagement between Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O'Neill.

After His Majesty The King of Sweden had given his consent to the marriage between Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O'Neill, His Majesty requested the approval by the Swedish Government, in accordance with the procedures set out in the Swedish Constitution.

The wedding date has not yet been decided but it is planned to take place during the summer of 2013.

Svante Lindqvist
Marshal of the Realm

The court also published an interview with the couple as well as Chris O'Neill's CV. The latter informs us that Princess Madeleine's fiancé was born on 27 June 1974 in London, England as the son of Paul O'Neill (d. 2004) and Eva Maria O'Neill, née Walter.* His mother has been married four times and has given Chris two half-sisters: Tatjana and Natascha. Chris also has three half-sisters - Stephanie, Annalisa and Karen - on his father's side.

Christopher, who has both British and US American citizenship, but is not seeking Swedish nationality, attended boarding school in St. Gallen, Switzerland before obtaining a bachelor degree in International Relations from Boston University. He also has obtained a Master's degree in Business Administration from  Columbia Business School in New York.

After graduating he has worked in the finance sector, working for firms such as NM Rotschild & Sons and Steinberg Asset Management. Today O'Neill is a Partner and Head of Research at Noster Capital, which is an investment firm with offices in London and New York City. We are also told that O'Neill enjoys downhill skiing, tennis and golf, while among his other passions are music, literature and - of all football clubs - Chelsea FC.

Chris O'Neill's father is from New York originally, but moved to London in the 1960s. He has Irish, Scottish and Italian ancestry, while Chris' mother is Czech/German.

Mr. O'Neill proposed to the princess in early October. The wedding is planned for the summer of 2013. The couple has for now decided to continue living in the United States.

Princess Madeleine was earlier engaged to Jonas Bergström, but the relationship ended in 2010.

Some news articles today:

• Expressen.se: Prinsessan Madeleine gifter sig med Chris (with links to many other articles in Swedish)
• Aftonbladet.se: Madeleine och Chris har förlovat sig (with links)
• Thelocal.se: Princess Madeleine engaged to Chris O'Neill

* Besides the details from the Royal Court, information for this article is gathered from the thread Ancestry of Christopher O'Neill, at Nobiliana.de, sub-forum Ancestry & Descendancy, with contributions by Netty Leistra, Hein Bruins and the signature "Ronald66".

Photo © The Swedish Royal Court/Ewa-Marie Rundquist.

Updated on Friday 26 October 2012 at 14:10 (mistake corrected, see comments section). Last time updated on 13 June 2013 at 15:00 (Eva Marie O'Neill's nationality was earlier presented as Austrian, but now corrected to "Czech/German", cd. Expressen 4 June 2013. Mrs. O'Neill was born in Karlovy Vary in the then Czechslovakia in 1947, but was brought up in Germany).