Princess of the Week: HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

I chose HRH Crown Princess Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée as the first Princess of the Week because she’s a modern princess and a very accomplished woman, who puts to bed the idea that being beautiful and royal means you’re useless.

From an early age, Princess Victoria had a rigorous education. When she reached adulthood she studied in France for a year to work on her French language skills, before attending Yale University. Before all this, however, she travelled extensively through Europe to develop other language skills. From what I’ve been able to gather, in addition to Swedish, she speaks French, German, and English.

In addition to her studies in formal university, Princess Victoria has served in two periods with the United Nations, and also with the Swedish Embassy in New York. Both of these diplomatic jobs will prepare her for ruling her country, but more importantly, show that even as a Princess she has had the responsibility for representing her country and enhancing relationships with other nations. She also travels extensively on behalf of Sweden as a diplomatic representative, business supporter, and in pursuit of her support of humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile, the Crown Princess Victoria Fund is dedicated to supporting accessible recreation activities for disabled children, another issue she’s taken an interest in. She uses her fame and connections to support her subjects, even though she’s not yet Queen. As a Princess she has already found ways to ensure that the power she has isn’t going to waste.

She’s also had military training! As is expected of many heirs to the throne, Princess Victoria has served with Sweden’s military, before studying at the Swedish National Defense College in the areas of conflict resolution and International Relations.

In terms of romance and marriage… Far from being a political pawn who is being married off to solidify a family line, Princess Victoria chose her own fiance! At the age of thirty-two, she announced her engagement to a man she cares for very deeply (as opposed to someone chosen by political advisors, or her parents).

Princess Victoria also remains committed to truth telling about the pressures of being a woman. Once a sufferer of anorexia, and now a survivor, she is publicly vocal about the pressures women face in today’s society and how damaging they can be.

As you can see from this brief listing of things she’s done, she remains responsible for many diplomatic jobs. She doesn’t just wait at home for the world to come to her, but works hard to make her mark on it while supporting her nation.

So, that’s it for this first Princess of the Week. I hope you’ve enjoyed it! If you have any suggestions for a Princess you’d like to see featured, comments, or thoughts, please feel free to leave them! Thanks for stopping in.