Victoria (1977—)
Victoria (1977—)
Swedish crown princess and duchess of Västergötland. Name variations: Victoria Bernadotte. Born Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée on July 14, 1977, in Stockholm, Sweden; daughter of Carl XVI Gustavus, king of Sweden, and Silvia Sommerlath (1943—); studied French at a French university in 1996; studied political science at Uppsala University.
Swedish crown princess Victoria, who grew up romping with her sister Madeleine (b. 1982) and brother Carl Philip at Drottningholm, a 17th-century palace outside Stockholm, was long known for her fun-loving ways and talent for school and sports. When she turned 18, her birthday photos showed a smiling, round-faced teenager in good health. But a weekly women's magazine, Svensk Dam Tidning, noted that the heir to the throne looked as if she had "eaten too many hamburgers." The editors were jubilant two years later when a sleeker version of Victoria began to emerge and featured her on their cover nine times, once in a bikini.
On November 29, 1997, a week after Victoria wore an evening gown that revealed her skeletal shoulders, the director of the Information and Press Department of the royal court confirmed public suspicions: "The crown princess is suffering from an eating disorder. She is receiving therapeutic help."