Princess Madeleine of Sweden has offered an unusual glimpse into the pressures of growing up royal. The royal admits that she often struggled to accept the role that came with being a member of the Swedish monarchy. The 44-year-old opened up about her childhood, family life and relationship with the spotlight in a rare interview with Vogue Scandinavia, accompanying the conversation with a series of photographs.
Madeleine posed for the magazine in Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm, as well as at the Royal Stables. In one of the portraits, she appeared in a flowing red dress with her long blonde hair styled in loose waves, surrounded by sheep belonging to her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf. "I was always kind of struggling with that," she said when reflecting on her position within the Royal Family.
The Princess explained that she found the expectations surrounding her royal status more difficult than her siblings did. "My siblings were much more accepting of the roles we had," she said, according to an English translation. "I always had a bit of a hard time with that." Madeleine recalled being particularly uncomfortable when photographers and members of the media were around.
"When we had to interact with media photographers, I was always the one who ran away, and they had to chase me," she said. She remembered wishing she could simply take the bus on her own, just as her friends did. That desire for normality followed Madeleine into her teenage years, but she found an escape through one of her greatest passions: horses. Madeleine competed under the name Anna Svensson, allowing her to experience the sport as herself rather than as a Princess of Sweden. It was, she explained, one of the few places where she felt she could "really be myself".