Who is Daniel Westling? Meet the personal trainer who rose from obscurity to be prince of Sweden and King Consort in waiting
- The Prince recently denied 'false rumours' that they are on the brink of divorce
- Daniel has just hit half a century
- For all the latest Royal news, pictures and videos click here
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband, Prince Daniel, have found themselves subject to unwanted scrutiny in recent times.
And, in response, the pair felt obliged to issue an unusual public statement decrying speculation that their marriage was under pressure.
Speaking to SVT ahead of his recent 50th birthday, Prince Daniel, used an interview to attack what he labelled a 'mean and false rumour'.
The royal couple are used to coping with adversity.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden met her future husband, Daniel Westling, after he took it upon himself to be the Crown Princess' personal trainer. Pictured: Victoria and Daniel on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Stockholm City Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, in June
However, it was not love at first sight for Victoria, who instead built a friendship with her trainer before sparks began to fly. Pictured: Arriving for a dinner party at Fredensborg Palace, in Denmark, in May 2008
Rumours that Daniel and Victoria were dating began to circulate in 2002. Pictured: Watching Daniel's hometown basketball team play in October 2003
In marrying Prince Daniel, Princess Victoria brought a commoner into the royal family - something that was always likely to attract comment over time.
And the circumstances in which they met had been tough as Victoria, heir apparent to the Swedish crown, was struggling with an eating disorder when she got together with a new personal trainer - called Daniel Westling.
This happened in 2001, following her return to Sweden from three years studying at Yale.
She had recently broken up with a long-term boyfriend at the time, Daniel Collert.
It was not to be love at first sight for Victoria, however, rather a steadily growing friendship.
Speaking in a 2009 press conference, she explained that, 'Daniel and I had a great and well-founded friendship. It was a friendship that grew and turned into love.'
Rumours that Daniel and Victoria were dating began to circulate in 2002, despite the couple's attempts to keep their relationship private.
Victoria's choice was a minor sensation as Daniel came from Ockelbo, a small town in northern Sweden, and was not even wealthy, let alone royal.
His mother worked as a clerk at the Swedish post office and his father was a manager at a municipal social services centre.
It was reported that Victoria's parents, King Gustav and Queen Silvia, were concerned as to whether Daniel would be capable of fulfil the duties of a prince and supporting Victoria in her role.
A report in The Sydney Morning Herald suggested that Victoria's friends mocked her boyfriend's accent.
The royals soon warmed to Daniel, however, had a change of heart and gave the couple permission to marry - which is necessary according to the terms of the Swedish Act of Succession.
Daniel was not a conventional choice to marry a future queen. Pictured: Crown Princess Victoria shows her ring as her fiancé looks on at the Royal Palace in Stockholm following the announcement of their 2009 engagement
Pictured: Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling attend a concert for Victoria's 32nd birthday at Borgholm's Idrottsplats in July 2009 in Borgholm
Pictured: Princess Victoria is helped with her dress by fiancé Daniel during the Government's pre-wedding dinner for the couple in June 2010
Pictured: The royal couple at the reception at the Royal Palace in Stockholm after the reading of the banns of their marriage in May 2010
The couple's highly-anticipated wedding day arrived on June 19, 2010, at Storkyrkan Church
Crown Princess Victoria, Duchess of Vastergotland and her husband Prince Daniel of Sweden, Duke of Vastergotland kiss as they leave the church after their wedding ceremony
Pictured: The newlyweds appear on the Lejonbacken Terrace at the royal palace in Stockholm to greet the public
Pictured: Mathilde and Phillipe - then Crown Prince - of Belgium attending the dinner hosted by the government of Sweden in Honor of the royal wedding in Stockholm
Pictured: Monaco's Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock arriving at the wedding ceremony for Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and her long-term partner
In February 2009, Princess and Victoria announced their engagement.
Daniel had reportedly proposed on a sunny day at Drottningholm Palace near Stockholm with a solitaire diamond on a white gold band.
At the time, King Gustav said: 'It is of course a special day for us, but it is also a special day for Sweden. Over the past few years, we have got to know Daniel well and have understood that he is a young man who works hard and takes life seriously.'
The couple's highly-anticipated wedding day arrived on June 19, 2010.
The couple exchanged vows in front of nearly 1,000 royals and dignitaries from across the world and an estimated 250,000 people lined the streets of Stockholm as the country celebrated its 'fairytale royal wedding'.
The Princess wore an ivory silk, off-the-shoulder gown designed for her by Par Engsheden, which featured a five-metre train attached at the waist of her dress that trailed out from behind.
The statement train matched the shape of the princess' veil which was held in place by the same tiara that Queen Silvia had worn to her wedding in 1976.
Following the wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Västergötland moved into the Haga Palace on the outskirts of Stockholm. Pictured: The pair attending their Government Pre-Wedding Reception in June 2010
Pictured: Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel at the wedding reception and dinner for Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al-Saif at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman, Jordan
The newly-married couple exchanged vows in Stockholm Cathedral.
After the wedding ceremony, Victoria and Daniel headed a grand procession through central Stockholm before attending a lavish banquet thrown by the King and Queen.
Royal guests at the event included Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Belgium's King Albert II.
Following the wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Västergötland moved into the Haga Palace.
On 26 September 2010, Daniel went on his first tour with Victoria to France .
Just over a year later in August 2011, the Swedish royal court announced Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel were expecting their first child. She gave birth to a girl, Princess Estelle, Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland, in 2012.
Their second child, Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne, was born in March 2016.
The two share duties and attempt to give their children as 'normal' a childhood as possible, according to People.
Pictured: Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Estelle, Prince Oscar and Prince Daniel National Day at the Royal Palace on National Day in June
The two share duties and attempt to give their children as 'normal' a childhood as possible
In February 2022, the couple responded to unfounded rumours by making a statement on Instagram which read: 'It has come to our attention that there is an extensive negative rumor being spread regarding our private relationship.
'Normally, we do not comment on rumors and speculation. But in order to protect our family, we wish to make it clear, once and for all, that the rumors that are now spreading are completely baseless.'
