Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland

## Daniel

*Prince of Sweden
Duke of Västergötland*

*2022*

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Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, is a member of the Swedish royal family. Prior to his marriage to the heir apparent, Crown Princess Victoria, he was a personal trainer and gym owner and ran a company called Balance Training with three gyms in central Stockholm.

## Background and early life

Olof Daniel Westling was born on 15 September 1973 to Olle and Ewa Westling (born Ewa Westring) at Örebro Hospital, on the day Carl XVI Gustaf ascended the throne. His family initially lived in Örebro, but later moved to Ockelbo. He has a sister, Anna Westling Söderström (formerly Anna Westling Blom,[5] born Anna Westling; 1970). Most of his ancestors were farmers in the province of Hälsingland.[6][7][8][9] Daniel Westling was christened at Almby Church in January 1974.[10] His family has Forest Finnish ancestry and his father is a leader in the Forest Finnish community.[11]

After completing his education, he served for 15 months, as part of national conscription, in the Swedish Army at Hälsinge Regiment in Gävle and was honorably discharged as a second lieutenant.[12] In 2001, he met the Crown Princess when he became her personal trainer.

On 1 July 2008, he moved into a one-bedroom rental apartment in the Pagebyggnaden building on the grounds of Drottningholm Palace. The move was confirmed by the Royal Court.[13]

## Career

In November 2009 it was reported[14] that Westling was to step down as CEO and member of the Board of Directors of the Balance company. He would still be an equity partner. It was expected that the same procedure would be followed with his involvements in other companies before he became prince.

## Engagement and marriage

On 24 February 2009, Westling and Crown Princess Victoria received the required consent of King Carl XVI Gustaf and the Government of Sweden for marriage.[15] Such permission is necessary according to the terms of the Swedish Act of Succession.

Westling suffered from a congenital (but not hereditary) ailment causing impaired renal function. Three months after his engagement, on 28 May 2009, Westling underwent a kidney transplant at Karolinska University Hospital. His father was the donor. The operation was a success. Victoria could not be present when the operation took place because she was in Greenland at the time.[citation needed]

The wedding took place in Stockholm Cathedral on 19 June 2010, the 34th anniversary of her parents' wedding. After 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, visiting France in connection with the Bernadotte anniversary.[16]

On 17 August 2011, the Swedish royal court announced that Prince Daniel and Crown Princess Victoria were expecting their first child in March 2012.[17] She gave birth to a girl on 23 February 2012,[18] Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland. Daniel took his paternity leave and switched parental roles with Victoria when Estelle began preschool.[19] Their second child, Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne, was born on 2 March 2016.

## Charity work

### Patronage

Prince Daniel is a patron in the following organizations: A Swedish Classic, The Healthy Generation Foundation, International Society of Nephrology, More Organ Donation.

### Areas of work

#### Health

The Duke of Västergötland is an honorary chairman of the board of the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation and has given his name to Prince Daniel's Grant for Promising Young Researchers.[23] Prince Daniel invented Prince Daniel's Race and Sports Day, which are arranged each year to encourage more young people to get exercise and to take an interest in sport. The game is in association with the Swedish Sports Confederation.[23][24]

Prince Daniel and Crown Princess Victoria established a foundation to mark the occasion of their marriage in 2010. The focus of the foundation is to combat exclusion and promote good health among children and young people in Sweden.[23] The couple took the initiative for Generation PEP, a non-profit organisation that works to raise awareness of and encourage commitment to issues relating to the health of children and young people.[23]

#### Entrepreneurship

Each year, Prince Daniel visits the Swedish Young Enterprise Championship. He is also a member of Young Enterprise's national board.[23]

The Prince Daniel's Fellowship project and its entrepreneurial programme were launched in January 2013.[23] Prince Daniel with business leaders and entrepreneurs visits upper secondary schools, universities and university colleges around Sweden to inspire young people to get involved in entrepreneurship.[23] This project is a long-term partnership between Prince Daniel and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.[23]