Princess Madeleine says it ‘saddens’ her to not be home for Christmas

Like for many around the world, Christmas won’t be the same for  Princess Madeleine  this year. Due to the ongoing pandemic, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s daughter will not be traveling to Sweden for the holidays. On Saturday, the mom of three, who lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and kids, expressed her sadness over missing the holidays in her native country. Alongside a photo of herself from SVT’s The Year with the Royal Family program, Madeleine wrote: “This year it saddens me that I won’t be able to go home but my heart is with all of Sweden!”

The Swedish Royal Court’s information manager Margareta Thorgren previously told Svensk Damtidning, “Princess Madeleine lives in Florida and there are stricter restrictions that apply. And the family follows them. Therefore, it is not possible for the princess to travel and they can not come home over Christmas.”

Madeleine, 38, and her husband Christopher O’Neill moved to Florida in 2018 with their children,  Princess Leonore , six,  Prince Nicolas , five, and  Princess Adrienne , two. Last year, the royal opened up to Swedish magazine Mama about returning to Sweden for the holidays. “The children have been looking forward to coming to Sweden for such a long time, to their rooms and to their things,” Madeleine said.

© Princess Madeleine

She added, “But also because we are outside so much more here than we are in Florida. It’s so hot there, and you can only be outside for short periods, so for them to be able to be out in the forest and run around, it’s a dream. And it’s something that I have really missed myself.”