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Swedish princess marries

June 8, 2013

Sweden's Princess Madeleine, youngest daughter of King Carl XVI, has married New York banker Christopher O'Neill in a lavish ceremony in Stockholm. Thousands gathered to see Madeleine, fourth-in-line to the throne, wed.

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STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - JUNE 08: Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill appear on the balcony after the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill hosted by King Carl Gustaf XIV and Queen Silvia at The Royal Palace on June 8, 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images

More than 470 guests, including European royalty and wealthy American friends and relatives, arrived at the Royal Chapel in Stockholm just before 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. GMT) for the marriage.

Princess Madeleine, fourth in line to the Swedish throne, wore a white lace dress by Italian designer Valentino Garavan as she was wed on Saturday.

American-British businessman Christopher O'Neill fought back tears as Princess Madeleine walked down the aisle with her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, to a traditional Swedish wedding march performed by a Stockholm children's choir.

Swedish princess ties the knot

The ceremony was held in both English and Swedish with performances by Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson and Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera" star Peter Joback.

Several thousand royal fans gathered outside the royal palace hoping to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds as they made their way from the church to private celebrations on a nearby island with guests.

"We hope she will be very happy in the future, the princess Madeleine," said Julia Huelsman, who traveled from Munich, Germany for the wedding.

Thirty-eight year old Christopher has declined a royal title which would have required him to become a Swedish citizen and relinquish his job as partner and head of research at little known hedge fund, Noster Capital.

The Swedish family has only ceremonial duties.

jlw/rc (AFP, AP)