Forget all those fictional fairytale romance stories you might have heard as a child – because Sweden has hosted the real thing.
Crown Princess Victoria has married her fitness trainer boyfriend, Daniel Westling, in Stockholm after a long romance.
The unlikely match was made in an even more unlikely setting.
Cupid was unleashed when the Swedish heir to the throne started working out at Mr Westling’s gym in Stockholm in 2000.
In a TV interview, the Crown Princess said their affection for each other started as a little acorn but it soon became a mighty oak.
“Daniel and I had a very beautiful and grounded friendship. We were very good friends before, and it was a friendship that grew and became love,” she revealed.
Mr Westling has already been groomed to take on a more ceremonial role in Swedish life, ditching the dumb-bells for a big title.
He will now be known as Prince Daniel Duke of Vastergotland – a huge leap for a boy who grew up in a modest house in a working class community.
In his hometown of Ockelbo, where the population is just 6,000, they are celebrating their most famous son.
Mayor Magnus Jonsson is swollen with pride, saying Daniel has put the town firmly on the map.
“I think this historical moment means a lot because when you think about it we are about to become part of history,” he said.
“Daniel is from here, he was raised here and now he will become Sweden’s Prince.”
The union has also gone down well across Sweden where the couple are viewed as the epitome of a modern aristocracy.
The blue-blooded Victoria has fallen in love with a “commoner”, meaning that social boundaries no longer have a place in society.
But it has also sparked an even bigger debate, with many Swedes questioning why the country – which is known for its egalitarianism – still needs a royal family.
Dignitaries and royalty from around the world attended the ceremony, which cost about £1m.
