A royal bargain! Four-months-pregnant Princess Madeleine attends black tie gala in $367 gown

By Sadie Whitelocks

PUBLISHED: 15:55 EST, 24 October 2013 | UPDATED: 17:11 EST, 24 October 2013


Four-months-pregnant Princess Madeleine looked the picture of elegance last night as she attended a black tie gala in New York with her financier husband, Christopher O'Neill.

The 31-year-old, who is third in line to the Swedish throne opted for a cornflower blue gown by Japanese-born American, Tadashi Shoji, currently on sale at Nieman Marcus at $367, down from $490.

The same dress was worn by Princess Claire of Luxembourg's bridesmaids at her wedding in September and bears a striking resemblance to the teal Jenny Packham worn by the Duchess of Cambridge to a red carpet event last year.

Expectant parents: Princess Madeleine of Sweden attended the 2013 New York Green Summit and Royal Gala award dinner at last nighr

Expectant parents: Four-months-pregnant Princess Madeleine looked the picture of elegance last night as she attended a black tie gala in New York with her financier husband, Christopher O'Neill

Madeleine completed her glamorous look with blue dropper earrings and wore her long highlighted hair loose.

She and her husband, are expecting their first child in March.

The couple's pregnancy announcement came almost exactly 12 weeks after their fairytale ceremony,  at the Royal Palace chapel in Stockholm on June 8, for which the Princess wore a couture Valentino gown.

 

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Sweden's one-time 'party princess' currently lives with her British-American husband, 39, in New York where she works for the World Childhood Foundation, a non-profit group founded by her mother, Queen Silvia.

The couple met after Princess Madeleine fled to the U.S. in 2010 with a broken heart. She crossed the Atlantic following the breakdown of her first engagement to Swedish attorney Jonas Bergstrom amid speculation that he had cheated on her.

Dressed to impress: The 31-year-old, who is third in line to the Swedish throne opted for a cornflower blue, floor-length gown by Japanese-born American, Tadashi Shoji, whose designs range from $400 to $600

Dressed to impress: The 31-year-old, who is third in line to the Swedish throne opted for a cornflower blue, floor-length gown by Japanese-born American, Tadashi Shoji, currently on sale for $367

Pregnancy glow: The Princess and her husband, are expecting their first child in March

Pregnancy glow: The Princess and her husband, are expecting their first child in March

Rumours of a romance with Mr O'Neill first emerged in early 2011 when the pair were seen together at the Central Park Boathouse.

A source told the New York Post at the time: 'She is always happy when she is with him.'

Madeleine says she and her husband were friends first, and a relationship blossomed over time.

'I appreciate Chris for his warmth and his humor,' she said. 'He has a very big heart and he manages to make everyone in his presence feel good. Christopher is a very thoughtful and generous person.

Mr O'Neill, however, says that 'from the very outset, I immediately felt something special with Madeleine.'

Inspiration: Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, seen with her husband Felix Lademacher, wore the same dress as the bridesmaid at Prince Felix of Luxembourg and Claire Lademacher's wedding in September

Inspiration: Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg (pictured) wore the same dress as the bridesmaid at Prince Felix of Luxembourg and Claire Lademacher's wedding in September

Insiders predicted an engagement last year when Crown Princess Victoria gave birth to a baby, Princess Estelle, and Mr O'Neill accompanied Madeleine to Estelle's baptism ceremony that May - a significant indicator, as partners of royals are usually not invited to such occasions unless they are officially engaged.

And they were spot on. The couple announced their engagement in October 2012, confirmed in a brief video clip posted on the royal website.

'Chris proposed to me in New York at the start of October, and we are very happy,' Madeleine said in the video, which was recorded Wednesday at the Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm.

A royal bargain: The gown is currently on sale at Nieman Marcus at $367, down from $490

A royal bargain: The gown is currently on sale at Nieman Marcus at $367, down from $490

Madeleine described the proposal as 'very romantic and intimate' but would not reveal anything beyond that.

'Madeleine and I have known each other for two years and I recently summoned up the courage to ask her to marry me. Thankfully she said yes,' Mr O'Neill said in English with a British accent.

He added a few words in Swedish, saying he was trying to learn the language 'but it is difficult.'

Mr O'Neill revealed that he had followed procedure and asked Madeline's father, the king, for his daughter's hand in marriage.

'I felt part of the family right from the very beginning,' he said. 'Madeleine's family is very warm and we have a very good time when we all see each other.'

Honeymoon baby: The couple's pregnancy announcement in early September came almost exactly 12 weeks after their fairytale ceremony, for which the Princess wore a couture Valentino gown

Honeymoon baby: The couple's pregnancy announcement in early September came almost exactly 12 weeks after their fairytale ceremony, for which the Princess wore a couture Valentino gown

The couple's June wedding was attended by Duran Duran's John Taylor, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, Karl-Johan Persson - the chief executive of fashion company Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), and Roxette stars Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson.

Mr O'Neill chose not to hold a title after the wedding as he has elected to remain a private citizen and not be granted royal rank.

The palace said that the pregnancy would not affect Madeleine's schedule this fall.

Sweden has a constitutional monarchy in which the royals primarily serve as figureheads. King Carl XVI Gustaf is the country's head of state, but his powers are limited to representative and ceremonial duties.

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$367 gown? She could have made it herself and saved even more.

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I think she is very, very pretty and I will go along with him, for her sake.

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the Swedish royal family is definitely the best looking one among the rest.

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Why do people expect Royals to always wear really expensive gowns? If it looks nice and costs less than $500 then buy it, it doesn't mean that she got a bargain.

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Oh, so you think plump, overweight is "natural." Isn't overweight a prime target for diabetes? Ok. Somebody already said that. Kate looks the best, as she usually does.

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in my eye Madeleine has Kate beaten any day of the week. She's adorable.

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SO DM is essentially congratulating her for buying a $400 dress... Guess what, I recently bought my daughter about $1,000 worth of dresses for about $200 for 4 dresses, all decent labels, not designer, but good at TJMAXX. we won't be advertising it though.

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Yes, but I'm sure you are not a member of a royal family of one of the most developed and rich nation on earth.

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You are advertising it, (*_*)

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She's huge... compared to Kate..

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I agre, Olivia. She is more beautiful. But she's bigger.. looks like a natural pregnant woman. More believable, I would say.

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I agree with you Mic. She looks like a beautiful plump pregnant woman. She has a glow about her and a happiness that reaches her eyes. It's beautiful and I'm glad to see she's found it.

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She looks like she is gaining weight too quickly. Look at the pictures from her wedding and she has gained a significant amount of weight and she's only in her 4th month! Im not trying to be mean it's just that gaining too much weight is dangerous, you could get diabetes

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I had a colleague who didn't gained much weight but still got diabetes during her pregnancy if it is in you genes you can't help it. Some gain the weight during the first trimester and others during the last.

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Stunning woman. She looks lovely and pregnancy seems to be coming along nicely.

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Far better looking than Catherine.

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I agree. She's a natural beauty and not made up in anyway,

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