Swedish princess Madeleine breaks off engagement

Princess Madeleine of Sweden has broke off her engagement to lawyer Jonas Bergstrom, the Royal Court announced today.

“They have decided that the best for them is to go their separate ways,” the palace said in a brief statement.

The court asked for the media to leave the princess and her former fiance alone.

“They need peace and quiet in this difficult situation. The heavy coverage does not ease the situation for them,” it said, adding it would not comment further on the issue.

The couple got engaged in August last year, but a date had not yet been set for the wedding.

The reasons for the break-up were not disclosed, but Norwegian magazine Se og Hoer published an interview this week with a woman named Tora Uppstroem Berg who claimed she had spent a night with the princess’ fiance at a popular Swedish skiing resort last year.

Madeleine, 27, is third in line to the Swedish throne, after her sister Crown Princess Victoria and brother Prince Carl Philip.

Madeleine Therese Amelie Josephine – the Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland – is the youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.