Royal Splitsville: Madeleine and Jonas Call It a Day

Well, royal watchers, we can cross one royal wedding off the list: Princess Madeleine and Jonas Bergström have officially called off their engagement.

In the wake of rumors that Jonas, 31, cheated on Madeleine, 27, last year with Norwegian handball player Tora Uppström Berg, the royal family has released a statement announcing:

After careful consideration, Princess Madeleine and Jonas Bergström jointly decided to go separate ways.  They have come to the conclusion that the best thing for them is that they move in different directions.  Princess Madeleine and Jonas Bergström appeal to the media to show them respect and consideration for this decision.  They need peace and quiet in this difficult situation.  Extreme media coverage will not ease the situation for them.  We ask for your understanding that no further statements will be provided. 

The couple, according to English-language Swedish publication The Local, had been together for a whopping eight years.  They announced their engagement to the press at Soliden Palace last August, though in recent months, it has been suggested that there were cracks in the romance even then, and that Jonas had proposed in part to save the relationship.

Until now, it had been suggested that the conflict between the two arose from Jonas’s focus on his legal career rather than on his relationship with Madeleine, but now more and more reports of Jonas’s alleged partying and cheating are surfacing.  Swedish papers have even claimed that they were approached with stories about Jonas’s playboy ways earlier, but chose not to print them out of respect for Madeleine.  (Hard to imagine for those of us that read the British tabloid papers on a regular basis, isn’t it?) 

Last week, royal spokesperson Nina Eldh claimed that Madeleine and Jonas were still a couple, and urged the press to leave them alone.  The two were also photographed together leaving the office of a couple’s therapist.  Some speculated that the two wanted to end their relationship, but were prevented by the royal family, who wanted to keep the focus on the upcoming nuptials of Madeleine’s older sister, Crown Princess Victoria, and Daniel Westling.

But now, it seems that the relationship is officially over.  Madeleine boarded a plane to America shortly before the announcement was released.  She’ll be in the US for the next few weeks to work with one of her patronages, the World Childhood Foundation.  But America might not provide an escape from the attention surrounding the break-up, as US papers are already reporting the separation this morning.

In the end, surely it’s better that the two of them ended their relationship before walking down the aisle rather than after — but I’ve got to admit, I’m a little bummed that we won’t see Madeleine in a glittery tiara during her royal wedding any time soon!