A look at Swedish royal fiancé Chris O'Neill

With Sweden’s Princess Madeleine announcing her engagement to her US boyfriend Chris O’Neill on Thursday, The Local finds out more about her financier fiancé.

• Princess Madeleine engaged to Chris O'Neill (25 Oct 12)
• Princess Madeleine: Chris is my soul mate (25 Oct 12)

Christopher O’Neill met his princess in the bustling Big Apple in 2010 and first came to the attention of Swedish press when a tourist snapped a photo of the couple at a Central Park restaurant in January 2011.

In New York, O’Neill is a Partner and the Head of Research at Noster Capital - an investment firm with offices in London and New York City.

A citizen of both the US and the UK, he was born in London on June, 27th, 1974, to Eva Maria and Paul O’Neill and has five half-sisters: Tatjana, Natascha, Stephanie, Annalisa and Karen.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THE NEWLY ENGAGED COUPLE

A fan of skiing, tennis and golf, as well as music, literature and the Chelsea Football Club, O’Neill is now working on learning Swedish and becoming a part of the royal family in Stockholm.

“I have come to know the Swedish royal family well. I have been very well received and felt welcome from the very first moment. They are all friendly and we have a truly pleasant time when we’re all together,” he said in an interview published on the Royal Court website.

Meanwhile, Princess Madeleine has only positive things to say about his family too.

“I appreciate Chris’s family very much. They have always been kind to me and welcomed me with open arms. Chris has a wonderful family,” she said.

O'Neill's father Paul moved to London from New York in the 1960s to help establish the European headquarters for New York investment bank Oppenheimer & Co. He died in 1994.

His Austrian-born mother Eva Maria is reportedly close with Britain's Prince Charles.

According to the Royal Court, she is involved in numerous charitable organizations and has a particular interest in the cultural preservation of Salzburg, Austria.

Princess Madeleine's husband-to-be grew up in Switzerland and attended the Institut auf dem Rosenbergboarding school in Saint Gallen before heading to Boston University, where he received a bachelor's degree in international relations.

O’Neill's studies continued at the Columbia Business School in New York, where he picked up a Master’s in Business Administration.

His ensuing career in finance has included stints at firms such as NM Rothschild & Sons and Steinberg Asset management.

For now, the couple are planning to continue living in New York due to their work, but are looking into the possibility of moving to Sweden in the future.

"Sweden is a fantastic country,” O’Neill told the Royal Court.

“It is so beautiful and the people are friendly. I’ve visited Stockholm and Öland the most, and I’m hoping for the possibility to visit Sweden a little more often now.”

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