Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Photo / Getty Images
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Photo / Getty Images
By Siofra Brennan for MailOnline
Royals were once expected to maintain the stiff upper lip at all time, but it appears that Princes William and Harry have paved the way for a new openness.
In an interview to mark her upcoming 40th birthday, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has opened up about her battles with anorexia and anxiety and her struggles with dyslexia, reports The Daily Mail.
According to People magazine, the mother-of-two told the Swedish station SVT that although she's overcome her teenage eating disorder, "the performance anxiety I had is still there."
Sweden's future queen has previously spoken about how assuming royal duties at the age of 18 and being thrust into the spotlight triggered her eating disorder.
"I've been given different kinds of tools and learned how to manage it," she said of her continued battle with anxiety.
The princess also grew up being bullied at school because of her dyslexia, which she shares with her father King Carl XVI Gustaf, and recalled: "I used to think I was stupid and slow."
However, the royal dismissed the idea that her public role has contributed to her difficulties, saying: "There are as many reasons to feel bad as there are people."
She also expressed her concern for the mental health of young people today, citing 'all the perfect images that are uploaded' on social media.
According to Hello, she said that the idea that "everything has to be polished" puts unrealistic pressure on young people.
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, right, and Princess Estelle attend an event in the Royal Chapel. Photo / AP
"For me it is important that children be children," she said. "My parents felt exactly the same about me."
Her comments echoed those of Prince Harry who last week gave a speech to a mental health event in Leeds, encouraging young people to put their phones down and unplug.
"We need to better equip our young people with the tools they need to cope with this increasingly complex and fast-moving world we live in," he explained.
"I read recently that young people check their phones at least 150 times per day - I'm sure we could all be more effective and efficient if we took a moment to process our thoughts rather than rushing from one thing to the next."
The royal has also opened up about his own mental health battles, admitting he sought counselling to deal with the death of his mother Princess Diana, after being urged to seek help by his brother William.
In a candid interview with The Telegraph he said his grief, compounded with living in the public eye, had left him "close to a breakdown", sparking anxiety during royal engagements and struggles in his personal life that he "didn't know how to deal with".
Princess Victoria will turn 40 on 14 July and has marked the occasion with several interviews in the run up to the big day.
In one interview, she explained that once she began to support her parents' work when she turned 18 after growing up away from the limelight, she started putting more and more demands on herself.
"I wanted all the time to do and be so much more than I realistically could do, or could be," she said, of her battle with anorexia.
She postponed her place at university and sought treatment in the US where she learned "to put words to feelings and thus, be able to set limits and to not constantly push myself too much."
The palace announced she was suffering from an eating disorder in November 1997, when 20-year-old Victoria was due to start at Sweden's Uppsala University, after she was pictured looking noticeably thinner at public appearances.
