Princess Victoria, King Carl Gustaf, and Queen Silvia all rely heavily on the support of their staff. One of them is now making his serious health struggles public.
Stefano Catenacci, 59, worked for many years as a chef for the Swedish royal family. His rise to international fame took a major step forward in 2010 when he was asked to cater the wedding menu for Princess Victoria, 47, and Prince Daniel, 51. “I think I only really grasped how big it was when all the TV stations started calling,” he recalls in a new episode of the podcast Bathina’s Different Encounters, which was released in April 2025.
At that time, Catenacci was doing “up to eight interviews in a single day,” sometimes even with Brazilian media outlets. “That’s when it started to sink in: ‘Wow, this is huge.'” He tried to “stay calm” and not “overhype” his assignment, he further explains, and proudly adds: “It went well.”
Princess Victoria’s Former Staff Member Reveals Severe Stroke
The celebrity chef had more than earned his esteemed position at the Swedish court through careful and outstanding work. But life wasn’t always as glamorous as it was in 2010. Quite the opposite: just a few years later, Catenacci suffered a severe stroke, which he also discusses on the podcast. One day in April 2017, he experienced such intense headaches that he began vomiting. “I must have taken 20 Treo [a Swedish effervescent tablet used for headaches, editor’s note], […] but nothing helped, it was a terrible day.”
The symptoms persisted for several days, Catenacci continues, until he finally collapsed in the bathroom. “When I woke up, I was blind in my left eye. I only saw flashes and felt an enormous pressure on my chest and couldn’t move the left side of my body,” he recalls. “I had the feeling: ‘I’m dying now.'”
Stefano Catenacci Was in a Coma: “Chances Were 50:50”
Despite the severity of his condition, Catenacci managed to call a colleague, who in turn immediately summoned medical help. Catenacci was taken to a hospital and placed in an induced coma. Today, he knows: “The chances are 50:50 that you wake up again. They sedate you so heavily that you’re basically dead.”
He adds: “And if you do wake up, there’s only a 25 percent chance you’ll have a normal life.”
At that time, Catenacci was in a relationship and already had children. Naturally, they were all deeply affected by the news of his stroke. Today, in April 2025, the incident is already eight years in the past. Catenacci belongs to the 25 percent who fully recovered – and today he leads a happy and fulfilling life once again.
