It may have been love at first sight for Prince Carl Philip,
but it was another story for his country. From nude magazines to royal pooches,
here's how Princess Sofia won the heart of her prince — and of Sweden.
Regarding love and royalty, it is pretty standard for both people
in a relationship to come from similar social circles. Occasionally, however,
a royal and a commoner find their way into one another's hearts. Prince Carl Philip was born
and raised the only son of an esteemed king and queen. He had the very best education,
grew up in a palace, and knew throughout his entire life he had a claim — albeit a distant
one — to the Swedish throne. However, he likely did not imagine who he would go on to marry.
Princess Sofia of Sweden was born far from palace walls in the small town of Täby. At 6 years old,
she moved with her family to remote Älvdalen. While the prince and his future princess might
as well have come from different planets, none of that mattered in the end. All that
mattered was how they felt about one another after a fateful meeting at a nightclub.
Eyebrows shot into the sky when word broke that Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist were in
a serious romance. The reason? Hellqvist had a past that didn't include thrones and diamonds,
but rather skimpy clothes, boa constrictors, and adult entertainers.
After returning from her studies in the States to Stockholm, Hellqvist found herself strapped
for cash. She decided to take on work posing for the salacious magazine Slitz, and her first photo
shoot included camo, a tiny swimsuit, and a snake. The current princess was a big hit with readers,
and she was named Miss Slitz in 2004 — a very different title compared to her current one.
Hellqvist went on to appear on the Swedish version of "Paradise Hotel," a show centered
around packing a hotel with hot singles. During her time on the show, the eventual
princess received on-camera massages and shared a smooch with adult film star Jenna Jameson.
The union between Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist was truly one for the times,
and anyone who was anyone turned out to celebrate.
The couple wed at the Royal Chapel of the Royal Palace of Stockholm in 2015.
The world looked on as Sofia, donning a glittering diamond and emerald tiara and a drop-dead gorgeous
gown by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt, became Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland. Royals from
all over the world came out to bear witness as these two lovebirds made their romance official.
Years after they exchanged vows, the couple is still head over heels for one another. In 2020,
they marked their fifth anniversary by sharing intimate images from
their special day and a sentimental post on their Instagram, writing:
"Sometimes every person comes to a decisive choice; a choice that determines one's entire
future, and that is about who you are and, above all, who you want to be. And often,
it takes courage. Courage not to choose the easy way just because it is easy,
without the courage to stay on the hard road because it is right."
What do you get a prince and princess for a wedding gift? Diamonds? Designer
clothes? Destination getaways? If you were a guest at Prince Carl Philip and
Princess Sofia's lavish wedding, the answer would have been none of these things. The
very down-to-earth couple instead asked if their partygoers would channel their giving
spirit away from purchasing pricey objects. According to the palace's official website,
the royal pair asked those wanting to shower them with gifts to choose to donate their funds to the
Prince Couple's Foundation. The foundation was set up specifically for the nuptials,
and all money donated went to children in care and educational settings.
Being a giving princess is commonplace, and many royal ladies throughout time have devoted their
efforts to create better lives for others. Charity is nothing new to Princess Sofia, either. In 2010,
she, along with her friend, Frida Vesterberg, founded Project Playground. The foundation aims to
support South African children throughout various stages of their lives and their development. The
princess, who studied global ethics with an emphasis on youth during her university years,
visited South Africa in 2020 to meet with colleagues and citizens and share her helping
hands. In 2016, the organization's relief and support efforts were extended to Sweden,
and it now supports children overseas and kids in the prince and princess' home country.
When Sofia Hellqvist married her prince, Carl Philip, she got much more than a husband. She
also gained a close pal in Princess Victoria, her new sister-in-law. Princess Victoria is the
eldest child of Sweden's king and queen and, thanks to changes in Swedish succession law,
she is next in line to assume the throne as the country's ruler.
Before becoming a member of the royal family, Sofia celebrated her upcoming nuptials with
her nearest and dearest, and among her supportive partygoers was her future sister-in-law Victoria.
The princess, future princess, and party guests attended a lavish bachelorette party in honor of
Sofia. But the two women didn't stop spending time together after the wedding festivities. In fact,
they have only grown closer. The pair became one with nature when they hiked in Fulufjällets
National Park after attending the Polar Music Prize 2019 awards ceremony together.
Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip may have thought they had everything their heart desired
when they found each other. Little did they know that their romance would merely be the
tip of the happily ever after iceberg. After their rocking royal wedding in 2015, they got right to
building a royal family. Son Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland, was born in 2016. Prince
Carl Philip told People he couldn't manage to turn the waterworks off when his son was born, saying:
"For me and my wife, this is obviously a great day with a lot of emotion. Words cannot describe."
The following year, the pair was blessed with another beautiful boy,
whom they named Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna. And in 2021,
the family added a third son to the growing family, Prince Julian.
In a sweet Instagram post,
Princess Sofia shared black-and-white images of her family, captioning them:
"Life has given me not only one but four beautiful princes."
Sweden's Princess Sofia has much in common with another famous royal beauty — Catherine,
Princess of Wales. Both women were raised commoners and caught the attention of
handsome princes. Both women are stunning style icons. And both princesses are mothers to three
young children. Even their parenting styles are similar to each other, according to one expert.
Parenting pro Angela Karanja spoke to Express about the
royal mothers' child-rearing methods, explaining:
"I think both Sofia and Kate are very proactive parents who have embraced parenting as leadership.
This can be seen by their desire to acquire meaningful information and parenting knowledge
that propels them to be more effective parents in today's fast-changing world."
She also highlighted how both royal mothers value their children's talents, self-expression,
and independence. Karanja pointed out that because both women come from commoner backgrounds,
they are able to teach their children to follow their own hearts and paths.
With mothers like Princesses Sofia and Catherine,
the next generation of little royals is just about guaranteed to set the world afire.
Royal families all over the globe adore their families, their country's people,
and their pups. It's almost as if owning a dog is a prerequisite for being of regal
status these days! The late Queen Elizabeth II of England couldn't get enough of her Corgis,
owning dozens throughout her lifetime. Her grandson, Prince William, and his wife loved
their pre-human fur baby, little Lupo, an English cocker spaniel. They enjoyed him
so much that before Lupo's passing, they added another of the breed to their royal household.
The royal family of Sweden similarly adores dogs. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia
have two dogs. Their heir, Princess Victoria, and her brood also have a dog to run through
palace corridors. Princess Victoria's sister, Princess Madeline, adopted a puppy in 2022,
and Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip added one to their own family in 2014.
Who gets lucky enough to marry both their best friend and a prince? Sofia Hellqvist, that's who.
Royal couples come about for a number of reasons, but true love matches can be hard to come by for
the regal population of singles. The prince and princess of Sweden are most certainly a love match
and, even better yet, they are the very best of pals. The two started their romantic journey with
a real love-at-first-sight moment. Ahead of their wedding in 2015, Princess Sofia told Swedish TV
channel TV4 that she knew Prince Carl Philip was the one right off the bat. She revealed:
"The first thing I noticed about Carl Philip was that he seemed very humble. When I got
to know him, I saw that he was incredibly natural, very intelligent, and very humble."
Sofia gushed about her man and how he makes her feel, saying:
"Carl Philip is my best friend. He is the person I talk to the most. He's so smart,
and I feel so secure with him."
The prince expressed similar sentiments, saying:
"I feel extremely confident, stable, and balanced when Sofia is by my side,
and I've felt that way from the beginning."
Should Disney ever need to add another fairytale story to their collection,
it could definitely base one on this sweet pair of princely lovebirds.