Princess Sofia of Sweden has revealed a rare glimpse into her life as a member of the royal family when she spoke in a rare interview to mark her 40th birthday.
Before turning 40 on December 6, Sofía, 39, appeared on the cover of Fashion Scandinavia, taking glamorous photographs in her childhood village of Älvdalen and the Royal Palace in Stockholm.
During the interview, the royal, who married Carl Philip, 45, in June 2015, told how her husband’s “big, brown” eyes sparked an initial attraction, saying, “he seemed very humble,” adding : “He had those big eyes, Brown eyes, very, very kind.
The former glamor model, who is currently expecting her fourth child, also opens up about her position in the royal fold, motherhood and her charity work, including fighting cyber-hate and supporting dyslexia awareness.
The 39-year-old looked as glamorous as ever in the shoot, posing with her husband and three sons, Prince Alexander, eight, Prince Gabriel, seven, and Prince Julian, three, at the luxurious Palace Real.
Elsewhere, the mother of three traveled back to her hometown of Älvdalen, where she donned traditional Swedish attire in the pictures.
While the photographs hint at a very happy royal existence, Sofia’s introduction to real life wasn’t always easy.
Carl Philip and the then-Miss Hellqvist announced their engagement in June 2014, following a four-year relationship that sparked outrage in Sweden when it first became public in 2009.
Ahead of her 40th birthday on December 6, Princess Sofia of Sweden has appeared on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia.
The mother-of-three is seen with her husband, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, and their three sons, Prince Alexander, eight, Prince Gabriel, seven, and Prince Julian, three.
Since then, however, she has become one of the most beloved members of the Swedish royal family, praised for working in hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sofia Hellqvist was born on December 6, 1984, in the prosperous enclave of Danderyd, north of Stockholm, to a Swedish mother, who worked in marketing, and a Danish-Swedish father, who worked in the Swedish employment agency.
She was the middle of three girls. After finishing school, she completed an arts program at the Vansbro Education Center, modeling to earn money while studying in Stockholm.
Known for her piercing blue eyes and brown hair, Sofía participated in her first modeling session when she was 20 years old.
It saw her posing topless in a pair of camouflage-print bikini bottoms and holding a live boa constrictor to preserve her modesty.
The daring photographs were published in Slitz, a now discontinued men’s magazine in Sweden. The photos were so popular that readers crowned Sofía Miss Slitz 2004.
She continued modeling, including somewhat less risqué photo shoots for the French style magazine La Redoute.
After her modeling career, Sofía was offered the opportunity to participate in the Swedish reality show Paradise Hotel, a mix between Love Island and Survivor.
The mother-of-three cradled her baby bump as she stood proudly alongside her husband, Prince Carl Philip, 45.
Dressed in a traditional costume, the 39-year-old traveled to her childhood village, Älvdalen, with the fashion magazine.
The show documents a group of single people living in a luxury hotel. Sofia ended up making it to the series finale, where she was filmed kissing American porn star Jenna Jameson.
After the show, however, he decided to leave the entertainment industry to live in the Big Apple.
Sofia came to New York in 2005 to study accounting and business development at the New York Institute of English and Business.
While attending the city institution, she also studied yoga, where she became a qualified yoga instructor.
When she returned to Sweden, she continued her studies and took courses at Stockholm University on global ethics, child and youth studies, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Swedish Theory and Practice. She also studied gender and international relations.
It was in July 2010 when the palace announced her relationship with Prince Carl Philip.
It is not entirely known how they met, but it is understood that Sofia crossed paths with the Prince, whose older sister Crown Princess Victoria is heir to the throne, at a nightclub in Stockholm.
Nine months after their relationship became public, the couple moved to Stockholm’s Djurgården, where they still live in Villa Solbacken.
The mother-to-be was radiant as she posed for photos with Vogue in a white sequin dress.
Pictured: Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden leave their wedding ceremony at the Royal Palace in 2015. The prince’s older sister, Crown Princess Victoria, is heir to the throne.
The Prince and Princess with their eldest children, Prince Alexander, now eight years old, and Prince Gabriel, seven
However, after their relationship was announced, Sofia faced public backlash due to her past life working as a glamor model.
She has spoken openly about her struggle from life in the entertainment industry to life in the royal family, while receiving an avalanche of online abuse from the public.
Princess Sofia told Swedish channel TV4 in 2021: “I encountered a huge storm of hate from people who had opinions about me as a person, about my relationship.
‘It surprised me and it definitely affected me. I didn’t understand why people had such a need to express how bad they felt for me. It was hard. I don’t regret anything. All of these experiences have made me the person I am.’
It wasn’t the first time he opened up about the public scrutiny he received.
In 2018, while speaking at the Let’s Make Love Great Again festival about bullying, she described how the media furor “broke her down.”
She explained: ‘People had opinions about me and my relationship, and more. It was very hard. People were commenting on everything possible, what I do and how I look.’
‘When my relationship with Carl-Philip became public I was greeted by a huge storm of hate. People had opinions about me and my relationship, and more. ‘It surprised me and knocked me down for a while,’ he told TV4 shortly before.
Pictured: Princess Sofia attends the Nobel Prize banquet at City Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2018.
During the pandemic, Princess Sofia took a three-day medical course at Sophiahemmet University College in Stockholm, which allowed her to work on the wards.
Sofia’s engagement to Prince Carl was announced on 27 June 2014 and the couple married at the Chapel Royal on 13 June 2015.
Since then he has become a valued member of the royal family,
After their wedding, the newly married royal couple created the Prince Charles Philip and Princess Sofia Foundation.
Princess Sofia spends much of her time at the charity, which focuses mainly on issues around making younger people safer online and also having greater understanding and respect for people with dyslexia.
The Princess dedicates much of her time to the foundation, which focuses on issues relating to safer everyday online life for young people and greater respect and understanding for people with dyslexia.
In 2016, the couple’s first son, six-year-old Prince Alexander, was born, followed by their second son, five-year-old Prince Gabriel, in 2017 and their youngest, Prince Julian.
In 2019, King Carl XVI Gustaf decided that Princess Sofia’s children, as well as those of Prince Carl Philip’s sister, Princess Madeline, will not have HRH titles.
Although they will still be princes and princesses, they will not receive taxpayer funds.
At the time of the announcement, Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip said it would allow their children to have more freedom when they grow up.
When asked by Royal Central if he had ever considered stepping away from royal life, like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, he said: “No. Not exactly. I think I’ve found a fantastic balance and I really see it as positive to have gotten through these stormy years.” .
“It’s a big advantage that we have the opportunity to be in both worlds a little bit.”
During the pandemic, Princess Sofia took a three-day medical course at Sophiahemmet University College in Stockholm, where she is honorary president.
This meant he was able to help with healthcare work and help combat the pandemic that has killed 22,645 people since 2020.
Photos emerged of her washing and posing with other staff working at Sophiahemmet Hospital.
In September, the Swedish Royal Family announced that Sofia and Carl Philip were pregnant and that the baby would be born in February 2025.