Prince Carl Philip turns 45
The shy Swede has blossomed into a proud royal
Eye-catcher: Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia have become important representatives of the royal family and, as seen here at a state banquet in April, make a royal glamor couple.
© Action Press/Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva
For a long time he was considered the admired, beautiful Swedish prince. Carl Philip has now become a proud family man.
The only son of King Carl XVI was counted for a long time. Gustaf (78) and Queen Silvia (80) as “the beautiful Swedish prince” are among the most sought-after bachelors in Europe. But at the side of his wife Princess Sofia (39), the royal, who was considered rather shy in his youth and was once ridiculed for his reading or spelling difficulties, has developed into a proud family man who also seems to have found his role as a “reserve prince” in the royal family.
He has become an important support for the king and heir to the throne Victoria (46). Together with Sofia, Carl Philip takes on many appointments and works with foundations for young people and against bullying. He will celebrate his 45th birthday on May 13, 2024. Exciting facts about the popular royal.
He was born heir to the throne
When he was born 45 years ago, Carl Philip was considered crown prince. But just a few months later, in January 1980, Sweden changed the succession law, according to which the first male successor no longer inherits the crown, but the first-born child – regardless of gender. This meant that Carl Philip’s older sister Victoria moved up to first place in line to the throne.
Nobility expert Julia Melchior revealed in an interview with the news agency spot on news that this change was definitely an issue for the siblings during their childhood: “It is known that Victoria once said when they were children: ‘When I grow up, I will I king.’ And then Carl Philip replied: ‘That’s not true. When I grow up, I’ll be king.’ When they were children, it probably took a while for them to process the fact that she was number one and not him – but that was more of a childlike play.”
In contrast to other royal families, where rivalries can arise between the heir to the throne and the reserves – see Prince William (41) and Prince Harry (39) in Great Britain – Carl Philip seems to feel quite comfortable on the bench. Melchior believes: “The prevailing feeling is relief that there is someone else in the spotlight who is happy to take on this public role.”
He loves fast cars and enjoys taking photos
And so Carl Philip was able to concentrate on his diverse interests beyond royal court protocol. After school, he completed military training from 1999 to 2020, after which he first studied graphic design in Stockholm and then agricultural sciences in Alnarp. But he was not only able to fulfill himself professionally, he is also freer in his hobbies as a reserve prince than he would be as heir to the throne.
In addition to photography, which he was interested in as a child, motorsport is his great passion. He not only inherited his looks from his father, but also his love for fast cars. Carl Philip has a racing license and, as a father, is still behind the wheel. Most recently, his sons cheered him on at the Porsche Carrera Cup 2023. His enthusiasm for motorsport earned him his nickname “Racing Driver Prince”.
His wife was a bikini model and reality star
Even though the beautiful Carl Philip won the hearts of women all over the world, he himself focused on long-term relationships. He was with his ex-girlfriend Emma Pernald for ten years. In 2008 he met model and reality star Sofia Hellqvist and they have officially been in a relationship since 2010. The relationship made a lot of headlines at the time because Sofia not only appeared in the Swedish reality show “Paradise Hotel” but also did some revealing photo shoots. But Carl Philip stuck by his partner – with whom he has now founded a model royal family.
After their wedding in 2015, they had three sons: Alexander (8), Gabriel (6) and Julian (3). Although the children have the title of prince, they have no longer been “royal highnesses” since 2019. Because like the children of Carl Philips’ younger sister Madeleine (41), since a decision by the king, they are no longer part of the royal family, but only part of the royal family. This means that the boys can live as private individuals and later pursue professions that would not be possible as members of the royal family.
He acknowledges his reading and spelling difficulties
The Swedish royal suffers from dyslexia, a form of reading and spelling difficulties. For years he hid the disorder that his father and two sisters also have. But he has been talking openly about it for some time – also to encourage other sufferers and to fight against the stigmatization of the handicap. “It was difficult to deal with other people’s prejudices. But the problem is not only that others think you are stupid or lazy, but that you develop negative feelings towards yourself. These feelings are the most difficult to deal with “, he explained to the Swedish magazine Kupé.
He was particularly troubled by the reactions to an appearance at a sports competition in which he read out the winners and stammered. “People were very hard on me,” he said British newspaper “The Times” later. “It felt terrible.” That was “a kind of turning point” for him to finally deal openly with his weakness. Together with his wife, he founded a foundation that supports dyslexics.