Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are among the most photographed Swedes. It’s hard to imagine that their love was once a very well-kept secret. But then an article was published that would change everything.
When Prince Carl Philip, 44, and Princess Sofia, 39, became a couple almost 15 years ago, they initially kept their love secret. Not even his parents Queen Silvia, 80, and King Carl Gustaf, 77, were initially allowed to find out who their son had fallen in love with. Only Sofia’s parents Marie and Erik Hellqvist knew. In January 2010, their romance was revealed through a newspaper article in Swedish Expressen. A moment that must have been more than surprising for the royal couple. Only then did they find out what was going on in their son’s love life.
Prince Carl Philip’s parents learned about his relationship with Sofia from the press
“Här är Carl Philips hemliga romans” (German: “This is Carl Philips’ secret romance”): These words turned the lives of Prince Carl Philip and the then reality TV celebrity Sofia Hellqvist upside down. Suddenly all of Sweden and shortly afterwards the rest of the world knew about their young love. It was the Swedish journalist Johan T. Lindwall, 52, who made their relationship public – and unintentionally informed the royal couple about the relationship status of their middle child.
A newspaper article in January 2010 revealed the relationship of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia (then Hellqvist).
© Janerik Henriksson / SCANPIX / Code 10010 / Dana Press
The royal expert unpacked this incredible story in his book “Carl Philip – prinsen som aldrig fick bli kung” (German: “Carl Philip – the prince who never became king”), which was published in 2020.
“Neither the king nor the queen had any idea about the relationship”
“Neither the king nor the queen had any idea about the relationship between Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist. They knew nothing about it until they read my article in Expressen,” Lindwall is quoted from his work by the Swedish newspaper “Svensk Damtidning”.
Sofia’s parents knew more than just about it. Their house in Älvdalen was something of a refuge for today’s royal couple. There they could meet, protected from prying eyes. In his book, Johan T. Lindwall describes how he called Sofia’s mother, Marie Hellqvist, the day after the revelation. But even at this point she didn’t want to reveal any secrets in order to protect her daughter and the prince. “I have nothing to say about it,” she is said to have said to Lindwall. If it’s not a lion mother.
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Today, after a wedding, three children together and hundreds of official appearances, royal fans can hardly imagine such secrecy.
Sources used: Dana Press, svenskdam.se