Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland (bornSofia KristinaHellqvist; 6 December 1984), is a member of theSwedish royal family. Before marryingPrince Carl Philip in 2015 and becoming a princess of Sweden, Sofia was aglamour model andreality television contestant. They have four children, Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Prince Julian and Princess Ines, who are fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth in theline of succession to the Swedish throne, respectively.
Sofia Kristina Hellqvist was born on 6 December 1984 atDanderyd Hospital inDanderyd, to a Swedish mother, Marie Britt Rotman (born 1957), a marketing manager in the plastics industry,[4] and aDanish-Swedish father, Erik Oscar Hellqvist (born 1949), an employment counsellor at the Swedish employment agency.[4] She was baptised on 26 May 1985 in Tibble Church. She moved toÄlvdalen at the age of six.[5][6] She has two sisters, Lina Hellqvist (a humanitarian project coordinator, born 1982) and Sara Hellqvist (acriminologist,[4] born 1988).[7] She attended Älvdalen Montessori School and Älvdal School. She studied the arts programme at Vansbro Education Centre.
At the age of 20, Hellqvist was published in photos in the men's magazineSlitz wearing only abikini bottom and a liveboa constrictor around her upper body[8] and was later votedMiss Slitz 2004 by readers.[9]Expressen republished the photos in 2010 after her relationship with Prince Carl Phillip was confirmed.[10] Hellqvist was subsequently cast in theParadise Hotel reality show onTV4[11] where she made it to the final.[10] Hellqvist was mentioned in some newspapers for having kissed Americanadult film starJenna Jameson while inLas Vegas to film the show.[12][13] She had a much publicised feud with co-starOlinda Castielle[14][15] and finally voted Castielle off the show.[16][17]
In 2005,[18] she moved to New York to study accounting, specialising in business development while working as a certified yoga instructor.[7] After relocating back to Sweden, she studied global ethics, child and youth science, children's communication and theUN Convention on the Rights of the Child in theory, and in Swedish practice at Stockholm University.[19] She also worked part-time as awaitress andglamour model.[9]
In July 2010, the Swedish Royal Court confirmed the relationship between Sofia Hellqvist andPrince Carl Philip.[20] In April 2011, the couple moved in together inDjurgården of Stockholm,[21] which was confirmed by the palace.[22]
On 27 June 2014, the couple's engagement was announced,[23] and in December, Hellqvist made an appearance at theNobel Banquet with her future husband. In May 2015, it was announced that she would receive the title of princess.[24][25][26] The couplemarried at Slottskyrkan in Stockholm on 13 June 2015.[27][28][29]
On 19 April 2016, Sofia gave birth to their first child, Prince Alexander Erik Hubertus Bertil, Duke ofSödermanland.[30][31] Their second child, Prince Gabriel Carl Walther, Duke ofDalarna, was born on 31 August 2017.[32] Their third child, Prince Julian Herbert Folke, Duke ofHalland, was born on 26 March 2021.[33] Their fourth child, a daughter, Princess Ines Marie Lilian Silvia, Duchess ofVästerbotten, was born on 7 February 2025.[34][35] All four children were born atDanderyd Hospital.
On 7 October 2019, Sofia's father-in-law, the king, issued a statement rescinding theroyal status of Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel in an effort to more strictly associate Swedish royalty to the office of thehead of state; they are still to be styled as princes and dukes of their provinces, and they remain in the line of succession to the throne.[36][37][38] Sofia and Carl Philip commented that their sons now will have more freedom of choice for their future lives.[39]
In 2010, Hellqvist was one of the co-founders of non-profit organisationProject Playground, a charity that assists underprivileged children in South Africa.[18] Princess Sofia is the honorary chair.[40]
To mark the occasion of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's marriage in 2015, the couple founded Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's Foundation.[40] The foundation's purpose is to counteract bullying.[40]
In April 2020, the Princess completed a three-day emergency online training course fromSophiahemmet University, created to help hospitals amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic. It was announced that she would work as a volunteer at the Sophiahemmet Hospital in Stockholm, where she would support "doctors and nurses through kitchen shifts, disinfecting instruments and cleaning."[41]
^Juhlin, Anders; Wik, Karin (18 March 2005)."Hämnden på Olinda".Aftonbladet (in Swedish).Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved10 June 2011.
Sweden:
Member and Commander of theRoyal Order of the Seraphim
Recipient of the70th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf.png)
Recipient of theGolden Jubilee Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf
Chile: Grand Cross of theOrder of Bernardo O'Higgins (10 May 2016)
Finland: Grand Cross of theOrder of the White Rose (17 May 2022)
France: Grand Officer of theOrder of the Legion of Honour (30 January 2024)[42]
Iceland: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Falcon (17 January 2018)
Italy: Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic (2 November 2018)[43]
Netherlands: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Crown (11 October 2022)
Spain: Dame Grand Cross of theOrder of Civil Merit (16 November 2021)[44]
Media related toPrincess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland at Wikimedia Commons