Princess Sofia of Sweden at 40

Princess Sofia of Sweden marks her 40th birthday today, and to celebrate, we look at her life so far.

Sofia Kristina Hellqvist was born on 6 December 1984 to Erik and Marie Hellqvist. She has two sisters, Lena (b. 1982) and Sara (b. 1988).

Sofia was christened on 26 May 1985 and grew up in Älvdalen, Darlana, where she attended Älvdalen Montessori School and Älvdal School. She also undertook art classes at Vansbro Education Centre. Sofia spent time volunteering during her teenage years in South Africa, Senegal, and Ghana.

By 2005, she moved to New York City to study accounting in business development at the New York Institute of English and Business; while there, she worked as a yoga instructor.

Sofia returned to Sweden and enrolled at Stockholm University, where she studied global ethics, child and youth science, and children’s communication. Her studies also focused on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The future royal worked as a waitress, in shops and factories and as a glamour model, posing for Slitz magazine topless with a boa constrictor covering her. Slitz readers voted her the 2004 Miss Slitz. Her job as a model led her to be cast in the Swedish reality television show Paradise Hotel. She travelled to Las Vegas, Nevada, for filming and made it to the finals before being voted off the show. Photos and footage of her in magazines and on television were dug up by Swedish media after her relationship with Prince Carl Philip (the son of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia) was revealed in 2010.

In the same year that her relationship with Carl Philip was confirmed, she founded Project Playground with her friend, Freda Vesterberg. The non-profit “creates faith in the future among young people in Sweden and Africa by contributing to meaningful leisure time,” according to Project Playground.

After four years of dating, the Swedish Royal Court announced Prince Carl Philip was engaged to Sofia Hellqvist. Their wedding took place at the Royal Chapel of Stockholm Palace on 13 June 2015. Sofia was granted the title of Princess of Sweden and also became the Duchess of Värmland (Carl Philip’s dukedom).

Together, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia have three sons: Prince Alexander (b. 19 April 2016), Prince Gabriel (b. 31 August 2017) and Prince Julian (b. 26 March 2021). Sofia is currently expecting their fourth child, due in February 2025.

Since becoming part of the Swedish Royal Family, the Princess has adopted several patronages and even undertook an emergency online course at Sophiahemmet University to help the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her main focus is on children, preventing online bullying, and supporting those with dyslexia.

Sofia is also regularly seen at National Day celebrations, Victoria Day celebrations, and the Nobel Prize events each year. She and Prince Carl Philip also have a personal Instagram account where they share photos of their family and the work they are doing on behalf of the Crown.

Throughout her nine years as a royal, Princess Sofia has proven to be hard-working and beloved by the Swedish people.