50 thoughts on “Royal Round Up: Princess Sofia”

1. Sofia seems a bit theatrical in her mannerisms during her first speech. CP clearly is besotted with her. As I wish for any couple, I hope they are very happy together.

   Honestly, I don’t know what to make of her. She appears to be engaged during her events. It will be interesting to read what others post here.

   1. I’m guessing the comments will be about half positive and half negative. Someone will mention her center part; someone will say they cannot forgive her past; someone will say she should have refused a title the way Chris O’Neill did and/or that she and Carl Philip should go be private citizens and not do royal duties/live off the taxpayer; someone will praise Sofia for getting out there; someone will praise Sofia over Kate. That’s usually how Sofia posts go.

      1. I admit that tales about her past taint my impression of her in a small way. However, she has participated in events and makes speeches so she’s shown she embraces her public role as CP’s wife. I can’t say I dislike her, although I don’t find CP very appealing. He’s too ready to live the good life without doing much work.

         Another thing I don’t understand is the story that her parents allowed her to pursue a glamour model career at the age of 16. At first I thought her parents perhaps didn’t have the resources or interest in encouraging their daughter to stay in school. But her sister is pursuing a PhD. I guess all we can do is look at her actions as she moves forward in this life. I hope she succeeds.

         1. It’s because of the questionable soft core porn and her age that I find icky that’s she sitting in on a global child forum and the her MIL charity of choice is about childhood sexual assault. If she actually talked about it in a matter to help kids out, I might be willing to give her a break. It’s the fact that they try and white wash it that I have problems with and find a bit hypocritical.
            And yes KMR, I can’t stand her dreaded middle part!!! Gahhhh =)

            1. From what I read she doesn’t think she did anything unseemly. She is loaded with self confidence.

               But I agree, her involvement in preventing child exploitation is at odds with her past. I find it difficult to understand what she can bring to the topic. Want to hear what she says on the topic.

      2. Challenge accepted KMR. I’ll take your last two statements. While Sophia’s background has its icky parts, she seems like she is trying. She looks appropriate, she looks interested and focused, she gives speeches, and she interacts with people. If she keeps this up, people will be more willing to overlook her background. For this reason, I like her more than Kate, who seems to be doing the bare minimum of work required for her job.

         1. THIS ^^^^^^^. Exactly. Well said.

         2. Yes from me, too. She is already well past Kate in royal work.

         3. +1

            and contrary to what ‘some dislike of her past’ youthful work life…she has made no indication of spilling such behaviour of that past (flashing, short dress/skirts or skin tight jeggings and the likes); and has moved on since becoming a royal gf – with appropriate dress, behaviour, hardworking, regal diginifed life of duties as a royal marry in.

2. I think her dress is adorable.

   1. Yes!!! Love it

3. I like start she started solo engagements and to give speeches fairly early after the wedding – that’s how you learn and it must also be good for her to “have her own thing”! It’s nice to see her speak at the unveiling of the bench too. It makes her more than just a pretty face.

   Also the interview she gave, ofc it’s not the most important questions and answers but it’s a good way to not see media in general as your enemy. Use it to give something back and support a good cause!

   Og course there ate things which are not perfect, a couple of her clothes choices are rather weird or bad, and I often don’t like the way she wears her hair but overall I think she does a good job as a Royal!

   1. I, too, like that she started giving speeches early on in her royal career. Kate can barely speak five years in.

      I can’t really blame Sofia for the types of questions she gets in these interviews. The press should ask her better questions.

4. Art exhibition – speech. Well done.
   The decision to fund her as a Royal or not is for the Swedish people. Given she is funded I like the work she does, the fact she’s not obsessive about privacy , she does things on her own and now getting involved in Children’s issues which is so key for this family.

5. I think Sofia has done a great job considering all the criticism she had coming into the wedding. The king has been pretty clear about favoring his son, so I think the idea of her not having a title was not even on the table. I hope Alexander and Oscar become great friends, as the pictures of them interacting at the baptism were so precious.

6. I like Sofia. She works, does her research and is engaged. The thing that I like about her is that she is making her own mark. Each royal woman has their niche and I applaud her for it. She certainly has great role models to emulate within her family.

   She and CP make a stunning couple. They are so loved up and it’s refreshing to see. From a sartorial pov, she’s had some hits, some misses and some misfires. To be honest, I find her intriguing.

   Thanks for covering her, KMR. I know that Sofia can be quitting polarizing.

7. I think not accepting the title would be a much bigger deal than some people think. Chris refused a peerage — not just a title, but a position. His wife has her own position/title as princess. Sofiia’s title is just that, a title. It’s granted automatically upon marriage, just like I became “Mrs.” when I married. I know I’m not explaining myself well, but I hope someone can figure out what I mean anyway.

   ETA: I like the bench.

   1. Yes. And she’s a Swedish citizen. Why refuse the title? Chris would have had to give up his US/British citizenship.

   2. True. I was actually thinking about this in terms of Harry’s future wife and whether or not she could refuse a title. But really “Duchess of [Whatever Harry’s title is]” is just like “Mrs. Harry Wales”. She could choose not to be called that publicly, but she would still have it. Kind of like how Camilla is Princess of Wales but she/CH chose to call her by her lesser title.

      1. Prince Henry hopefully will marry someone from an aristo family like his mum or the member from another royal house…. The BRs/ heir, don’tseem to have much luck selecting – falling for hardworking, professional, dedicated common women.

         1. Personally I don’t see how marrying an aristo is better than a non aristo. If the person is a lazy idiot, then it doesn’t matter what her background/family is.

         2. They only draw from a very limited circle. The Middleton’s pushed their way in to that circle (Marlborough, St. Andrews and Edinburgh universities) in order to find power and money.

            A hard-working professional woman may not find a ‘royal’ life attractive, possibly because she is driven by more substantial things. Having a voice as an individual to having no voice as a royal does not sound appealing, nor progressive.

8. Sofia barely does anything. In general these engagements seem to be spaced 2 weeks apart. However, she is also not a Crown Princess, so it would make sense if she has a less busy schedule. That again leads to my question that why are her and CP feeding from the public trough? She should go and make her own money, even if it is continuing to do what she knows best: a glamour model and a trashy reality star on trash TV. Hey, at least she makes for a better and more interesting Royal than Kate because she at least had a career pre-marriage, gives speeches and seems confident in them, is a pretty lady and seems to enjoy being at these public events. Kate is truly the worst of the royals out there in terms of everything: work ethic, fashion choices, personality, charisma and even her looks are nothing to write home about now ( Kate was a very pretty lady in her 20’s though).

9. I’ll say, I like this dress on Sofia. I like that she is wearing a modestly priced outfit. She has hits and misses, but it makes her fashion choices more interesting.

   1. I prefer a few misses than bland boring safe Kate.

      1. +1

10. I appreciate Sofia’s posture and warm smile. I underdtand the reasons behind why some people are skeptical of her or dislike her past; but since I was never much aware of her before her engagement announcement, I’ve always known her as “Royal” and hadn’t been too tainted by the stories. She seems to be genuine enough to me, as active as I would expect her to be for her position, and seems to nail the performances she does do. I’ve never seen a skirt fly up since I became aware of her (has she ever flashed? As a Royal I mean?) and she has a voice. I can easily pin causes and events on her unlike I can with Kate.

    After Kate’s hunched/terrified/insecure posture in the Netherlands this week, I’ve been paying more and more attention to other Royal ladies’ postures.

    I’m sorry for my comments being all over the place. It’s next to impossible to type on here on my iphone (and even harder to edit), and I’m rarely ever at a keyboard.

    1. I have never seen a photo of Sofia having a skirt fly up moment.

11. I love the fact that the bench was given to the couple as a wedding gift from her home area. What a view! Makes me want to go there and have my breath taken away by the magnificent scenery,

    I think her speech was lovely and the answers to the rather simple questions she was asked showed a very relaxed and confident woman who loves the place that she once called home and still likes to visit.

    The photo of the couple looking into one anothers eyes was really a wow! They do love each other. Sometimes, in other photos, I think he shows it more and her gestures and facial expressions are a bit put on, but in this one…oh, feel that love!

    She does appear to be engaged and focused in her appearances. I give her credit for stepping up to the plate and getting hits. Maybe, not home runs, but hits!! (Sorry to non-Americans, for the baseball analogy) Good for her. I believe she will continue to do a wonderful job in her position in this very special Royal Family.

    1. Hi Jenny. Thank you for your concern in your previous comment, I’m doing ok. Hope you and your family are all well too.

       I love that bench too, what a wonderful idea for a wedding present and what a place to be to admire the scenery!

       I have to say I never understood the polarisation of opinions about Sofia. I am really in no position to judge her from her past and honestly I don’t find anything wrong in her having been a model. Of course I don’t know how respectable she used to be but at least now she seems both interesting and interested in what she does. The main difference she has with Kate is that at least Sofia seems confident and willing to learn. And she speaks! Unlike poor Kate who is all smiles but doesn’t speak, just like Ariel, the little mermaid. ?

       1. Hi, Elina. So nice to hear that you are doing ok. I wish you the best and send good wishes to you!

          I loved what you said about Kate. “Just like Ariel, the little mermaid!” Ah, yes!!

          Lately, I think I am becoming more concerned about her. I recall a more confident looking woman at the engagement announcement. Oh, she was not all polish and security, but she has certainly gone through a transition that shows that things are not so well. It really is sad to see that she is so lacking in self-confidence. I wish someone would help her and let her achieve more as a Duchess and future Queen consort. She can be herself, but she needs to find out just who she is. I don’t believe she has a clue. She was molded by Carole and must think of herself only as William’s wife and the mother of George and Charlotte. Maybe, I am wrong.

          1. I know, Jenny. I feel the same way. It’s sometimes painful to watch Kate struggling with her public persona and it’s really such a pity.
             I can’t say that I totally sympathise with her though, because it seems that she wants to be liked sometimes by victimising herself. It’s the wrong way to build self esteem and gain the respect from others.

             1. Agree, Elina. I think in Kate’s case, old habits are hard to break. One of my cousins is a psychotherapist and she said that to change one’s patterns, one must really be sincere in trying. She said it takes at least 90 days of such trying before the brain begins to adjust. I can’t see William or Kate giving 90 days of such work to anything. I don’t want to sound nasty, I just feel that way.

                Take care and may each day be a good one.

12. While her pre-marital background leaves much to be desired, the fact is that she did what she did and has never pretended as if it never happened. I think her Project Playground work was more a cover so she could begin to look more “princess material”, and we know she pursued CP relentlessly, as relentlessly as Kate did William.

    The difference is, however, that Sofia realized what she needed to do to become royal and CP’s wife, and also did a princess makeover that doesn’t come across as fake, unlike Kate’s. Also, she’s hit the ground running with engagements since the wedding, and hasn’t stopped, despite having a very small baby at home. Sofia is a hustler, and I can’t fault her for that – and she’s at least earning that title. Plus, the two of them look like they adore each other – complete opposite of Kate and William, who look like two acquaintances in a marriage of convenience.

13. Off topic: did anyone else see the latest KP team goof about a visit by Harry to police event in which they linked to a police spoof site rather than the real police site in the online announcement? DM headline was “heads will roll”. If only!

    1. I saw that. My god, the KP team is so inept.

14. So why should Sofia renounce the title and the good life? I am sure one of the biggest reasons for chasing after a prince is for a good life, the glam and glitz…. (I am also sure this was a consideration for Princess Diana, Queen Maxima, Q Letizia, CP Mary of Denmark etc..) The only one I know that did not really want all of this was CP Masako of Japan. She denied his proposals and was under pressure to do her duty when she accepted the marriage.

    Princess Sofia is doing her stuff whether all her work will equate to what the taxpayers paid for her, I don’t know. At least she realizes that her good life will have to be traded with hard work and no privacy.

    From Herzaeus’ tip on Kanga, I just recently saw a documentary about Kanga/Camilla/Charles. If the contents are true, really, the Duchess of Cornwall’s past was really revolting. I can understand why people will never forgive the Duchess of Cornwall. Compared to her, Princess Sofia’s nude modelling past is nothing. At least she didn’t hurt anyone.

    1. Well said, Beatrice. I remember reading about Kanga as well, and of course we know about her role during Charles’s and Diana’s marriage. It seems Camilla has more to regret in her past than Sofia. At least Sofia lived her life, ok maybe in a reckless and frivolous way, but doesn’t seem to have hurt anyone, except perhaps, of her own self.

    2. I love CP Masako. She is very bright and accomplished. The prince pursued her, wanted only her. She’s faced many challenges as a royal with incredible grace. Love her.

    3. Thank goodness …at last, I feel I have some support on this. Camilla’s behaviour deliberately hurt others. Sofia’s may not be what one would hope for a daughter but was not designed to deliberately hurt others.
       Personally whatever Camilla does now I do not want her as my queen..ever . Kate is blamed for chasing her Prince. Camilla did the same. But Camilla worked to destroy marriages.

       1. Oh, Birdy, you were never alone about your view of Camilla. As I said above, we all know her role during the marriage of Charles and Diana. She did hurt Diana and also had to push away another rival, Kanga, who had a very sad ending.

          I understand your feelings about not wanting her to be your queen. People in leading positions have to be able to earn the respect of the rest.
          Speaking of respect, I’m impressed with the way the Thais are mourning for their dead King. A lady said in the camera:”I will mourn through following his lead. I will be a giver and take care of this country”. By the way these people show their dignified loss, one can only say that this King during his long reign, has earned a great deal of respect.

    4. Wasn’t Diana mad that her HRH status was removed when she divorced?

15. I don’t know how I feel about Sofia. I will give her credit for getting out there and doing her part. Especially, after the birth of her baby. Kate certainly took her time getting back to her Royal responsibilities and Sofia has not!

    Her husband seems to adore her and I also liked the photo of the two looking deeply into each others eyes. They seem to be smitten with one another.

    The setting where that lovely bench is located is special, indeed. Who wouldn’t want to go there? Such a special wedding gift.

    There is something I can’t put my finger on when I feel uncomfortable seeing most photos of her, though. I don’t think it has anything to do with her past. I just don’t know if I trust that everything she is doing is being done with absolute sincere efforts Just my gut feeling, that’s all. Hope I am wrong.

    1. I mean, I could say that of a lot of royals, that I don’t think they do what they do out of sincerity but rather because they have to. And I think it’s also engagement-specific. Like, there are clearly engagements where people are more interested and sincere about their involvement. Even Harry has engagements where he seems less interested.

16. I thought Sofia’s comments about running around enjoying nature when she was a child were interesting. Showing pictures of her capering around as a spunky six year old running through the fields would be a different take on her. If her family has pictures, they should offer them up, so there’s a different view of Sofia other than the wild-child turned princess.

    As for Sofia— I’m going to vent a little here. Why should anyone make the hard choice if those who don’t prosper? Sofia seems fine, so how do mothers tell their daughters when they start getting boobs or curving out to not focus on superficial and develop themselves inside as well? I did that repeatedly, but when my oldest looks at a girl like Sofia who prospers, why shouldn’t she try to get what she wants using her body too? You can teach and live morals, but when people are succeeding while ignoring the harder choices, why should someone young listen when they see a triumphant princess Sofia or Kate?

    I’m all about not being mired in the past and being empowered to change your life. I have experienced how judgmental the world can be. But sometimes, judgment is warranted. Sofia and Carl Philip have a son. One day he’s going to be grown up. If another girl decides she wants to be a princess and follows Sofia’s example, is that good? Is that what Sofia and Carl Philip would want? Does Kate want another girl to live her entire life sculpting herself so that she can land George?

    What comes around usually goes around, sometimes with a vengeance.

    1. To answer your question, “Why should anyone make the hard choice if those who don’t prosper?”, here’s what I will tell my children when I have them and I need to explain a Princess Sofia or a Kim Kardashian:

       “Not everyone prospers. Princess Sofia and Kim Kardashian are two out of millions of people who go down that route to fame and success. Yes, they became successful, but there are millions of women and girls who did not. And the reason Sofia and Kim were successful was not actually because of their bodies, but because of other factors which govern success.

       “Take Kim Kardashian. She became famous via a sex tape. But it was not the sex tape nor the Kardashian name recognition that made her world famous and made her millions of dollars. Kim Kardashian had a fantastic manager (her mother) who parlayed that minimal fame from that sex tape and being related to Robert Kardashian into a reality TV show, and appearances, and a whole bunch of other money-making avenues. And Kim is a master at social media. She knows exactly what her fans want, and what will generate press. Kim and Kris had the genius to partner with various companies to create products and apps to sell to Kim’s fans. And more than that, Kris parlayed Kim’s sex tape into multi-million dollar careers for her other children.

       “Many people see Kim Kardashian as a sex tape or a nude selfie, but that’s not why she’s famous. She’s famous because she and especially her mother/manager are smart af and know how to hustle and play the game.

       “As with any career based on physicality – modeling (nude or clothed), sports, dance, etc – a career based on your body will not last forever. It will only last as long as you have the body and face that sells. And more than that, just having a nice body/face and showing it off will not make you famous or make you millions of dollars. You need to have the intelligence either in yourself or in hiring someone to know how to work the business you want to be in, in order to make money off of that.

       “There are tons of models, not all of them have Gisele Bündchen money. Likewise, there are tons of people posing nude on social media, not all of them have Kim Kardashian money. For every Kim Kardashian, there are millions of people who tried that route and failed.

       “Just posing nude on social media will not make you famous or make you millions of dollars. You need to have the intelligence to parlay that into a money-making career. And you need to know that a career based on your body will only last several years at most. You will need a backup plan when you are forced to change careers because you aged out of it, or your body changed for whatever reason, or due to injury or what have you.

       “And most importantly, you need to know the dangers of trying to become famous or rich off of your body. There are millions of predators out there looking to pray on people like you. There are people out there who will try and use you, who will trade “a photoshoot” or “contacts” or something like that for sex. They will try and take advantage of you because 1) You are in a subordinate role, 2) You are desperate for fame/money, 3) They rich/powerful and can get away with it. Think about the victims of Terry Richardson or Bill Cosby. Think about the women who were sold into sexual slavery. Or the women who are forced to prostitute themselves to the rich and famous in order to make money because their modeling or acting career didn’t take off.

       “Making a career out of one’s body may seem like “the easy route”, but in reality it’s not. So very few woman actually achieve any real, long-term level of success, fame, or fortune from taking that route. And there are so very many dangers that come with trying to make a career out of one’s body.

       “It’s like winning the lottery. Yes, some people win millions, but millions and millions of people play the lottery and don’t win anything. And some waste tons of money doing it. If instead of wasting money on the lottery, they saved that money, they’d have a nice little nest egg saved for retirement. But instead they waste that money hoping for the big win and end up having no money saved for retirement.

       “If after you fully do your research into the dangers of making a career off of your body, and your research into the strategies for being successful in making a career off of your body, and you still think it’s the right career move for you, then you give it 100%. But be smart about it. Be a businesswoman, because that’s the only way for you to be successful. Don’t rely on your body doing all the work for you, because it won’t, rely on your mind and business acumen to achieve your goals. Because even when making a career off of your body, it’s not your body that will make you successful, it’s your mind.”

       That’s what I would tell my daughter if she said she wanted to be a Kim Kardashian or a Princess Sofia.

       1. Wow, wonderfully thoughtful response, KMR. I was moved to respond to Sunny’s post because I understand her concerns about what to tell her daughter when our society holds up certain people as success stories. It gets dispiriting. You answered brilliantly.

       2. Thank you for this answer, KMR. As Indiana Joanna mentioned, I’m impressed with your thoughtfulness.
          I agree that in everything we do in this life, we have to rely on our minds and intelligence rather than our appearances. Nevertheless the real question is why this society favours this fame/image/money game.
          I’m telling my 11 year daughter to work hard, be smart, get strong and empower her mind and spirit in everything she does. If she ever goes down the road of superficial fame/image seeking it will be her choice but also a huge waste of her talents and her potential.
          I have to wonder about what is considered successful in this day of age. Sometimes it is not just about making money, it’s also about manipulating the others and propelling one’s ego in a vicious way. For that, I have only one word: revolting.

17. KMR – your summary about the possible postings re Sophia and Kate are on the money. I’m not sure why CP and his wife need to be out there doing many royal appearances – and I don’t see a role for them once Victoria becomes Queen. Is Sophia – as her past is portrayed – suitable as a Royal spouse – possibly not – had CP been next in line to the Throne I doubt approval for the marriage would have been granted.

    1. On the plus side – Sofia seems happy in supporting her husband and family in whatever way they deem as appropriate. I don’t have a strong view on her either way. Had CP been encouraged to make his own way in life as has Prince Felix of Lux (2nd in line to throne if his brother has no children) then I doubt we would really see or hear much about CP or Sofia.

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