Princess Sofia is pregnant with her and Prince Carl Philip‘s first child.
The Swedish court announced today, October 15, that the couple are expecting their first child due in April 2016.
In the press release Carl Philip and Sofia said: “We are so happy and excited to announce that we are expecting our first child. We are very much looking forward to it.”
What wonderful news for the couple. Sofia and Crown Princess Victoria can be pregnant twinsies. And we get two royal babies next year. With two baby sashes!
Photos: Kungahuset.se / Mattias Edwall/Kungahuset / Expressen / Rickard Collsiö/SVT
TWO baby sashes? *ovaries explode*
Congrats to them and the SRF! Not to be crude, but lately, I noticed the difference in Sofia’s, um, bustline, and suspected she was pregnant!
Lol, if my ovaries could they would explode too!!!
Yeah, but… people were noticing a difference in Sofia’s bust size since before the wedding. Like, people were saying she was pregnant back in May. And clearly she wasn’t. But yes, many people called this one.
I am so excited about this news. It’s so cool that the siblings will have children close in age. Estelle will be wrangling babies up.
Can you imagine a picture with all of them together?
A pic with all the kids together would be adorable!
We’ve been calling this for a while. Between the one piece bathing suit, the growing figure and well a lot of people (myself included) thought she’d go after a honeymoon baby. I’m all for more baby goodness.
I thought they’d do a honeymoon baby as well. This is a little bit later, though. It’s not like Maddie’s honeymoon baby where they announced the pregnancy literally 12 weeks after the wedding. Sofia probably got pregnant sometime in July.
Yippee!!!! Double baby sashes!!! Congrats to Carl Phillip and Sofia!!! I can only imagine that Queen Silvia is out of her mind with joy, I know I would be!
Congratulations Prince Couple!
Bring the babies on SRF – more exciting, interesting and inclusive SR baby news please! Two babies and more family events in 2016!
BRF POW grandkids fast becoming unimportant/non ‘royals’ like the secretive hidden parents.
What a happy day:) Congratulations to both of them !!! They are such a lovely couple …
Yup, bigger boobs were a dead giveaway!
I think Victoria will have a daughter & Sofia a son. Apropos of nothing, but I do!
This is lovely news, OK we all did think Sofia was pregnant, I do think it was nice that they waited to announce until after Victoria and Daniel announced their pregnancy and after Prince Nicholas’s christening. No news hogs here.
Well, Victoria is due in March and Sofia is due in April, so Sofia would naturally announce after Victoria. Though I read in People that Sofia waited to announce. Given her due date, I think at most she waited maybe a week so as to not interfere with the Christening. But she didn’t wait for Victoria; Victoria is just ahead of Sofia in gestation.
That was so considerate of them, unlike another couple that we know of…
Agreed. They were very conscious of others 🙂
Knew her middle was getting a little bigger:) I’m really interested to see how much she works during her pregnancy…
Right?!
Yes. Princess Sofia at least worked through – during morning sickness /’hg’-like (that some workshy claim…)
Imagine all three babies, and a toddler together with future queen Princess Estelle watching over …
Where does it say that Princess Sofia has suffered with any type of morning sickness?
Ray, I think Dolittle was referring to Kate’s claims.
I had 2 children, and was never sick for even an hour with either of them. Many women I knew suffered from varying degrees of morning sickness and couldn’t carry on with their daily lives without pause, as I did.
Kate probably milked her “HG”, but she was actually hospitalized at one point. In all fairness, unless Sofia reports that she was ill, their pregnancies can’t be compared. That’s all I’m trying to say 😉
God Save the King.
Congrats to them both! I’m excited for all the upcoming baby news and photos. I think I’m developing baby fever. 🙂
Yay. Congratulations Sofia and Carl. Two royal babies next year. Though if the babies and Lenore and Estelle want to be friends with each other. Well that is up to them. It is good that Victoria announced her pregnancy first. They each have a chance in the limelight as well as Madeleine for the christening.
As I mentioned above to Cathy, I don’t think Sofia necessarily waited to announce after Victoria due to wanting to let her have the spotlight. It was simply because Victoria is farther along in her gestation than Sofia. Victoria is due in March and Sofia is due in April, so Sofia would naturally announce after Victoria. It most, Sofia maybe waited a week or so to announce after the Christening.
I see. I think a photo of the royal siblings all together will be cute. The Swedish Royal family are genuine in that they don’t hide the kids if they don’t sit up straight. It is good news though it happened rather quickly. I don’t know about these things. I was at work and I saw the post. The blog gets me through but I don’t like looking at work.
I’m getting to the point where I am indifferent about G&C. We know nothing about them. Will today made a comment about her being delicate and lady like. Way to perpetuate a stereotype. At least he’s not painting her to be a jerk like he did with George.
“Delicate and lady-like?” She’s five months old. Of course she delicate. She’s a girl. Of course she’s “lady-like” in the strictest sense of the word. I won’t care about Georgie Porgie and Char until they go off to school. Then it’ll be the first girl/boyfriend, the first run-in with the paps, etc.
Ugh, I saw Victoria Murphy tweet that he said that. I commented saying, “How can a five month old baby be ‘lady-like’?” She’s five months old. She sleeps and eats. There’s no “lady-like” yet. Also, Char was “lady-like” while George was “lively”. Yea, way to go with the stereotypes. So stupid.
And I agree about being indifferent toward George and Charlotte. I’m to the point where I almost don’t even care if we get photos of them. When the last candid ones came out I thought, “Ugh now I have to cover this”. I don’t want to be indifferent towards them, but I just am. Now the Swedish kids, I love them. They are adorable. Always a pleasure covering them.
…his comment/s are always PR focus (as cannot – “George looking in China …”), made up since they are in hiding. So weird, insincere as other comments he has made in the past. Nanny Maria comment/s would be far more credible/interesting.
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Oh, I know. A “lady-like” four or five month old? He’s kidding, I hope.
The Cambridges have made it impossible for people to really appreciate their children.
What a shame. I am not saying there need to be a ton of photos released, but it’s just ridiculous how little the public is allowed to know of these little ones. PW’s own parents released photos of W and H quite often. The public felt like they knew and loved the boys.
Isn’t that important? Guess not.
BTW, the best wishes to the Swedish couple. How nice that another Royal Baby is due to such a warm and loving family. They really seem to care about each other and give the public a chance to know and love their children, too.
Next year will be a busy one for babies in Sweden.
I think what William meant by lady like was the Charlotte isn’t as loud and boisterous as George was at that age and is now. From what W&K said about George early on, it sounds like they had a difficult time with him, probably colicy and not a great sleeper, where as Charlotte seems to be an easier baby. I know that if my daughter was my first born I probably wouldn’t have had another child, it was that rough 🙂
Other royals would say well-behaved because they don’t want to sound stereotypical. And I doubt William spends that much time with Charlotte. I would rather listen to the nanny talk about them.
Me too!
Both William and Kate probably make up a bunch of BS about George and Charlotte to tell the public. That’s why we can’t have a connection with them, because we don’t know the real them.
With the Swedish kids, we see them interact with the world, and can get a sense of their personality. But with the Cambridge kids, we don’t have that. We just have BS stories about China cabinets and complaints about how loud George is.
At least we got videos of the christenings. All they did for George and Charlotte were release a couple of photos. Prince William’s first official engagement was as a baby when Charles and Diana went to Australia in 1983. The first official time George was seen in public was when William came to take him to see his baby sister in hospital. He seemed to be startled by the noise and the photographers. Yet he’s going to become King one day.
I agree, Seth. There is no engagement or affinity for those kids. People are becoming indifferent. And that is dangerous.
Such sweet news. Four babies in three years. I am so happy for them. I do like how they staggered the announcements. They are a beautiful family and wish them the best.
Fantastic news, I love the SRF, they are so relaxed. I think that she will have a boy!
Swedish royals don’t seem to waste too much time, unlike a British pair we know. Carl and Sofia conceived within the first two months of the marriage. Within a year of their marriage Victoria and Daniel announced. Katie and Willnot only announced when pressure began for them to step up their public duties. They announced the second one barely a month after conception, when Katie was due to go solo. Ugh.
How exciting for the SRF and for us, as royal followers. I am truly happy for them 🙂 oh goodness, we will have some awesome family pictures next year!!
So much babies next year.
Yes, I love it!!!
(especially since they are a “sharing royal family” 🙂
Whoohoo! This is such wonderful news! Congratulations to the lovely couple. I am pleased as punch.
Based strictly on what I can see in the press, the Swedish royals really do seem to have a loving family (though it’ll be interesting to see what kind of parents CP and S are–he always struck me as not very responsible). All of the new babies will be warmly welcomed. And what an exciting few years it has been for the Swedes–it’s been engagements, weddings, and babies left and right for almost six years!
This is very happy news. I really only know the basics about this couple, but I have noticed photos of Princess Sofia with Estelle and Leonore(sp?) and she seems genuinely smitten. Unlike Kate who smiles and plays with her own children for the camera, but ignores the other darling royal children from the extended family.
Dear G, I have to mildly disagree here, in all the pap shots of Kate and George neither of them look happy nor are they smiling. In fact the only time I’ve seen them smile together is when Kate expected the cameras to be there.
Whoops, guess my writing wasn’t clear. I meant to say Sofia seems to enjoy the children of members of the SRF and seems to have a genuine interest in them. The children appear to respond to her and allow her to hold them at events.
Kate on the other hand seems to smile and play with George just for the cameras. To me Kate does not seem to pay much attention to Autumn Phillips children or Mia Tindall. I do not get the impression Kate has much interest in children in general.
The Queen doesn’t have much interest in children either. A lot of older aristocrats don’t. The Queen breastfed them and turned them over to nannies after a few weeks, only seeing them for 20 minutes a day at bath time. She was closer to Andrew and Edward but even then, royal tours took precedence over family. Though on a semi-related aside, Charles’ memories of Prince Philip as a cold, brutal dictator are contradicted by courtiers and cousins of the Queen and Philip. They say that in the 1950s, when the Queen was busy with state papers, Philip would put on a headdress and play cowboys and Indians with Charles and that he was actually very tender with him, though he demanded absolute obedience, which would make sense for a former naval officer and a senior royal of the older traditions.
I guess I’m the only one who had a negative reaction to this. I’m not a fan of Sofia. Her history is disgusting and CP is also pretty gross. My opinion is that he’s a lying, spoiled brat (due to his father and just like his father) and she married him for all of the wrong reasons (much like others we discuss). She bought a flat in South Africa right around the time they got engaged!! Why!?!?
CP said before the wedding that they would wait a while. Oops! I have to wonder if he’s as happy about this as she is. She now has her meal ticket for life. I would bet the rest of the SRF (excluding CG) are not happy about this at all. I doubt any of you holding out for pictures of all of the cousins will get much. Estelle and Leonore and Nicolas and Vic and Dan’s #2 for sure. I don’t expect much for the unfortunate baby of Sofia and CP. I already feel sorry for the child. How awful to have Sofia as your mother! Ugh. Rant over.
I see where you’re coming from. I don’t agree but so be it. She still was a glam model with crooked teeth and he still looks like he needs to wash his face. 🙂
I might be a prude but it seems like more than “glam” model. Ick. They both look like you need Valtrex if you get anywhere near them. He wasn’t always that way!
We are so tough on KM. I think if everyone here stayed as up on Sofia news as we did on KM they would be disgusted.
I’m just using what I found in a quick Internet search, though I originally wrote something else, I rewrote it b/c it could be perceived as demeaning.
While we may differ in opinion here, I will say that I got quite a giggle about the Valtrex comment.
I did too Rhiannon. 🙂
I also agree with you Cathy on how hard we are on Kate here v.s. Sofia. I agree with what you say about your disgust.
Personally, my Sofia-apologist-ness came about from reading all the sexist crap other blogs were saying about her before the wedding. I used to be very against Sofia, but when reading how much sexist hate she was getting I went and looked back at what I originally wrote about her and realized it was overly sexist and so I changed my thought process on it. It’s also one of the reasons I’ve been more and more critical of William – because we give Kate so much crap when William does the same or worse and that’s just sexist.
Feel free to disagree with me. You are entitled to your own opinion of Sofia and Carl Philip and are free to express those opinions. I’m just letting you know why I write about her the way I write about her.
I agree with you. And she’s doing better than I ever thought she would so I’m in her corner right now! Not that she cares. She’s probably knitting booties. I would be. 🙂
That is another thing I like about you KMR. You are very fair and not afraid to admit you have decided to revisit an issue. Also, sometimes you change an opinion when peoples behavior changes or the situation warrants more critical thinking.
Oh look, hello the other Cathy.
KMR – Will I need to put “Cathy from NZ” on my comments now if there is another Cathy posting here too?
I put a (2) beside the other Cathy’s name to differentiate.
Thank you.
I’ve posted once or twice before and noted that we have different icons but I’ve gone ahead and added the (2) to my own screen name so KMR doesn’t have to do it. Especially since I seem to have offended one or two people today!
Cheers!
Cathy to Cathy (2)
Thanks for adding the (2) to your future posts. Lets hope we don’t confuse too many people?
I just noticed “unfortunate baby”. A baby surrounded by love (which it looks very much like this one will be) is definitely not “unfortunate”.
Here, here! 🙂
I could have phrased that better. I’ll just stop at that.
Cathy I agree with you! C.P. will make a great father, he interacts very well with his nieces. Sofia as a mother, I do not know? I hope Sofia does not use the child for attention? Cathy, I did not know she has property in South Africa! What is going on with Sofia? Halia
I used to love CP when he was with Emma. Now I’m not so sure. He copied designs and put them out as his own. I don’t believe that he did not cheat on Emma with Sofia. He lives on his father’s anger over him not being the heir. Perhaps it is his father’s fault. They seem to share the same taste in women. The only reason I can still look at CP is because his nieces clearly love him and that says a bit about him.
Sofia’s “charity” is in South Africa so that is supposedly why she bought the property. If I remember correctly, it is in the same building as her close friends. It is also in only Sofia’s name. Where on earth did she get the money to do that? It seems very fishy. KM is harmless when you put her next to Sofia. Sofia is just gross. I am so sad for the SRF. I had honestly hoped for a short marriage without chidren. I do admit that I’m hoping that S & CP have a boy. That will really make CG mad. He will see what he thought should have been…his beloved son and grandson who he thinks should have been his true heirs. Instead he has beautiful Victoria who proves herself daily to be the most capable of the entire family. Love her.
Cathy please do not get wrong, I am not a hypocrite! I am so glad Sofia has so represented Sweden way better than KM, Sofia has made me suspicious by her past decision & recently barred Emma from attending Prince Nic’s christening. Emma is 1 of Maddie’s best friends & Sofia invited an old boyfriend. I have concerns about sofia as a mother? I wonder if sofia getting pregnant so soon is to secure a meal ticket? Halia
Hi Halia, I haven’t heard that Sofia banned Emma from Nicholas’ christening. Imo, Maddie doesn’t strike me as someone who would cater to the wishes of others especially if she had her mind set on it. From what little I’ve read about the whole situation, Emma was the one who spoke to the press about not attending the christening, maybe that angered Maddie.
Someone mentioned on a previous post that Sofia banned Emma from being a godmother (even though Madeleine wanted Emma to be a godmother) and from attending the Christening. This person said that Emma even talked to the press about it.
Lola also wrote an entire blog post about it.
I said to that person, I said on Lola’s blog, and I will say it here now: If Madeleine had wanted Emma to be there, she would have been. The decision to invite Emma or not was up to Madeleine and Madeleine alone. Sofia* may have asked Madeleine not to invite Emma, but ultimately that decision was on Madeleine.
*I think it’s incredibly sexist that Sofia is getting all the blame for “banning” Emma. Maybe Carl Philip didn’t want her there either.
Also, Sofia didn’t invite an old boyfriend to Madeleine’s child’s Christening. According to Lola, Sofia invited an old boyfriend to her wedding back in June. Which isn’t unheard of nor is it uncommon. All of William’s exes and Kate’s ex were at their wedding.
I read Lola’s blog once. It mad me sad when Lola wrote that Madeleine posted congratulations for her brother’s engagement on Facebook and Madeleine’s post got deleted after negative comments about Sofia.
I know very little about the Emma situation other than she was a previous girlfriend of CP’s. However, to suggest that Sofia packs that much punch with the ‘royal’ family is imo downright ridiculous, not to mention if she and CP are happily married this would indicate that she’s a bit insecure, no? I am simply not buying this malarky. When you get right down to where the rubber meets the road it’s none of anyone else’s business who’s invited or chosen as a Godparent. Mad’s child, Mad’s choice.
Honestly, I think the rumor that Sofia banned Emma is mostly just sexist hate toward Sofia.
Agree.
I feel Princess Maddie made the decision with her mum, sister (family first).
As to Princess Sofia pass life, she had a different way of earning a living but didn’t she tone down/change, due to her relationship with a Prince (which is commendable, considering comparison – drunk coming from clubs/falling out of taxi flashing/smoking, etc…); is working duties for the people.
When i look at sofia i really see a true princess!they are a wonderful couple congratulations to them and JESUS BLESS them and they marriage and this baby!!!
I see Sofia as a Swedish Kardashian. I don’t understand the interest in the Kardashians. Sofia, on the other hand managed to do whatever it is that she did to marry a prince. So many things have been said about her and there’s nothing she can do to change her past. My wonder is why hasn’t she ‘renounced’ her past and used her status to let girls know that they are far more than faces and bodies, and that what she did was wrong. She came close, I think at one time to saying that and it would really go a long way in helping young women to think of themselves as worthwhile human beings no matter their looks. She could make a huge difference since whatever I/we think of her she is a genuine “Princess”. I was hoping that no children came of this union but that’s none of my business. There is a child on the way and the child is not responsible for the choice’s made in his/her parents past or present. I hope that this baby isn’t a tool/ a way of solidifying Sofia’s place in the family, but I wouldn’t put anything past her. I come from a more conservative and modest time and understand that things change but what Sofia was just absolutely makes me cringe and want to take a shower. People can change and they can make a tremendous impact on those those who come after. I hope that this is the case with this couple. Time will tell.
Yes, yes, and yes! She even had a reality show. The only difference was the Kardashian had the “accidentally” released tape and Sofia just has a few zillion pictures.
I hope she and CP both grow up quickly. I truly think that their actions could wind up being the end of the monarchy in Sweden. It’s a miracle that it has survived with CG.
When i read all the sexist crap about Sofia, especially from women, all of whom are concern trolling her, i realise how far we still have to go as women. If a woman doesn’t conform to the societal view of women, if she’s unapologetic with her sexuality and or her past, then stone the witch!!! it saddens me so much. and now Sofia is also in charge of the swedish royal family such that she rules their guest lists???
I just fell in love with this comment.
My feelings on the subject – if a person is marrying into a royal family, I do believe the goal posts change on taking their pasts into consideration. Sofia, Kate, Mary…they are in the 00001% or less of the population. Yes, they should be expected to be held to stricter standards. You know what you’re getting into; the scrutiny and expectations. Therefore, I will not be jumping on this woman’s band wagon anytime soon. The fact that she refuses to apologize or show any regret, when she is now in a position as a national role model. It’s almost an eff you to the Swedish public. In my eyes, for Sofia to genuinely move forward, she needs to humble herself regarding her past. Because of who she is. A Princess.
If the situation were reversed, would you feel the same way about a man marrying in? What about the RF themselves? If you do, I can respect that. If not, then it is sexism, as Herazeus said.
The sexism in the way the female and male royals are treated is very clear. Prince Harry gets photographed naked and people stand up for him in solidarity. Kate gets photographed naked and it’s all her fault and she should have known better. Sofia has a sexual past and people think she’s a horrible role model and shouldn’t be allowed to marry into the royal family (and how dare she not cover her tattoo for the wedding). Prince Carl Philip, Prince William, and Prince Harry have all banged a ton of women and Carl Philip is especially skeezy and people give them a pass. Maybe it’s the openness of Sofia’s past that people have a problem with compared to the boys, but the Kate/Harry thing is such clear sexism. Kate was alone with her husband and thought they were in private and was caught by a pap. Harry invited random people into his hotel room and didn’t think to take their phones. Harry is the stupid one in that comparison. Yet Harry got a ton of people showning support and Kate got lambasted. And my god, the level of sexism thrown at Sofia makes me angry. I have to stop myself from commenting on other blogs because I know it will just start an uncessasrily heated conversation but I just want to scream how ridiculous and sexist some of the comments are. And the blog articles themselves. And from women who previously claimed to be pro-women/feminist. That’s what astounds me the most. Blogs I’ve been reading for years by writers who say every other female celeb should “get it girl” or “get theirs and have fun” we’re then suddenly being completely sexist toward Sofia and her past.
I completely agree with you.
Hi KMR, I see where you’re coming from. May I point out, the system of monarchy, at least in the UK, is heavily sexist. Males are favored over females in the line of succession (even with the Succession to the Crown Act, that only applied to Charles’ grandchildren from William, not changing the entire line of succession). Women take their husband’s rank and position but the reverse is not true. In private, the Prince of Wales runs the family and he favors his sons over the DoY’s daughters. Owing to her generation, the Queen prefers being surrounded by men and taking advice from men. Angela Kelly, her personal dresser, is the only woman in her inner circle whose opinion is taken into account. Monarchy always has been and remains a sexist institution, just as the wider society does. Look at Lamar Odom. He is technically still married to Khole but no one is condemning him for being found in a brothel by prostitutes. If she had done the same thing, the media would be saying she’s a slut. Just sayin’. 🙂
Disagree. Sofia has been given a complete pass. The press publishes glowing articles about her.
I believe that I’m pretty equal opportunity when it comes to my dislike for both greasy Carl Philip and Princess*cough*Miss Slitz*cough*Sofia. I also think Carl Gustav is a mess.
Carl Philip copied designs and sold them as his own. Sofia made a living off of rich men, soft porn and reality TV. She bought a flat in South Africa in only her name. Her “charity” in South Africa is completely suspicious.
Carl Gustav is continually on record as saying his son should have been his heir (even though I believe the process of change was already started when CP was born). I honestly think that if CP had been the heir then he would have either been the end of the Swedish monarchy OR he hopefully would have been raised to be a very different person.
They put Daniel through a lot to marry Victoria and yet Miss Slitz comes dancing in and the King loves her.
Can you imagine being Victoria and growing up with your father saying that you are not the rightful heir?
PS: Don’t forget Harry’s Nazi costume.
But the difference with Prince Harry and kate, she has not done anything to earn respect from the people (work duties, service to people/charities -earn forgiveness/forget or made up for the years of negative).
I’m sorry, but no. Both Harry and Kate deserve the same treatment in that situation. Both of them were dumb, putting themselves in situations to be photographed naked when they both should have known better, however both were also victims, having photos of themselves taken without their permission in an intimate situation and published for the world to see. It’s about respecting them both as human beings and giving them the same treatment when they are caught in that situation.
Sorry Cathy2 but I can’t agree with you. What did Sofia do to offend you so much? I’m not being rude, I’m wondering, you sound like you loathe the sight of her. 🙂
[Removed by KMR]
Cathy (2),
I removed the content of your comment, and here’s why:
From the comment policy: “Do not attack, demean, belittle, etc. the royals. It is perfectly fine and encouraged to be critical of the royals so long as it is constructive. Vicious attacks and hateful language are not constructive and only bring down the atmosphere of the blog’s community.”
If you want to loathe Sofia that’s your business and you are free to hold that opinion, but there are limits to the amount of hateful language I will accept here.
I’m sorry KMR if I provoked Cathy2. I’m genuinely curious as to the source of her extreme dislike for Sofia. I mean, she’s not my favorite royal or even my favorite Swedish royal but Cathy2 seems to detest her and I was just wondering why. Sorry. 🙂
Okay….I will try again…
Hi, Seth! I do strongly dislike Sofia and think she is horrible for the SRF. My grandparents are likely all rolling in their graves.
I think my strong reaction here is partially out of frustration because of the pages and pages of criticism towards Kate (whom I do not love) when my *opinion* is that Princess Sofia is so much worse and extremely scandalous. I am quite far from being a prude. Kate and Harry had nude pictures published that were a violation of their privacy. Sofia posed. Sofia did a reality show. Sofia wrote some very un Princess like material on a blog.
We all only know what we read. There is very limited press about Sofia in the US, but since my family is all Swedish I have a great interest in the SRF and I tend to read everything I can find. Perhaps (hopefully) some is not true. Who knows. Instead of spelling it out, I will suggest some search topics or possible future articles (obviously not all are even close to appropriate) for KMR featuring Princess Sofia: her level of education, her magazine title/award, image searches including her age during those photo shoots, her blog during her reality TV show, her reality TV show, her encounter with Jenna Jameson, her rumored comments to friends prior to meeting CP, her charity including dates and money, her property in South Africa including dates.
Lastly, I am upset about Sofia ruining Carl Philip for me (beyond the incident of him being accused of stealing the ideas of others). I blame her completely for his overuse of hair gel! 😉
I know this comment is really long, and you probably won’t read it, but I’m going to write it out anyway.
1) I know about everything you listed. And I still think the way Sofia’s been treated by a lot of people has been incredibly sexist and overly negative. I’ve said on numerous occasions that I strongly disagree with the way Sofia has lived her life, but that doesn’t mean she should be treated the way she’s been treated by people on blogs (by both the blog writers and blog commenters).
2) I never compared Kate and Harry’s naked photos to Sofia’s. I compared Kate and Harry to each other. I would never compare their naked photos to Sofia’s because those situations are different: there’s the issue of consent. Kate and Harry did not consent to their photos being taken; Sofia did. I compared Kate and Harry to each other because they are on the same playing field in terms of what happened to them yet people treated them so very differently.
3) In terms of Sofia’s past and the way she thinks about it, she said this about her past: “Much has been written [about it] over the years, not only following our engagement. For me, it’s pretty boring. It happened 10 years ago, and I moved on with my life. But no regrets. All experiences build a person, although I wouldn’t do it now if you asked me. I can say I have lived life 100 percent.”
To relate that to something I know, let me tell you a story about me and my tattoo. I got a tattoo on my forearm in summer 2010 after thinking it over for about 3 hours. When I went in to get it done, the man told me he would not do it on my wrist like I wanted because the ink would bleed and it would look like a mess years later, so he placed it a few inches above my wrist, made it much larger than I originally wanted, and did some shading to make it look better. I immediately I regretted getting it – I wanted my arm back. Then after a while I grew to like it and really loved having the tattoo. Then I went through another period when I wished I had never gotten the thing. Then after a couple years it got to the point I didn’t even notice that it was there. Then I went through a period when I disliked that the ink had bled a bit, and the black had faded. Now I’m at a point of acceptance – where the tattoo is just a part of me, I neither love it nor hate it. I most probably won’t ever get another tattoo after the emotional roller coaster I went through with the one I have, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get rid of the one I have.
I feel like Sofia has that same sort of mindset. Where she’s just accepted that her past is a part of her past, she recognizes that it shaped the person she is today, and while she would never do those things now, she wouldn’t change her past even if she could. I can accept that. One does not have to hate one’s past, one just has to learn from it. In fact, it’s best not to regret things, because you can’t change the past and dwelling on your mistakes won’t do anything for you moving forward. Just learn from those mistakes and move forward.
4) My view on “golddiggers” is that if a man (or woman) is dumb enough to fall for that, then they deserve what’s coming to them. I wish women wouldn’t do that, but ultimately it’s the man’s fault for falling for that. The only problem is when that man is taxpayer funded. Then if the woman is a lazy person and never gives anything back to the community, that’s a huge problem.
5) The reason I am so critical of Kate is not because of her past, it’s because of her present. I know about Kate’s past and how she ended up married to William, and I comment on it when people bring it up, but I don’t really mention it myself because at this point the deed is done and it doesn’t matter now. What matters is how Kate handles herself in her current position. If Kate had come in guns blazing and been a hard worker, her past wouldn’t have mattered at all because she would have proven herself to be an asset to the RF. She would have “earned her keep”. The reason we criticize Kate so much is because she refuses to do anything now and she only takes from the taxpayer and never gives anything back. That’s the ultimate thing that’s wrong with Kate, not that she and her mother plotted for her to marry William.
6) In terms of Sofia, I had little hope for her because of her past and how she so obviously wanted to get the ring, and of course because Carl Philip doesn’t do many engagements himself so why would Sofia. But she has come out pretty strong in her Princess-ing since the wedding. She’s already done a solo foreign engagement with a speech, and she dresses appropriately for each occasion. Yes, the bar has been set exceedingly low by Kate, but Sofia has already surpassed Kate’s bar (in terms of showing genuine interest and giving speeches). If after a while Sofia becomes a lazy princess and doesn’t do much or if she flashes her bum at us, then of course I will call her out for that. But for now I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and see how she conducts herself as a Princess because at this point her past does not matter, what she does moving forward matters. I gave Kate the benefit of the doubt when she first married and it’s only fair that I give the same benefit to Sofia. Kate proved herself to be a lazy royal and now she gets a ton of criticism from me; if Sofia proves herself to be a lazy royal, then I will give Sofia the same criticism I give Kate.
7) In terms of the names people call Sofia, let me say that at some point, the names one calls a person says more about the person using those names than it does about the person who is being called those names. Also, the validity of one’s argument diminishes when one starts name-calling because the criticism is no longer constructive. When one starts name-calling, it is easier to dismiss that criticism as “hate”.
There is a line when it comes to describing someone, having a nickname for someone, and name-calling. There is a difference between calling someone a petulant tantrum-thrower, calling someone “Bill Middleton”, and calling someone an *sshole: the first one describes the person’s actions, the second one is a nickname based on a person’s actions, and third one is a rude and nonconstructive way to describe the person. There is a difference between pointing out that someone has wrinkles and pock marks and calling someone a horse-face: the first one is accurately describing a person’s appearance and the second one is a pot shot at a person’s physical appearance meant to demean that person. There is a difference between saying someone has bad teeth and calling someone a [the name you called Sofia in the comment I removed]: one is simply describing a person’s physical appearance and one is taking a pot shot at a person’s physical appearance meant to actively attack that person.
I know lots of people have nicknames for the royals – William and Kate especially – and I don’t expect people not to use them, but I do expect people not to use language that is attacking, demeaning, belittleing, and name-calling because I’ve said in the comment policy that I will not accept that because they are not in any way constructive.
8) I know there are a lot of people who are much more anti-Sofia than I am. And to be honest, I probably wouldn’t be as much of a Sofia-apologist had those people not been so anti-Sofia. It got to the point where I was reading things that were so hyperbolic, sexist, and hating on her for no real reason that I just couldn’t take it anymore and went back and rethought my own opinion on her and now am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for now. Expressing that thought makes me realize the same thing happened with Kate: I was reading such hyperbolic and unwarranted negativity that I started my own blog that was much more of a middle ground criticism. I don’t like defending people I don’t like, but some times I have to because the negativity is no longer criticism, it’s just hate.
Hopefully you can understand why I am willing to give Sofia the benefit of the doubt right now. You don’t have to like Sofia and you don’t have to be happy that she’s pregnant; you can have your own opinion of Sofia that differs from mine. But please don’t be cruel. It’s just not necessary.
Hi Cathy (2)
Ok, I was just wondering. No problem. 🙂
I normally read all of the comments on this blog, especially when related to the SRF. I rarely post because I normally agree with other posters and have nothing to add (or I sometimes think that things like a missing button on the bottom of a skirt are not that big of a deal). I’ve repeated my comments over and over about Sofia’s distant and recent past in this one thread. I can tell you what my distant family and fairly close friends who are still in Sweden think of her and the rest of the SRF.
Only time can tell how Sofia will do. I will stop commenting and wait and hope that I am completely wrong about her.
Beautifully expressed KMR. 🙂
For sure, bluhare, I would feel exactly the same way if the roles were reversed. For me, it has nothing to do with sex, everything to do with accountability. You can’t be a part of a royal family (anywhere, I would imagine), and not expect to be subjected to higher standards, that’s the trade off!
Please consider yourself respected, Ray. 😉
Royalsarejoke I agree with you! Prince Carl-Phillip said they would wait to have children. Sophia said oops a surprise baby. Please do not get me wrong, I am not a prude & I do not hate Princess Sophia. S.H. I believe has to earn the peoples trust like everybody else does! Just my sincere opinion. Halia
KMR: thank you for your long reply to Cathy (2). I agree 100% and hugely appreciate how you are able to constructively explain and express your opinion in writing on the internet.