The Swedish court released a series of new photos of Prince Alexander with his parents, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, to mark Carl Philip’s 37th birthday yesterday.
[Erika Gerdemark/Kungahuset.se]
The royal couple also released a thank you message for the greetings they received for the birth of their son.
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“We wish in this way to thank you for all the congratulations that we have received in connection with our son, Prince Alexander’s birth. We very much appreciate your warmth and caring.”
Carl Philip and Sofia
The photos were taken at their official residence at Drottningholm palace. I love that they included their dog, Siri, in the family photos.
[Erika Gerdemark/Kungahuset.se]
[Erika Gerdemark/Kungahuset.se]
[Erika Gerdemark/Kungahuset.se]
[Erika Gerdemark/Kungahuset.se]
Thank you KMR. After a frantic day at work it is nice to see these photos of this little family. Alexander is gorgeous and Sofia and Carl Phillip are getting to know him and at the same time sharing these photos. I am not a fan of small dogs as I trip over them but Siri is cute. My favourite photos are the last two. How I look forward to seeing his eyes open seeing his parents.
LOVE these photos! I like how natural and loving Carl and Sofia seem. The Swedish Royal Family as a whole seem like the kind of family anyone would feel comfortable talking and relating to! Wish the very best for the new family of three! It’s so hard to pick a favorite of these pictures but #2 makes my heart melt! (Also – I’m a new commenter to KMR but have been a longtime reader!)
Welcome Virginia, and thank you KMR what beautiful photos. I love them all!! CP seems to just love fatherhood.
Love to see Sophia smile, and it doesn’t look like she’s felt pressure to have her teeth done, good for her.
AQll the comment about her teeth kind of made me stabby! Though there cultural differences are at play. In Scandinavia it isn’t as common to have very expensive and excessive orthodontry made purely for aesthetic reasons as it apparently is in the US. I find it sad when a very unnatural aesthetic ideal becomes so entrenched that natural, healthy teeth are seen as ugly and gross. Sofia is beautiful and photogenic despite not having a uniforn and blindingly white Colgate smile.
I agree but AH on this blog there have been comments that she is smiling with her mouth closed because she is in the process of having dental treatment . I was just commenting that I’m glad the speculation was wrong.
And for the record I’m not American I’ve only had required dental treatment and certainly not whitening.
As someone who had many orthodontic problems growing up (I got 9 teeth extracted when I was by the time I was 13 years old for orthodontic procedures), it is REFRESHING to see someone smile so confidently and beautifully. Growing up, I was always ashamed of my teeth and I think Sofia is showing a good example that beautiful and perfect are not the same thing.
It must also admit that all those comments about her teeth being ugly, etc. really struck a nerve with me because I suspect that my teeth may very well be seen as ugly by people inured to the aesthetics of the uniform Colgate smile. My front teeth are slightly longer than those next to them. To get a Hollywood smile, I’d have to have them filed down, which to me is just plain obscene (and I suspect not very healthy either).
Just to try to explain cultural differences about Americans and their teeth, much of the work Americans have done is to have a proper bite. It is done to save teeth for the long run. Yes, too many Hollywood actors have an unnatural smile. This really is not the norm. People get braces and whiten their teeth because it is relatively inexpensive, but most Americans do not get a full set of veneers like some of the people on TV and in movies.
I think Sofia is beautiful. She has beautiful bone structure and stunning eyes. The photos of the three of them are special and I bet Sofia and CP are pleased to have this moment in time. Babies grow so fast! The photos are so much better than the distant fuzzy photo we saw of PG.
AH I normally agree with your comments, but your comments regarding teeth in the US was a bit offensive. Also, the fact that you just assumed Birdy was American due to her comment was really offensive. As an American, people don’t have ‘excessive orthodontry for purely aesthetic reasons.’ It is very stereotypical to throw us all into one group. I had braces growing up to fix my overbite because it was affecting how I chew. That is not aesthetic at all. And honestly, most American’s don’t have veeners or fix their teeth for vanity but rather for function. Maybe you have this idea because of Hollywood and celebrities. But Kate is British and look at all the work she has had done. Plus, I know plenty of people in other countries who whiten their teeth, not just the US. It is not a country as a whole, but rather the individual and I find it offensive to lump as all in the same group. This comment is not meant to be rude, but I want you to know how offensive this sterotype came across.
I do agree with you about comments on Sofia’s teeth, which have many times happened on here. I don’t find her teeth ugly at all, but I think they have character. It is the supposed imperfections on a person’s face that make them unique and beatufiul. Sadly,when a woman becomes famous and have the public analyzing every inch of them, they often times fix these ‘imperfections’. Kate is a perfect example of this. So, it is nice to see that Sofia hasn’t listened to her critcs. Birdy was just commending here since so many people online, from all countries, judge Sofia’s teeth and she obviously hasn’t listened to them.
Sorry if I offended, it wasn’t my intent. However, the nastiest comments on Sofia’s teeth that I’ve seen came from self-proclaimed Americans. I guess that made me generalize.
PS.
I know Birdy is British. My comment wasn’t a critique to her post but rather an observation.
Thanks Overit, I appreciate your support, but life is too short to all fall out over dentistry. I would have my teeth whitened in a heartbeat but my dentist won’t do it because I drink black coffee!! He says it would be a waste of money.
I’m off to bed now will give my teeth an extra minute ?
I don’t know much about Sofia (or her past), but I think she’s beautiful. Her teeth are cute to me. Lauren Hutton’s tooth gap was her “calling card” as a model. I don’t like overly perfect teeth that look obviously like veneers.
I agree!
Beautiful Prince family. Princess Sofia Sweden is much more in her regal appearances, respect, hardwork and dedication to her royal role.
Unlike the lazy flasher donothing lambridges, who waity/marry in over a decade and still have not learn or appear like the BRF).
Dolittle, hard work on her back, time will tell if she is truly dedicated to her role, or if she just married for a cushy lifestyle, if you get a chance read Love Lola blog, to see her first encounter with Sofia !!!!
Really beautiful pics, they look so peaceful. Love the third one with the doggie looking at the camera.
I love seeing pics of the SRF, they always look like they are enjoying themselves and seem happy to be together. And Sofia’s smile is really beautiful, so genuine.
These are great pics! Thanks for posting, KMR.
Gorgeous pics of a beautiful little family. I love that the SRF does not hide their kids away and shares pics of them with the rest of us.
Lovely photos : I prefer the 2, 4 and 5.
What a nice looking family they are. There it’s a formality to these photos but they still have a warmth to them. I’m glad there are photos of Carl holding the baby and not just Sofia. My favorites are the 2 black and white photos. I also like that these photos don’t look extremely photoshopped or filtered.
Does anyone know whether the SRF has a court photographer or a go-to photographer? I find most of the formal photographs to be so beautiful, be it the lighting or the colors of clothing against the background. I just love their formal photography and it feels like whoever is taking the pics knows their subjects. I love love love that Sophia is out there being a proud mom, showing off her precious little boy and dressing like she is not trying to hide the fact that she just had a baby. Kate hid behind the queen on the balcony during her first public putting after Charlotte and always seemed to be desperate to loose the weight. Sophia is refreshing and beautiful and I love that scrappy little dog. Thanks KMR.
Hi Overit
I love those two black and White photos too. I haven’t looked at the photos via Photoshop yet but I suspect they were taken with Black and White film, some of the more skilled photographers still B+W film, I think it shows how good they are at taking a photo and that their photos don’t need photoshopping!
I love the photo of CP and the baby as it looks so honest, not posed. Ok, I know they were there to take photos.
A gorgeous little family. Carl & Sofia make a handsome couple, little Alexander seems so serene sleeping in his parents arms. You can feel the love in the photos, unlike the staged & clinical shots that the Cambridges share occasionally. This is how it’s done!
Absolutely agree, that’s what I got from these pictures – total love, especially the last one of Sophia and her wee lad, you feel it emanating from the picture, something we’ve never got from W&K. I wish this gorgeous family the very best and look forward to more! And Siri rocks! Dogs are part of the family too and they’ve got a ton of credit from me for this alone!
I noticed in the photos of them taking a walk with the baby, CP looked like he had a doggy poo bag stuck in his jeans. Love their dog and responsible dog walkers.
The first picture is so nice.Fresh,outdoorsy and natural.
This is going to sound so weird (and I swear that it’s a compliment) but I’m glad that Sofia actually looks tired, like she has the expression of an elated but exhausted new mommy. Yes, I know that they have nannies to help watch the children but she (plus Victoria and Madeleine) have always had that “happy-but-tired” new mommy look to them when out with the children. Example: in that *first* picture of Victoria, Daniel, Estelle and brand-new Oscar, she was legit worn-out. I loved seeing that! Seeing her look real rather than a made-up doll!
Also, their dog is sooo cute!!
They were probably breastfeeding which can be exhausting in the first few months! I wonder if Kate breastfed, though of course that’s none of my business.
I just made a similar comment. I love how she is just a proud mamma, the bad is nothing when you hold that sleeping baby.
Beautiful pictures. I love the sunlight filtering through. Sofia with her lifelong meal ticket. She latched onto Carl Philip (personally I do not like her) and now she’s got it made- good for her for earning a life of unearned leisure and privilege. The Swedish royal family only has need for the current monarch and the Crown princess couple. What good do these two contribute anyway?
I like her despite her history which I think was something that didn’t hurt others. If I compare her to Camilla I think Camilla acted in a way to get her man that was deliberately meant to hurt someone else. That is how I move on with Sofia but not with Cam. Don’t want to get into a horrid debate though.
Whatever else you think of Sofia I think her husband adores her and they both adore their son. I hope in that anyway I am right !
+1
Agree.
I think so too. However Sofia was in Carl Phillip ‘s circle of friends wasn’t she.
Personally, I think that Sofia’s past choices are questionable and sets a bad example to young women. However, the past is past and that cannot be changed. Having watched their engagement interview and their wedding there’s no doubt in my mind that they love each other deeply – and after having seen this I actually find the golddigger comments really offesive because they seem to spring mainly from the lurid past.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to discuss whether Carl-Philip and Sofia ought to continue being tax payer funded, especially in these times. But I find the comment about seeing her baby as a meal ticket (implying she’s a cold-hearted gold-digger who loves neither her husband nor her child) both offensive and tasteless.
What’s the story about her past? I read she did some naked photos and participated in a reality show.
I must say I kind of admire her for this. I know the SRF is more relaxed than the BRF, but the press must have been ruthless with her when she started dating CP. It probably wasn’t easy for her to rise above all criticism.
Also she seems to genuinely love him. I’ll admit I cried when I saw their wedding video.
I don’t know what the press coverage was like in Sweden, but people on the Internet have been especially cruel to her. Kate gets a lot of sh-t but I’ve never seen her called the names that I’ve seen Sofia be called.
I can imagine, people on the internet are way worse than the press. Good to see she lives her life above all of it.
Her past is the naked photos and the reality tv. Personally, I detest reality tv and I do think that the people who particiapte in shows like Paradise Hotel, etc. shows questionable judgement because these shows are all about manipulating people to exhibit their worst traits. I simply don’t understand how anyone would be comfortable to expose themselves on tv.
I could care less about the naked photos to be honest. I’m not really hung up on nudity but some people are really vicious about women doing nude shots, calling them sl*ts and wh*res. I find that kind of sexual shaming completely unacceptable. Mainly because this is a deeply sexist way of thinking since it is mostly women who get the sort of treatment.
Another thing that I have noticed on certain royal forums and blogs is that royal women (mainly attractive married ins), who for some reasons aren’t liked, are deemed bad mothers who don’t love their children. I have seen arguments like that with both Kate and Mary (and now Sofia). I really have no words for how sexist and offesive this is. When women are being put down it is either by their looks (ugly or vain, if they are generally attractive), sexuality (slutshaming) or parenting (bad mothers). I’m a feminist so I find such gender-based attacks based on nothing more than a prejudiced dislike deeply offensive, especially since none of us knows these women and hence know nothing of workings of their marriages or their private relationships with their children. It just makes me so angry because such verbal and vicious attacks says a lot of how women are still valued in our society, even if we considered us “enlightened”.
I was advised to stay away from royal foruns, and from what I’ve heard, I don’t regret it. It’s amazing how anonimity brings out the worst in people.
But I agree, unfortunately women are still held against much different standards. Kate nude photos vs. Harry Vegas photos come to mind.
The slutshaming against Sofia is predictable, people can’t deal with girls who are comfortable with their own bodies and sexuality. The bad mothering thing though surprised me a bit. I mean I can see Sofia and Mary being critized for working too much (althought I disagree and think they are really present in their children’s lives), but what do they say about Kate?
Sad thing is is that probably the majority of those comments comes from women. It’s unbelievable that at this day and age we are still being raised to be pitted against each other. This is the reason why I really like this site: commenters in general focus on criticising lack of work ethic rather than looks and mothering skills.
The stuff I’ve about Mary on one particular forum was just downright disgusting. It wasn’t even gossip but downright slander. And the Kate surrogate theory is another strange one.
Hi AH, as a former (well not too former) wild child, I think Sofia can set a great example to young women. Like her, I refuse to be defined by events and situations that happened long ago. I have been able to show my daughter and some of her more wild friends that Yeah you did make a pretty bad decision to do this or that but are you going to let that decision or decisions dictate how you live the rest of your life? Are you going to let how others perceive those decisions affect how you think of yourself? If I could would I have changed some of things I’ve done, things that wake me in the middle of night cringing and sweating, probably not, at least not the things that didn’t hurt anyone else (those I would definitely change) because those decisions have lead me to where I am today and who I am today and frankly I really like myself so why change? I might be wrong but Sofia’s wild streak lasted what 2-4 years? It’s been twice that long since those events occurred, so how much longer is the press and the public going to keep mentioning them every time she or her family is talked about?
Dear AH, forgive me for the longish ramble, it certainly isn’t directed at you or anyone else here. I just get so frustrated with people who bring it up constantly and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t want the things they did when they were young, the silly stupid things, brought up every time they were mentioned.
Don’t worry Lauri. While I do find some of Sofia’s past choices questionable, I certainly don’t judge her harshly for it. She was young and it is in the past. You can’t change the past but you can grow – and I actually admire that she isn’t trying to excuse her past. At least she’s honest, I can respect that – and I can certainly respect a person who is willing to grow and change.
I am a big admirer of Angelina Jolie even though I think she made some very bad choices and behaved in a self-destructive manner as a young woman. However, not only has she grown as a person in a very impressive manner but she’s also been brutally honest, both with herself and with the public. That is a very hard thing to do because you have to be honest with yourself because you can be really honest with others. I respect that so much more than someone trying to project a perfect image because that will always be a lie. No one is perfect but we can all always try to be the best version of ourselves.
I also love Angelina. Like you said, it takes a lot of inner strength to own up to her mistakes and try to better herself. And that is Kate’s biggest mistske, trying to be perfect. That’s why she comes across as such a phony
Lauri, this is really nice advise for your daughter. Your remarks made me think of Harry. Every now and then people bring up the Nazi costume thing or the racist remarks he made. Judge him by that and you’d think he’s a horrible person.
Also, we need to remember that Harry also made some questionable choices when he was younger as well, but seems to have put that behind him.
Couldn’t agree more. Everyone has a past. That doesn’t mean you should judge someone based on those actions. The past makes you who you are. And as long as you learn, you’re doing great. However, if you don’t learn and keep doing the same thing, that’s a different story.
I know I’ve done some pretty stupid things in the past and certainly wouldn’t wanna be judged based on it.
I like Sophia. She hasn’t let her past get in the way. It appears that she’s learned from it. So she has some questionable pictures out there, but she hasn’t shown any body parts since. She’s doing well as a royal. MUCH better than Kate. Now Kate is someone who’s past is still brought up because she hasn’t learned. She keeps makig the same mistakes over and over again. Just look at the whole flashing thing. It says a lot that we expect her to flash at events/tours.
I agree with your comments Miss K re Kate.
What I don’t get about Kate is that she is so controlling over her image that she has to be stick thin, and she wants us to know how thin she is by having Tash (or someone else) take in her clothes so they are a second skin, and she is so vain that she has her hairdresser go along on a hike so her hair can’t be seen to be messy yet she is happy to let her skirts fly up and flash everyone?
And she is happy about it?
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/05/20/article-2327428-19BC5318000005DC-230_306x750.jpg
And yet she is still doing it????
I don’t think she will learn, my opinion is that Kate thinks she is doing everything right, this opinion is stronger after watching her on that documentary about the Queen. Kate looked like she believes she is the centre of attention and that everyone is there to see her (and not the Queen).
You see, we have all made mistakes, learnt from them and then moved on. Sophia looks like she has learnt, Kate most definitely does not look like she has learnt anything.
+1
Hi Rhiannon
Hope you had a great week?
On a personal level, I very much disagree with Sofia’s past life choices, but that happened ten years ago. It’s time to move on. It’s the same with Kate. I don’t care what either woman did in their past, I care about what they do now.
As I keep saying, if someone judged me now based off of who I was/choices I made ten years ago without bothering to take into account any part of my personality/choices now, I’d be pretty p-ssed.
I find that I still tend to judge Kate on her past behavior simply because she hasn’t changed, still living off of others, still flashing, still doing as little as possible while enjoying the perks and holidays associated with royalty.
Too true! If you look dispassionately at Kate’s patterns of behaviour there has been no personal growth or maturity into her role over five years.
What the average person could conclude is:
BEFORE MARRIAGE
• No demonstrated work ethic in either employment or through charity work;
• Engaged only in personal pursuits (William, shopping, exercising, holidays) paid for by family;
• Haughty demeanour (referred to as cold, dull, serious, inability to care about others);
• Over-/child-like dependence on her mother.
AFTER MARRIAGE
• No demonstrated work ethic through designated charity work;
• No demonstrated interest in much beyond personal appearance and personal enjoyment (excessive dieting and exercising, holidays, shopping) paid for by taxpayer and Charles;
• When ‘working’:
– often mugs for cameras (eg hyena-like laughs, manic grins)
– looks bored (no empathy)
– does not engage with genuine interest
– is inadequately prepared (simplistic questions or disengaged answers)
• Needs to be the centre of attention (inappropriately dressed leading to flashing);
• Does not follow through on what her office has promised under her direction (filling up her diary, keen, keen, keen, willing to learn, hit the ground running etc);
• Over-/child-like dependence on her mother.
Sometimes, and in Kate’s case thus far, the past is a very accurate predictor of the future.
Sofia seem to to have adjusted and changed such behavior/activities working (earning a living), after becoming a royal gf.
“Sofia with her lifelong meal ticket.”
Would you say the same thing about a photo of Prince Daniel with his kids? What about Prince Philip with his kids? Crown Princess Mary with her kids? CP Mette-Marit, Queen Letizia, Princess Charlene? Sophie? Kate? Diana when she was alive? The are all only special because they married and had children with a royal.
I realize people still hate Sofia for her past, but it’s really gross to say that the only reason she loves her child is because of money.
Well most of those people you mention work for their meal ticket ( if that is how some want to call it). The one who clearly doesn’t is Kate. I stand by my earlier comment. Sofia’s behaviour didn’t hurt others. From what I see now she and her husband love each other and their child, and she works far harder than Kate, even turning up for key Royal functions just weeks after giving birth. I respect her far more than Camilla.
I just think it is beyond offensive to objectify children as “meal tickets”. Period! Even if these women and men didn’t have children with their royal spouses, they’d still be members of the royal family and presumably fullfilling public duties.
I thought the original comment was that the husband was the meal ticket?
The original comment, to me, was in reference to Sofia’s child as the “lifelong meal ticket”. Meaning she “locked it down” with a child and now will forever be taken care of even if she and Carl Philip divorce.
Birdy,
The comment “lifelong meal ticket” seemed to indicate her child to me. Perhaps because I have seen so designating Kate’s children her meal tickets.
Birdy,
Estelle works harder than Kate (and does it better).
And she is a lot cuter !!
If I was Kate, I’d be embarrassed. Estelle works circles around Kate!
So would I, but Kate is one of those people who just doesn’t care what others think. She clearly has no embarrassment about outrageous spending, no prep, insultingly short engagements. No-one is going to call her on it which means it continues. Same with William. There’s nothing to lose – quite literally – by not giving a rat’s ass.
Miss K I doubt Kate even knows who Estelle is. She is far too wrapped up in her own bubble of self importance. As we have all said so often she could learn so much from watching and befriending the SRF.
Estelle is just darling!
During the London Olympics, Kate, William and Harry completely ignored Victoria and Daniel who stood right in front of them whilst being greeted by Sophie. That one picture just perfectly illustrated how the insularity of the younger British royals when it comes to their Continental peers.
To be fair, the Royal Family made Victoria way YEARS to marry Daniel. Sofia had it much easier.
I’m not a Sofia basher at all. I like what I see so far. But the family was far more accepting of Sofia than Daniel.
What kind of dog is that?
A terrier I think
Thanks for this beautiful post KMR!!!
I really like these photos, the lighting, the composition, the soft background colors, the affection between the subjects all come together to create some very lovely photos.
What really stood out for me was the affection between CP and Sofia. On the couch they are leaning into each other, I’m sure that they have been literally leaning on each other during these last few week and it’s so sweet to see. On the outside bench they are almost sitting to top of each other, in their desire to be close. And of course in the photo in front of the fireplace, the adorable little family is snuggling together. I don’t know why but I really like it when royal couples are able to show discreet but warm affection toward each other, I guess it makes them a bit more human to me, it makes the fairytale a bit more real 🙂 And of course, the inclusion of Siri is just too cute, the little family of four!
My only complaint (don’t I always have at least one complaint?), is the that there really isn’t a great close up of Alexander’s sweet, little face.
Lovely pictures, my favorite is the outdoor one. I’m glad Siri was included, she’s adorable and gives new meaning to resting bitch face.
That one is my favorite, too.
Oh, thank you, KMR. The photos are so beautiful , as was the statement released thanking
everyone for their well wishes. I loved the pictures and see much love and happiness on the faces of the proud parents. The photo of CP and his son — the baby curled up against his shoulder melted my heart. So did the photo of Sofia holding her son and looking down so happily at him.
Nice touch to include the family’s dog, too. Just a real and loving thing to do, by a warm and caring couple.
This couple — and the other Swedes — have a way of sharing and caring. It is very heartwarming, indeed.
All best wishes to them and their precious baby.
Hi Jenny, I loved that statement as well and was rather glad that there was no mention about privacy!
Love the black and white photos. Especially the one of CP and Alexander. I think he’s going to be an amazing father. I like the style of the photos. The SRF always seems to get that sharing their family with the public can be a good thing.
Love Siri too!
I think that one is my favorite!! For some reason seeing CP cradle Alexander’s little foot just makes me melt a bit inside.
Thank you KMR for the beautiful photos! especially of Sofia cradling her little one; just such a treat to see.
Love it all… Nothing wrong here at all.
Lovely pictures. They draw attention away from a mini scandal in Sweden, involving Sofia and her family. Seems like last November, Sofia formed a corporation, with her as owner, her father and her younger sister on the board. The mailing address is The Royal Castle. The purpose of the corporation is leadership consultation and retail of used clothing. The name of the corporation is SKB AB. SKB are Sofia’s initials, Sofia Kristina Bernadotte, AB is Ltd.
How are Carl-Philip and Sofia as royals? Does their work justify living off the taxpayers’ money? I don’t know much about them so I might be wrong, but it seems to me that it would have been more honorable if they followed Madeleine’s example.
Carl Philip and Sofia carry out engagements on behalf of Sweden. Carl Philip is also a partner in a design firm, Sofia co-founded a charity called Project Playground and it was recently reported that she registered a business. It looks like the intent is for them to be working royals but not to the same extent as the King, Queen and Crown Princess Couple, and presumably their role/status will diminish further when Victoria’s children become working royals.
Madeline is actually a controversial figure in Sweden, or at least that’s my understanding based on (translated) articles I’ve read. She does not live in Sweden but her wedding and both of her children’s christenings were given the royal treatment. Also both of her children were given titles and duchies. Furthermore she has an royal residence, and I think that money may have been spent on at least one previous royal residence that she did not move into. Some people have no issue with these things, but others criticize her for taking more than she gives. Last Fall Madeleine and her husband appeared on a Swedish talk show, IIRC they admitted that the appearance was because they wanted to show the Swedish people who they really are, which seems like a tacit acknowledgement that they have an image problem.
But Maddie is a Royal princess. So why would Sweden have a problem with her?
Because the royals are not that popular in Sweden, apart from Victoria. Plus why would the Swedes want to care about a royal who choses to live abroad? it doesn’t matter that she’s a “blood”royal. The king isn’t too popular either – he has been involved in a number of scandals and he doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut in public on sensitive subjects. The Swedish royals need to walk a finer line than many of their counterparts because the Parliament removed any constutional function. They are purely ceremonial. I guess it is only a sense of tradition, and a degree of spectacle that keeps them in place.
The Bernadottes are also a fairly young dynasty, descended from one of Napoleon’s marshals who became King of Sweden in 1818. In terms of royal dynasties, that is pretty much last year. No royal house has survived directly through the paternal line but most of them have a tangible connection through cadet brances. In this sense, the Danish and the British are the oldest royal lines in Europe. Though different dynasties have reigned, there have always been a blood connection, however remote (see the Hannovers whom the Windsors descend from). The Bernadottes have no such old historical links, they are a “recent” import compared to their peers.
Thank you for the great explanation! Much appreciated. I know the King has had disfavor with his scandals and I can’t say I blame the public.
I also understand the public wanting to downsize the monarchy. I’m sensing this with the British public as well. However, is it my imagination or is the public a bit more supportive of Carl Philip and Sofia more than Maddie?
I don’t follow the Swedish royals that closely and I don’t live in Sweden, even if it is just next “door”. However, Madeleine has lived abroad and I suspect that that the public is going to care less and less about her as a result of that physical remoteness.
For comparison just take the former Princess Alexandra of Denmark – before her divorce she was probably the most popular member of the DRF after the Queen and she had a lot of goodwill for many years after. However, a decade has gone past and people are less likely to support that she still gets an apanage from public money. Now there are rumours that Prince Henrik is moving to France and he is already not exactly popular – if he does this I do suspect that this is going to cause some uproar. People were already very critical that he gets to keep his large apanage even though he has officially retired.
I’m still on the fence about Sophia. It took me a loooong time to finally accept Camilla, so I may be awhile. If she looks nice or wears something pretty or does something good, I will certainly say. But I don’t know what it is about her that I just can’t come around to, so I’m reserving judgement till further notice!
Carl Philip is serious eye candy!! Yummy.
Agreed! At least with this CP I don’t feel like a creepy cougar when I say he’s smokin’- he’s only 4yrs younger, so totally in my age range?
Ohh totally agree! And the fact that he seems so smitten with Sofia makes him even hotter for me.
In Sweden they only covered her good things. Everyone knows about her past, so they swept it way under the carpet.
I feel the pictures are Kat and Will like, about them, very little of the baby. Kind of stiff?
I loved Victoria’s picture, the true love she has for Oscar, comes shining though
You say that everyone knows about Sofia’s past, if that’s the case then it has not been swept under the carpet.
My understanding is that Sofia’s past was covered by the Swedish media and I have actually seen an older article, I think it was on Expressen’s website from around 2010, about Sofia’s racy past with the snake picture being front and center. It seems to me that the issue is not that her past has been swept under the carpet, rather, and to her detractors’ dismay, the Swedish public is not that up in arms about Sofia’s past.
Have to disagree with you, Fiona . I love these photos which to me show a happy little family . I think the baby is the focus and the love, to me , just shines out. Every photo I have seen of CP since the birth he just seems bursting with happiness. To me, and I know it’s just my opinion, these are just as fabulous as the photos of the CrownPrincess family.
These pictures are excellent!
These photos are stunning beyond belief. The color palette is dreamy like Sweden. The black and white photo of Princess Sofia holding Prince Alexander — timeless.
These photos are going to be cherished by Prince Alexander later on in life. He will not be embarrassed by them at all. Even Siri looks adorable. Overall, these photos show “respect” for Prince Alexander.
Beautiful.
Those cheeks! It will be wonderful to see CP with his son. He clearly loves little Estelle and is so good with her. These pictures warm my heart.
Thanks for a wonderful close out to my weekend, KMR!
Beautiful!
I love these pictures (I’ve been out of town so I’m catching up).
I love their dog in the pictures and love how each parent had a picture taken with their little prince.