On 13 May 1979, His Royal Highness Prince Carl Philip of Sweden was born. To celebrate his 39th birthday, here are 40 facts on the Swedish royal:
- His full name is Carl Philip Edmund Bertil.
- Prince Carl Philip also has the title of Duke of Värmland.
- He was born in Stockholm Palace.
- His mother went into labour with him during the night while his father was away on a trip. His older sister, Crown Princess Victoria saw her mother was in pain and pushed the emergency button to alert the staff.
- At the time of his birth, he was Crown Prince of Sweden until the new Swedish succession laws came into effect in January 1980. Then, he was demoted to just Prince Carl Philip while his older sister was promoted to Crown Princess Victoria.
- The Prince is currently fourth in line to the Swedish throne.
- He was christened in the Royal Chapel of Stockholm Palace on 31 August 1979.
- His godparents are Princess Birgitta of Sweden, paternal aunt; Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland, paternal great-uncle; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Prince Leopold of Bavaria.
- Carl Philip’s childhood nickname was Lippi, but he was called Fillie in sailing school.
- He was extremely shy as a child.
- In 2004, he studied at the private Kent School in Connecticut, USA.
- He suffered from severe dyslexia when he was young and had tutors. His father and siblings also have it.
- His Royal Highness is the patron to many organisations including the Swedish National Dyslexia Association.
- The Prince completed a two-year programme in May 2006 from the Graphic Design at Forsbergs School of Graphic Design in Stockholm.
- He interned at the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C in late 2006 as a way to continue his photographic studies.
- Carl Philip studied design at the Rhode Island School of Design.
- He wanted to bring his running shoes to show his baby sister Princess Madeleine after her birth in 1982.
- He is left-handed.
- He is 5′ 11″ tall.
- Carl Philip speaks Swedish, English and German.
- Papers and people in Estonia wanted him to be their King after new political party claimed it wanted to restore Estonia to a monarchy.
- He is related to nearly every current reigning monarch. Carl Philip is a third cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Victoria was his great-great-great-great grandmother, which puts him distantly in line to the British throne.
- His first serious girlfriend was Emma Pernald.
- Carl Philip has served in the Swedish Navy rising to the rank of major.
- He designed the cover of a CD containing the music of The Nutcracker for his mother’s 60th birthday in 2003.
- He co-owns the home and textile company Bernadotte & Kylberg and designs many of their products.
- His Royal Highness is godfather to his niece, Princess Estelle (b. 2012) and nephew, Prince Nicolas (b. 2015).
- He served as Daniel Westling (now Prince Daniel)’s best man at his wedding to his older sister, Crown Princess Victoria.
- The Prince first met his future wife in 2009, and their relationship was confirmed by the Swedish Royal Court in August 2010.
- He married Sofia Hellqvist on 13 June 2015.
- Crown Princess Victoria planned and kidnapped him for his stag party ahead of his wedding.
- He and Sofia have two sons, Prince Alexander (b. 2016) and Prince Gabriel (b. 2017).
- Carl Philip was gifted Villa Solbacken by his great-uncle Prince Bertil after his death with the stipulation that he not move in until his great-aunt Princess Lilian had passed.
- He and his family now reside in Villa Solbacken after significant renovations.
- His brother-in-law, Chris O’Neill, has said he is a natural with children.
- The Prince enjoys car racing and regularly participates in races around Sweden.
- He co-founded the Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia Foundation with his wife to combat bullying and spread awareness of dyslexia.
- He has a border terrier named Siri.
- Prince Carl Philip holds foreign honours from Brazil, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Norway, Romania and Tunisia.
- He and his wife have launched an Instagram account: @prinsparet which they run themselves.
Looks like a life being well lived with a good balance of personal experiences to keep him well grounded and in touch with the needs of the people his family represents, and he’s a babe to boot!
Would have made a wonderful king. Seems he’s having a wonderful and useful life, especially for a royal. Apparently quite familiar with the United States especially New England. The climate here is not unlike Sweden’s. Unfortunately more and more. Happy Birthday, Prince