Most people think that the Royal Family only works a few days a month, on the days they attend official engagements. However, there is so much more work that is done behind the scenes as Princess Sofia talks about in this year’s året med kungafamiljen.
Each year in December, the Swedish national television SVT broadcasts året med kungafamiljen, a documentary about a year with the Royal Family. Over the year the journalists follow the Royal Family behind the scene and have the opportunity to interview members of the family. This year SVT was allowed to follow Princess Sofia for an entire day.
In the special about Prince Carl Philip’s wife, Princess Sofia talks about her daily life for the Royal Firm. The Princess is interviewed while sitting in her own office at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. The Princess has her room with a desk and sofas for when she receives guests. On her desk, the Princess has a picture of her husband Prince Carl Philip after he won a race. There is also a picture of the Princess with her father on her wedding day.
When asked about her daily pursuits she said: “I work with different things. Here at the Palace, I receive guests among other things. I also work with our foundation [Prince Couple Foundation] here. There are many meetings, and we [Carl Philip and Princess Sofia)]are very much involved in the commitments and initiatives of our foundation. I also work with Project Playground. I try to meet with them as much as possible. So there is a lot of variation, which is nice.”
The Princess was also asked whether her work days can be compared to most people’s average days. She stated: “I probably have many typical working days in general when I work at the office. We don’t work 9 to 5. Every day is a little different, and we do a lot of work that is not visible. We do much more than people think we do. From writing “thank-you-cards” to organising interviews, photo shoots, preparing speeches and assignments, making strategic plans etc. There are many meetings behind the scene too. The largest part is the work behind the scenes.”
Princess Sofia also revealed that she has done a lot of studying since she joined the family: “I learned how the country works. I studied social sciences and the history of the monarchy. A part of my job is to learn more every day.”
In the evening Princess Sofia was expected to speak and hand out an award at a gala. The cameras followed her on her way there and as she left using the back door. She joked: “People always think we take the beautiful front entrance, but we often leave using she back door passing by the garbage.”
Princess Sofia also talked about how much her life has changed since she married the King and Queen’s only son. Finding the right balance seemed to be difficult at first but she is happy that she can be herself in her role. The only thing she misses from her old life is being able to be more private, to get to town without people immediately recognising her. Hower, she added that she does not regret taking up her role as a Princess of Sweden. She also talked about how grateful she is for the many opportunities her new role has given her and of course for her husband and two children. “My role is a lot more interesting and fun than I imagined it would be. (…) I have opportunities that I could only dream of in my previous life. I try to see it positively.”
