Prince Carl-Philip & Sofia Hellqvist of Sweden

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New royal Sofia makes Victoria Day debut  Published: 14 Jul 2014 11:58 GMT+02:0

  Since her second birthday in 1979, Crown Princess Victoria's birthday has been celebrated as 'Victoria Day' in Sweden. Flags line the streets and wave from the buses, and the royal family fetes outside their summer residence, Solliden Palace, on Öland.
   It will be the first time that Sofia Hellqvist, recently engaged to the Swedish prince, attends an event as an official member of the royal family.

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Royal bride Sofia Hellqvist is stunning in fairytale wedding dress

13 JUNE 2015
  
Sofia Hellqvist arrived at Stockholm's royal chapel for her wedding to Prince Carl Philip of Sweden on Saturday afternoon. All eyes were on the brunette beauty as she stepped out in her stunning wedding gown – made from silk crepe overlaid with Italian silk organza – to tie the knot with the Swedish prince.

Royal watchers and fashion fans alike were thrilled to see the fairytale dress the 30-year-old bride had chosen for the day she offically became Princess Sofia of Sweden, Duchess of Värmland.



Photo: © Rex


The bridal gown, which was created by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt, featured intricate couture lace made by José María Ruiz and a beautiful train that was hand-cut and then hand-stitched in the deisnger's atelier in Stockholm. The dress was made in not one by three shades of white.

A veil in thin bridal tulle hand-embroidered with sheer cotton lace had been tucked into Sofia's low chignon, showing off her sleek brunette locks.



A new tiara with diamonds and emeralds completed the breathtaking look, which brought a tear to the eye of Sofia's groom, as well as her now sister-in-law, Crown Princess Victoria.

Having chosen a fashion house from her native country to design her gown, Sofia took after her Victoria.



The Crown Princess wore a silk gown by Pär Engsheden when she tied the knot with Prince Daniel in 2010, whereas Sofia's other new sister-in-law Princess Madeleine opted for a bespoke creation by Italian fashion maestro Valentino for her big day in 2013.

Europe's royals were out in force for the happy occasion. Joining King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia for the nuptials of their only son were a host of special guests from Norway and Denmark including Queen Sonja of Norway, her son Crown Prince Haakon and his wife Princess Mette-Marit.



Photo: © Rex


Representing Denmark were Queen Margrethe II, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands was also in attendance, and flying the flag for the United Kingdom were Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex.

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Princess Estelle will play ring bearer for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist at Swedish royal wedding

10 JUNE 2015
  
When Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist became man and wife in Sweden's fairytale wedding of the year, his niece and goddaughter Princess Estelle will have a starring role. To give the lavish nuptials a particularly personal family touch, the three-year-old future queen is expected to be one of the ring bearers.

According to reports in the Swedish press, the little princess has even been involved in rehearsals for the special day. However, the royal palace has remained silent probably because they're waiting to see how she will handle her responsibility.



Princess Victoria has been gently guiding her daughter on how to behave in public

In response to questions, spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren would only say: "We will reveal the names of the children who will carry the rings just before the wedding or on the same day."

So far guided by her parents Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Estelle has always exhibited model behaviour in public. During her mother's name day celebrations in February, the mini royal star was on best behaviour, shaking hands impeccably with guests and smiling and clapping through the ceremony.



Princess Estelle is Prince Carl Philip's goddaughter

On her first day at nursery, the cute youngster, who is styled the Duchess of Östergötland, was all smiles again and waved very prettily at the press.

If Estelle's parents are nervous about how she will do on 13 June, they can be comforted by the fact that the bride is also feeling a little bit anxious about the ceremony.

Former reality star Sofia has told Swedish media that she and her handsome fiancé are "very excited" and "a little tense".

However, the TV star-turned-charity fundraiser has also said that she is looking forward to becoming part of the royal family.

"It's very cool in many ways and I am proud of it," said the 30-year-old, who will become will be known as HRH Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland on her marriage.

Sofia also talked about how much she has enjoyed sharing her partner's responsibilities in the last few months. She said: "I've been able to participate in a large part of his life and play an active role within the royal family and represent Sweden."

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Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist: The best moments from the Swedish royal wedding

Saturday 13 June 2015 saw the Swedish royal family gain a new member. At the royal chapel in Stockholm, the only son of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Prince Carl Philip, tied the knot with Sofia Hellqvist in a stunning wedding ceremony.

Joined by family, friends and a host of royal guests from around the world, the couple said "I do" before celebrating their nuptials with a carriage ride through the streets of the captial and a lavish reception, complete with dinner and dancing that continued long into the night


The night before they became husband and wife, Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist hosted a glamorous boat party for their guests. While it still wasn't yet official, Sofia looked every inch a princess in a dazzling blue gown when she stepped out with her groom-to-be at Stockholm harbour.
Photo: © Getty Images

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When the big day finally arrived, Carl Philip and Sofia's royal guests didn't disappoint with their sartorial choices – stepping out in an array of chic and colourful gowns.
Left to right: Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, the Countess of Wessex, Princess Takamado of Japan and Princess Tatiana of Greece.
Photo: © Rex

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Supporting their fellow Scandinavian royals were a host special guests from Norway and Denmark including: (left to right) Princess Marie of Denmark, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Queen Sonja of Norway.
Photo: © Rex


The Swedish royal family, including the groom's proud parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, were out in force to see Carl Philip tie the knot.

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Representing Sofia's family were her mother Marie, who arrived with her own mother Britt Rotman (centre), and her father Erik Hellqvist – who walked his 30-year-old daughter down the aisle.

Sofia's sisters Sara (pictured left with her boyfriend Oskar Bergman) and Lina (pictured right with her boyfriend Jonas Frejd) were also in attendance.
Photo: © Rex

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Prince Carl Philip and his sister Crown Princess Victoria both shed a tear of a joy when Sofia arrived at the royal chapel in her stunning wedding gown by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt. The romantic ceremony featured musical performances of Coldplay's Fix You and Rihanna's Umbrella, which were chosen especially by the couple.
Photo: © Getty Images

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Once the service was over, the happy newlyweds left the church and delighted waiting well-wishers by sharing their first kiss as husband and wife.
Photo: © Getty Images

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Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia then climbed into their waiting carriage to tour the streets of Stockholm, waving to supporters as they went.

The barouche, which was the same one that Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill had for their big day and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia used at their 1976 nuptials, took the couple through Slottsbacken, Skeppsbron, Slottskajen, Norrbro, Regeringsgatan, Hamngatan, Nybroplan, Nybrokajen and Hovslagargatan, among other places.
Photo: © Getty Images

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The couple then arrived at Stockholm's Royal Palace for their reception. King Carl XVI Gustaf addressed the waiting crowd, introducing his son and new daughter-in-law who then stepped up to wave to those gathered below.
Photo: © Rex

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Sweden's future queen Princess Estelle enthusically waved to the crowd, having been reunited with her parents Victoria and Daniel following her starring role in the wedding ceremony.
Photo: © Getty Images

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Proving beyond doubt that she is part of the family, Sofia enjoyed a spontaneous hug from little Estelle after no doubt thanking the three-year-old for undertaking her role so perfectly.
Photo: © Rex

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Before heading inside the palace for dinner and dancing, Danish royals Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary were seen catching up with The Netherlands' Queen Máxima and Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.
Photo: © Rex

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The Countess of Wessex, whose children Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn had attended Trooping the Colour back in London with the rest of the British royals that morning, also sought the chance to chat to fellow invitees – and was also spotted capturing several shots of the scenes in Stockholm on her mobile phone.
Photo: © Rex

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Once the guests were seated for their lavish dinner, which took place in the opulent White Sea Hall, King Carl XVI Gustaf made a speech in honour of the happy couple.

Carl Philip and Erik Hellqvist also took turns to address the room as did Sofia herself, who introduced a song she had written for her husband which was then sung by Molly Sanden.
Photo: © Getty Images

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Once the dinner was over the couple enjoyed their first dance in Karl XI's Gallery.
Photo: © Getty Images

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The day after the stunning nuptials, the Swedish royal family released five official photos of the couple with their family, guests and Sofia's bridal party; which consisted of Princess Estelle, Tiara Larsson (left), Anaïs Sommerlath and Chloé Sommerlath.

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A group portrait of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia with a number of their royal guests completed the album of official snapshots from the momentous day.

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