Carl Philip and Sofia of Sweden Expecting Their Fourth Child

After a busy weekend enjoying the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and shaman Durek Verrett, Carl Philip and Sofia of Sweden have surprised everyone by announcing that they are expecting their fourth child. "Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are delighted to announce that the princess is expecting the couple's fourth child. Princess Sofia is well, and it is estimated that she will give birth in February 2025. No changes are expected in Princess Sofia's official schedule during the autumn," reads the official statement from the Swedish royal house, which accompanies a portrait of the happy couple posing together.

As they did with their first three children, Alexander (8), Gabriel (7), and Julian (3), the gender of the baby they are expecting has not yet been disclosed. It is most likely that they will continue with the tradition of announcing it after the birth, at which time they will also reveal the chosen name for the newborn.

Considered Europe's most handsome royal, Carl Philip of Sweden, Duke of Värmland, is the second child of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia. Born on May 13, 1979, he became crown prince due to Salic law, which prevented women from reigning.

However, his position was short-lived as later that same year, the title was given to his older sister Victoria, a decision that displeased his father who recently reiterated his disagreement: "Having laws that work retroactively is not very smart, I still think so. My son, Prince Carl Philip, had already been born and suddenly there was a change that left him with nothing." Currently, he is fourth in line to the throne, behind his sister and her children, Estelle and Oscar.

But being relegated in the succession to the Swedish crown does not seem to have affected this aristocrat who has been able to make his own decisions without institutional burdens. This was evident in his marriage to Sofia Hellqvist, who would have been unlikely accepted as a future queen due to her past as a stripper. Despite not being able to avoid the criticism that their romance provoked, he did not hesitate to fight for their relationship. "I had never felt the magic of love," he said about his new partner.

Carl Philip and Sofia met through mutual friends and soon their relationship became public, putting the model, who had participated in a reality show to find love, in the spotlight for months. On June 13, 2015, the couple married in a romantic wedding. Soon after came their first child, Alexander, Duke of Södermanland, born on April 19, 2016. Later Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna, was born in August 2017 and Julian, Duke of Halland, in March 2021. The family will grow again next February.