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ROYAL FAMILY

Royal baby joy! Swedish princess pregnant with second child

Sweden's Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are expecting another child, the Royal Court has revealed.

Published: 23 March 2017 16:04 CET
Royal baby joy! Swedish princess pregnant with second child
Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia and little Prince Alexander. Photo: The Royal Court

Princess Sofia is understood to be in good health and is expected to give birth in September 2017.

“We are pleased to announce that we are expecting a child, Prince Alexander's sibling. We look forward to welcoming a new little member of our family,” she and her husband said in a statement published by the Royal Court on Thursday.

Alexander, their first child, is the youngest member of Sweden's growing royal family. He was born in April last year.

The new baby will also have plenty of royal cousins to play with. Prince Oscar, the second child of Princess Victoria, was born just seven weeks before Alexander. He is the younger brother of five-year-old Princess Estelle. London-based Princess Madeleine also has two children, Princess Leonore and Prince Nicolas. 

Carl Philip, 37, is the second child and only son of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. His elder sister Princess Victoria is first in line to the throne.

He married Sofia Hellqvist, 32, a former contestant on TV reality show 'Paradise Hotel', in a ceremony in June 2015.

WORKING IN SWEDEN

Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

The King’s mounted Royal Guards will no longer be able to wear their iconic ceremonial helmets on parades, after the Swedish Work Environment Authority warned of serious safety concerns.

Published: 7 July 2023 13:53 CEST
Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

“We take the safety of our employees extremely seriously and we are going to address this immediately,” colonel Stefan Nacksten, head of the Royal Guards, wrote in a statement. 

Employed by the Armed Forces, the Royal Guards are the King’s cavalry and infantry units and are a well-known sight at ceremonies in Sweden, including at the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Stockholm every day in summer – a popular spectacle for Stockholmers and tourists alike.

The helmets will no longer be used by Royal Guards on horseback from July 7th, as they do not conform to safety standards for riding helmets, although guards parading on foot will still be permitted to wear them.

They are part of the 1895 parade uniforms and were last modified in 2000. The Armed Forces will now create an entirely new helmet which looks the part, but is also safe for riding.

“We’re working on finding an alternative solution as quickly as possible which meets safety requirements and can also be used during parades,” Nacksten said.

“We’ve been working long-term with this issue but now that it has been assessed [by the Swedish Work Environment Authority] we need to take measures immediately,” he added.

“This is good, and now we’re working to make sure something good comes out of this and we can get a safe riding helmet for parades in place as soon as possible.”

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