Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden Make First Public Appearance Since Announcing Her Pregnancy

The royal couple stepped out two days after the public learned Princess Sofia is expecting her fourth child

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden are out and about for their first royal duty since sharing the happy news that she's pregnant with their fourth child.

On Sept. 4, Prince Carl Philip, 45, and Princess Sofia, 39, stepped out in Värmland, Sweden to kick off a two-day visit to the county. Prince Carl Philip was assigned the duchy by his father King Carl XVI Gustaf at birth, and his royal bio notes that he has a "particularly close" relationship with Värmland, visiting often both publicly and privately.

Carl Philip and Sofia were all smiles at their first stop, a Volvo factory in Arvika. The theme of the couple's two-day stay is resilience and sustainable change, according to translated plans from the local government, and the visit will take them to Arvika, Eda and Karlstad.

The royals' first appearance was especially memorable as it marked their first public event since the Swedish Royal Court announced on Sept. 2 that Princess Sofia is pregnant. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are already parents to three sons — Prince Alexander, 8, Prince Gabriel, 7, and Prince Julian, 3 — and the baby on the way will make them a family of six.

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"Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are delighted to announce that The Princess is expecting their fourth child," the court said in a statement on Sept. 2.

"Princess Sofia is feeling well, and the birth is expected to take place in February 2025. During the autumn, no changes in the public schedule of Princess Sofia are planned," it said.

The announcement was shared on social media with a new photo of the couple, which showed them leaning their heads together with a blue lake in the background.

Princess Sofia (born Sofia Hellqvist) became the Duchess of Värmland when she married King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia's son in June 2015, and she and her husband seemed to be in their element during their Sept. 4 engagements.

The day began at an inauguration of a new Volvo Construction Equipment building, where the government said that Prince Carl Philip would give a speech and test drive a wheel loader at the company's main factory for the truck — no surprise, given his race car driving hobby!

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The royals then moved to the garden of the Rackstad Museum for a musical performance from the Ingesund Academy of Music, and squatted to the ground to chat with kids. Prince William and Kate Middleton are known to display the same move when connecting with kids, squatting down to eye level to create a sense of empowerment when speaking with a child.

As Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia look ahead to welcoming their fourth baby in February, the child will be born without an HRH title. In 2019, the Swedish palace announced that the children of Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip, as well as the children of Carl Philip’s younger sister, Princess Madeleine and her husband, Christopher O'Neill, would no longer hold HRH titles. This shift affected Princes Alexander and Gabriel prior to their brother's birth, and in 2021, Prince Julian became King Carl XVI Gustaf's first grandchild born without an HRH title.

While the grandchildren retained their prince or princess titles, the styling became personal and any future spouses or children will not have a right to them. They will also not be expected to perform official royal duties one day.

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Carl Philip and Sofia spoke out about the news on social media at the time, saying that they understood the King's decision.

"Today, the King announced the decision that our children no longer hold the Royal Highness position. We see this as positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life," the royal couple wrote on Instagram in 2019.

"They will retain their prince titles and their duchies, Södermanland and Dalarna, which we value and are proud of. Our family has strong connections to both landscapes and we maintain our commitment there," they said.

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