Meet Prince Carl Philip Of Sweden: The Royal Race Car Driver

Prince Carl Philip is the oldest son of Sweden's unconventional royals, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. He was born in 1979 and was granted the title Duke of Värmland by his father, meaning he presides over a province in the south of Sweden. As he grew up, the prince occasionally attended school in the United States, including Kent, a Connecticut private school, and the Rhode Island School of Design. The prince went viral on TikTok in 2024, as royal watchers from around the world realized that he's grown up to be quite dashing. One commenter on the platform wrote (via People), "Literally Prince Charming and [gets] more handsome with age. Best looking royal in the world."

He has a lot more going on than just his looks, however. According to his official website, the prince has many duties, not all of which garner the public attention that his handsome face does. "HRH Prince Carl Philip performs a number of official assignments each year on behalf of HM The King," the palace writes. "The Prince has a particularly close relationship with Värmland, the duchy he was assigned by the King when he was born, and often visits the county — in both official and private capacities."

In addition to being a husband and a father, Prince Carl Philip also has a number of hobbies that keep him in the headlines. Namely: He's a race car driver! Read on to learn all about how the Swedish royal spends his time.

When Prince Carl Philip was born, he was the first son of the king, which meant he was first in line for the throne. He has an older sister, but at the time, princesses couldn't become queen, so Princess Victoria was out of luck. In 1980, however, the Swedish legislature changed the rules retroactively. The prince's website explains, "Legislation on full cognatic succession was introduced in 1980, meaning that the oldest child inherits the throne, and Princess Victoria thereby became Crown Princess of Sweden while Crown Prince Carl Philip became Prince Carl Philip." That means Princess Victoria will someday become queen.

The change was controversial, and Carl Philip's father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, later came out against it. In a 2023 interview with SVT (via Hola!), the king confessed his frustration. "It's tricky to have laws that work retroactively. It doesn't seem wise. I still think so," he said. "It was my son who was born and got rid of it all. It's quite strange, I think. You can't do that."

His complaint caused controversy in Sweden, and the king was forced to respond to clarify his opinion about his throne's succession. "It has pained me deeply when, in retrospect, I have heard comments that claim that I would not stand behind my daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, as Sweden's heir to the throne," he said, reiterating that he wants and expects that his daughter will take over for him someday.

In addition to all of his various duties as a member of the Swedish royal family, Prince Carl Philip also runs a design firm with a partner named Oscar Kylberg. They call it Bernadotte & Kylberg, Bernadotte being one of the last names that the prince can choose to use. As a duo, they've designed everything from stoneware to eyeglasses, tackling whichever projects strike their fancy.

In an interview with Architectural Digest in 2018, the prince explained that this was a result of both designers having been trained at a design school called Forsberg's. "The great thing at Forsberg's, every other week we'd be thrown another bone to chew on," he said. His partner added, "Forsberg's emphasizes that the idea comes first, then you realize it in whatever medium works best. It's Bauhaus-driven, very much about the blank canvas."

The firm has been successful, but the fact that there's a royal involved means they face a lot of scrutiny that other companies wouldn't necessarily encounter. Speaking with Dezeen, the prince ruminated on how his fame affects his business. "It has been like that from the beginning, for good and bad. We know that everything we do is going to be looked at more," he said. "When we launch something with a brand, we don't want to be the main focus. We want the product to be number one." Kylberg summed it up well, adding, "It's like having your own cheerleading squad."

Prince Carl Philip has dyslexia, which the International Dyslexia Association describes like this: "Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities." This means that, on occasion, as the prince has had to give public speeches, he's sometimes mixed up his numbers while reading them aloud.

In 2014, for example, at a speech during a sporting awards show, the prince was criticized in the press for his reading ability. "It was a terrible feeling to be hung out in the media as being stupid and unintelligent. It wasn't amusing at all," he said in a TV4 interview (via The Local Sweden), promising to return to the show the next year and get it right. "I wanted to show that it can get better and show the 700,000 dyslexics in this country that you can get up and learn from your mistakes," he said.

To that end, the prince also runs a foundation that supports people with dyslexia. The Prince Couple's Foundation has partnered with companies like Microsoft to raise awareness of the condition, which they say affects at least one student in each Swedish classroom. "The aim of the partnership is to spread knowledge and awareness about dyslexia and show how modern technology can help children and youth with reading and writing difficulties to reach their full potential," Microsoft said.

In the summer of 2014, Prince Carl Philip announced to a group of reporters that he planned to wed his model girlfriend Sofia Hellqvist the following year. "I have the incredible honour of being engaged to this fantastic girl," he said (via Hello!). She heaped praise on him, too, telling the media, "Carl Philip is the most humble person I have ever met, which is what made me fall for him in the beginning. He has one of the most beautiful hearts, he is very warm."

Unfortunately, though, the media was not particularly kind to the prince's bride-to-be. Rumors ran rampant that the royal family weren't fans of Hellqvist, and members of the press speculated openly that they'd been unkind to their newest royal. In a televised interview (via The Local Sweden), Prince Carl Philip denied there was any tension between Hellqvist and his relatives. "My parents and my sisters were curious about her, open, and welcomed her with a big hug," he insisted. Furthermore, the prince asked that the media tone down their coverage of his fiancée. He noted, "She was hung out to dry in a bullying type of way."

Years later, Hellqvist opened up about that time in her life in an interview with TV4 (via Honey). "I didn't understand that people had such a need to express how badly they felt about me," she said. "It was very tough."

In the weeks leading up to his wedding to Sofia Hellqvist, Prince Carl Philip couldn't stop gushing about his girlfriend. In a TV4 interview (via Hello!), the prince heaped compliments on his betrothed. "Above all, she's beautiful and has beautiful eyes. But she's also a fantastic person. She's down to earth and has a wonderful personality. There are so many good things to say about her," he said. Their love, he added, was a transformative one. "I don't think I knew the magic of love before I met Sofia. But ever since I met her, I've seen how love can change a person," the Duke of Värmland explained.

They wed in June 2015. The new princess wore a tiara adorned with emeralds, accessorizing with diamond earrings. After the ceremony, they took a beautiful horse and carriage ride around the city, and at the reception, the wedding party danced to hits by artists like Rihanna and Coldplay, Vogue Australia reported. "Sofia, you fill my life with love and happiness," the prince said in his wedding toast, adding, "With your love I will be able to overcome all challenges."

Princess Sofia was later asked (via Royal Central) whether she would follow Meghan Markle's example by quitting a royal family rumored to have been unkind. "I think I have found such a fantastic balance," she said, "and I really see it as positive that I have made it through these stormy years."

Less than a year after getting married, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia welcomed their first child. On April 20, 2016, the princess' account on X, formerly Twitter shared a photo of the smiling young family taking home their newest addition, Alexander Erik Hubertus Bertil, Duke of Sodermanland. While speaking with reporters, the prince revealed he'd been quite emotional in the delivery room, confirming that he'd cried, according to People. "Of course. Couldn't stop," he said. "For me and my wife, this is obviously a great day with a lot of emotion. Words cannot describe."

The prince and princess had two more children in quick succession. A year later, they welcomed little Prince Gabriel, and then in 2021, they had yet another son, this one named Prince Julian. In a statement (via People), Prince Carl Philip said that the family had been looking forward to meeting their newest member. "We are so happy and grateful to be able to welcome our third son to our family," he said. "Princess Sofia and I, and his two big brothers, have all been longing for this day."

In an interview with Kupé (via Expressen), Sofia said they're concerned their boys will face bullying in the future. Their anti-bullying foundation hopefully will help. "We want our children to find a place in life where they feel safe," she said, "and we as parents will do our best to create such a place."

It's very common for British royal family members to serve in the military, and the same holds true for their Swedish counterparts. Prince Carl Philip's official website touts his long history of military service, explaining the prince went through officer training with the Swedish navy. In 2014, he achieved the rank of Major with Sweden's Amphibious Corps, a military division trained on both land and sea. 

All of that training came in handy during the COVID-19 pandemic. On his own initiative, Prince Carl Philip volunteered to serve as part of the military response, as revealed on the palace's Instagram account. They shared a photo of the dashing prince in his uniform, writing, "The prince is located at the deployment management's operational management center, which leads and coordinates operational operations and efforts for all armed forces."

He wasn't the only member of his family to sign up to help. Princess Sofia received training in how to support medical staff, announcing on Instagram that she was working in a hospital at the height of the pandemic. She wrote, "I, together with other newly trained colleagues, support and relieve the healthcare staff with various tasks, including patient care and cleaning. ... To have the opportunity to help in this difficult time is extremely rewarding."

Every royal seems to have a hobby, and Prince Carl Philip is no different. In particular, he loves driving race cars, competing in many different events over the years. "Racing is like an oasis for me," he once explained (via People). "I can come here and be myself, it feels like I'm the same as everyone else ... I don't feel inhibited because I am the prince; it's not something I think about while I race — it's all about driving as quickly as possible." He's happy to attend any and every event having to do with cars, even sometimes handing out awards at races he himself didn't compete in.

He's also a big proponent of kids racing too, and to that end, he founded the Prince Carl Philip Racing Cup. In 2023, he shared a photo of himself with that year's winners to Instagram, writing, "We want to contribute to, among other things, creating regrowth within the sport by capturing children and young people interested in motoring." Winners are given trophies and get to test-drive race cars.

In 2019, when the Duke of Värmland welcomed Rally Sweden to his titled territory, he extolled the virtues of the outdoor race. "Nothing beats being out there for real," he said. "I think many of you know what I'm talking about: standing outside in the wintery Värmland forest, with thousands of other spectators. The cars pass by in seconds, but the feeling lasts a lot longer."

In 2016, Prince Carl Philip was involved in a frightening accident. During the Swedish Touring Car Championship in Falkenberg, the prince ran a fellow racer off the road. According to Mattias Andersson, the other driver, the prince was apologetic after the incident. "He explained it by saying that he lost control of the car," Andersson said to Sweden's Corren (via People). Prince Carl Philip ultimately came in last place in the race.

After the accident, the prince told reporters that his family was concerned about his racing hobby. "There are some in the family who want to take my place in the driver's seat," he told STV Sports (via People). "Mom is a little worried," the prince revealed, referring to Queen Silvia. Still, the Duke of Värmland insisted that he wasn't about to give up the sport.

He did, however, take a break. In 2019, the prince announced that he'd be taking a year off from driving. On Instagram, he shared a picture of himself playing with one of his sons, and he wrote, "In 2019, I will focus my time on family and instead look forward to 2020 when it comes to racing." Even the COVID-19 pandemic didn't stop him from getting back behind the wheel. That October, he took second place at the Carrera Cup Scandinavia, and he noted on Instagram that it was a strange event. "Empty stands and a lot of adjusting for everyone," he wrote, "but it worked."

Racing cars isn't the only hobby Prince Carl Philip likes to indulge in. According to his official website, the royal is also a huge foodie. "Prince Carl Philip ... has a strong commitment to Swedish cuisine," they write. That involves being a patron of the Swedish Bocuse d'Or Academy, and he's also a judge on the panel that awards Sweden's prestigious Chef of the Year award.

In 2021, as Sweden emerged from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prince Carl Philip took care to shout out the restaurant industry's struggles during the worst of those years. In a message to that year's Chef of the Year, the prince reflected (via Royal Central), "During all these years, I have seen Sweden's absolute culinary elite in creativity and genuine food joy." He also shared some kind words with the winning chef, telling him, "I know that there is an incredible amount of work behind what you have presented today. Hours and hours of toil, both in the kitchen and outside."