That Awkward Moment When The Prince Couldn’t Put A Ring On Sofia Hellqvist [Video]
There’s nothing like a royal wedding. The glamour, the prestige, the royal spotting, the ring not fitting. Say what? That’s right, at the latest royal wedding between Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip (36) and former glamour model and reality star Sofia Hellqvist (30), there was a bit of an awkward moment when the prince couldn’t get a ring on Sophia’s finger.
Prince Carl Philip is third in line to the Swedish throne, and Sofia Hellqvist can now add the title of Princess Sofia of Sweden, Duchess of Värmland (or Princess Sofia for short) to her résumé. The ceremony took place in the chapel at Stockholm’s Royal Palace and was attended by the likes of Britain’s Prince Edward, Belgium’s Queen Mathilde, and Princess Takamado of Japan. Sofia Hellqvist walked down the aisle in front of 550 guests. Prince Carl Philip was noted to blink back tears as his princess-to-be walked down the aisle with Enya’s “Father in Heaven” playing.
During the service, Carl Philip appeared nervous and managed to fumble at the all-important ring exchange moment. Accidentally, he tried to slide Sofia’s ring onto the wrong finger (his nerves were that great), but after the couple giggled about it, the ring finally came to rest on the right finger, and Sofia Hellqvist was officially a princess. There were no nerves when it came time to seal their marriage with a kiss.
Sofia Hellqvist wore a dress by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt and already, royal fans are comparing it to the dress Kate Middleton wore when she wed Prince William of England. Kate attended the wedding, so perhaps Sofia and her compared the finer details of each other’s dresses at the wedding reception. Sofia’s dress was simple yet elegant, with lace sleeves and a long train. She wore her hair up in a bun that showed off the tattoo on the back of her neck. Sofia Hellqvist also wore a diamond-encrusted tiara topped with brilliant green emeralds. Her bouquet was white, pale pink, and orange roses that matched the huge pillars of flowers at the church and the enormous wall display at their wedding reception.
Once the royal couple were married, they greeted royal fans as they traveled in a horse-drawn carriage through central Stockholm, with Sofia Hellqvist even giving a thumbs up to the crowd. Prince Philip thanked Sweden for attending, “It shows Sweden is a warm country with lots of love,” and then the couple attended their wedding reception.
Sweden’s royal family is a constitutional monarchy, with the king holding no political sway. All of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s children have now officially married “commoners” or people without noble rank. While Sofia Hellqvist is now a princess, if the country hadn’t changed its succession laws in 1980 “to make the eldest child — not the eldest male child — heir,” she would also be directly in line to become the queen of Sweden one day, rather than sitting at third in line of succession.
Which was your favorite royal wedding? How did Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist’s compare? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!
[Image credits: Twitter / Getty Images / Ian Gavan]
