Prince Carl Philip Cutting Honeymoon With Princess Sofia Short To Compete In Car Race


Prince Carl Philip and the new Princess Sofia Hellqvist just had their fairy-tale wedding, but the honeymoon will be coming to an early end so the man third in line to the Swedish throne can get behind the wheel of a race car.

The couple was married on Saturday at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. They had been dating for the past five years, a bit of an unusual pairing with the royal Prince Carl Philip dating the tattooed reality television star, who once posed topless.

The wedding drew worldwide attention, with news outlets across the globe sharing pictures and accounts of the lavish ceremony. Many even compared the gown Sofia Hellqvist wore to the one Kate Middleton donned back in 2011.

The wedding included a number of royal guests, including Crown Prince Fredrik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, and royal delegates from Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, and Greece.

After the ceremony, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are setting off for what will be only a brief honeymoon, at least by royal standards. Prince Carl Philip, an accomplished race car driver, will be leaving the honeymoon after 12 days to appear in a race at Mantorp Park on June 25.

“The honeymoon will last just 12 days – from the 13th to the 25th – when Carl Philip will drive a race,” Johanna Lejon, royals reporter at Svensk Damtidning, told People magazine.

Racing has been quite a passion for Prince Carl Philip, who has even been known to race under fake names to avoid drawing attention.

Royalista talked about the Prince’s hobby.

“On Saturday, Prince Carl Philip tended to his risky hobby when he was seen gliding across the wet race track at top speed when he participated under a secret name at this year’s Lidköping Open in Sweden. The speed crazy royal, who wasn’t visible on any start lists, fought his way through the heavy rain, but ran off the track during the pre-finals. Prince Carl Philip finished in ninth place, just over half a minute behind the winner.”

The prince has raced in dozens of contests, with his most successful season coming in 2009. That year, he competed in nine races, winning three and reaching the podium a total of five times. But he has not won a race since that year.

But the prince has also put himself in harm’s way during his racing career. In the opening race of this season he crashed into his rival, Erik Johnsson, and was forced to back out of the race.

Though his hobby may be dangerous, Prince Carl Philip has a big supporter in his new wife. Princess Sofia Hellqvist has been spotted at all of his races and is expected to be at the upcoming contest, cheering on her new husband from the stands.

[Image via Getty Images/Andreas Rentz]

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