Prince Carl Philip, 36, who is third in line to the Swedish throne, will wed Sofia Hellqvist in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.
Swedish media reports have made much of 30-year-old Hellqvist’s decidedly nontraditional past, including her appearance on the Swedish edition of reality TV show “Paradise Hotel” in 2005 and a reportedly risque photo shoot for Swedish men’s magazine “Slitz.”
Hellqvist subsequently pursued business-related studies in New York and, while there, also qualified as a yoga instructor.
She has more recently focused her efforts on charitable work. In 2010, she jointly founded the nonprofit organization Project Playground, which helps vulnerable children and young people in South Africa’s townships. She remains honorary chairwoman of the charity, which also counts Prince Carl Philip as an honorary board member.
To mark their wedding, the prince and Hellqvist have set up their own joint charitable venture, the Prince Couple’s Foundation, again intended to help disadvantaged children, according to a palace news release.
The guest list for the wedding includes royals from a half-dozen European nations and Princess Takamado of Japan.
The wedding celebrations began with a private dinner for guests on Friday. After the ceremony on Saturday, guests will enjoy a banquet and dancing at the palace.
The couple’s engagement was announced in June last year.
“We are looking forward to a summer wedding in the middle of June, when Sweden is extremely beautiful,” they were quoted as saying then in a press release from the palace. “This will be a big day for us, and we are absolutely delighted.”
