The Internet Has Finally Discovered Prince Carl Philip of Sweden—and, Yeah, He’s Worth Discovering

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 12 April 2024

The world’s eyes are continually on the British royal family—and for good reason, as they always bring the headlines, especially this year. But as your gaze fixes on the U.K. royals, don’t sleep on royals around the world—including and especially the royal family of Sweden, and, in particular, Prince Carl Philip, arguably one of the best looking male royals across the entire globe. (Take a look at the below photos for yourself. You’re welcome.)

The internet has suddenly awakened to the magic that is Carl Philip, the only son of Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Interestingly, for seven months, Carl Philip was born to be king—he was born on May 13, 1979, the second child born to Carl Gustaf and Silvia, following his older sister, Crown Princess Victoria. Because Sweden had not yet passed absolute primogeniture—which means that the first born child of the monarch or heir will take the throne, regardless of gender—Carl Philip leapfrogged his older sister to become the heir. But, after Sweden ultimately passed absolute primogeniture on January 1, 1980—just seven months after Carl Philip was born—Victoria became the heir, and Carl Philip dropped to second in line. (After the birth of Victoria’s two children, Carl Philip is now fourth in line to the Swedish throne.)

According to People, the hashtag #PrinceCarlPhilip is lighting up TikTok right now, with over 111 million views and counting. The most popular video about Carl Philip—a montage of his life from his late teenage years to the present day—has been viewed over 5.8 million times. “The clip chronicles Prince Carl Philip through the years at various white-tie events and diplomatic dinners, in naval uniform and at official engagements, plus having a little fun as a competitive race car driver,” People reports. “Multiple commenters swooned that the Duke of Värmland was ‘hot,’ ‘gorgeous,’ and ‘handsome.’” (100 percent not wrong.)

One fan wrote that Carl Philip is “Literally Prince Charming and get [sic] more handsome with age. Best looking royal in the world.” Another added “He just kept getting finer and finer.”

In addition to his older sister Victoria, Carl Philip also has a younger sister, Princess Madeleine (she lives in Florida—one of the many royals, in addition to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, to find a home in the U.S.). Carl Philip actually has American ties of his own—he was educated in Sweden but studied abroad at prep school in Connecticut before training with the Swedish Navy. He went back to school to study graphic design at the Forsberg School in Stockholm and continued his studies back in the U.S., this time at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. and Rhode Island School of Design.

He completed his military training while studying business administration at the Swedish Defence University, and rose to the rank of Major. He also trained as an agriculturalist and earned a master’s degree from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, according to his official bio.

Carl Philip married former model and reality star Sofia Hellqvist—now Princess Sofia—in 2015. They have three sons, Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, and Prince Julian, and, while Alexander and Gabriel both inherited “His Royal Highness” titles at birth, their grandfather King Carl Gustaf stripped some of his grandchildren of their royal titles in 2019, including Alexander and Gabriel. (The decision also affected Madeleine’s kids; as Crown Princess, Victoria’s kids kept their HRH titles.) Carl Philip and Madeleine’s kids—while no longer HRHs—still kept their Prince and Princess titles, but the kids’ future spouses or children will not have a right to them, People reports.

Carl Philip and Sofia took to social media, saying that they understood the King’s decision, writing on Instagram that “We see this as positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life.” Julian was born two years after the decision, in 2021, so he was born without an HRH title.

In addition to a penchant for car racing, The Daily Mail reports that Carl Philip “is also an accomplished equestrian and avid sportsman.”

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.