Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
- For the 17th century Carl Philip, see Duke Carl Philip. For other Swedish Princes with the name Carl, see Prince Carl of Sweden.
His Royal Highness Prince Carl Philip of Sweden (Carl Philip Edmund Bertil) (born May 13, 1979), Duke of Wermelandia, is the second child and only son of HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden. Born Crown Prince of Sweden, he was stripped of this title on January 1, 1980, due to a change in the Act of Succession to introduce absolute primogeniture. Since then, Prince Carl Philip is second in the line of succession, after his elder sister, Crown Princess Victoria.
During 1984-86, Prince Carl Philip attended the Västerled parish preschool. In the autumn of 1986, he started school at Smedslättsskolan in Bromma which he attended at junior level. For the intermediate level, the Prince attended Ålstensskolan in Bromma, proceeding from there, in the autumn of 1992, to senior level at Enskilda Gymnasiet in Stockholm. In the autumn of 1994 Prince Carl Philip enrolled at Kent, a private school in Connecticut, where he spent two years. The Prince then continued his studies in a science programme at Lundsberg upper secondary school. He graduated in the spring of 1999.
Prince Carl Philip has been a scout and is fond of outdoor life. He is keen on sport and athletics; especially football, swimming, and skiing. In 2003, he completed the historic Swedish "Vasaloppet", the longest cross country ski race in the world. Carl Philip also has a passion for car racing (something he has partly "inherited" from his uncle Prince Bertil, who had a great love for cars and racing as well) and has a license to compete.
The Prince completed his military service at the Amphibious Batallion at Vaxholm's Coast Artillery Regiment as a combat boat commander (Combat Boat 90) in the autumn of 2000. In December 2002, the Prince was promoted to fänrik (second lieutenant) in the Royal Swedish Navy.
With a great interest for design and drawing, the Prince began studying Graphic Design in Stockholm in 2003, studies which he continues still. In December 2003, for Queen Silvia's 60th birthday - he designed the cover for a CD of the music of Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, which was released to honour Her Majesty's landmark birthday (the proceedings from it goes to the World Childhood Foundation, an organisation founded by Queen Silvia. In 2004, the Prince has also created a calendar, together with an advertising agency, that will be sold to benefit the same organisation.
The Prince has been dating Emma Pernald, the daughter of a wealthy Swedish businessman, for over five years now. There is some talk that the two may soon marry. However, it is rumoured that the Prince wishes to wait until his older sister, as heir to the throne, marries first.
The very shy Carl Philip is glad that the majority of the Swedish media focus on his sisters. However, his good looks have not gone unnoticed. In recent years, he has become a huge gay icon in Sweden (there have been reports of some gay bars in Sweden having his picture hung on the walls). The Prince admitted he was a bit surprised at the attention from the gay community, but that he found it very flattering.
This spring when the Prince turned 25, he was honoured with a congratulatory call on the Court Yard of the Royal Palace of Stockholm, and gave a rare television interview in which he open heartedly told the people about himself and his life.