Princess Sofia of Sweden made a carefully orchestrated appearance at her father-in-law King Carl XVI Gustaf's 80th birthday celebrations on Thursday, seemingly attempting to deflect attention with a wide-brimmed blue hat that shielded much of her face from photographers.
The 41-year-old former glamour model and reality TV star, born Sofia Hellqvist, attended the Te Deum mass alongside other senior members of the Swedish royal family earlier this week. She stood on the terrace of Lejonbacken for the flypast, her light blue hat largely obscuring her features.
The appearance comes shortly after Princess Sofia broke her silence regarding her connections with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. She admitted to meeting the disgraced financier at two social events before marrying into the royal family but expressed gratitude for having "nothing to do with him" since those encounters.
Royal Celebrations
King Carl Gustaf, a distant cousin of King Charles III, is the first Swedish monarch in over 1,000 years to reign for 50 years. The birthday celebrations included the traditional mass, attended by Queen Silvia and other family members. Princess Sofia's children with Prince Carl Philip—Prince Alexander, 10, Prince Gabriel, 8, Prince Julian, 5, and Princess Ines, 1—were also present.
Epstein Links Revealed
Princess Sofia's name appeared in documents released by the US Department of Justice in February as part of the Epstein files. She was listed as a companion on a guest list for a private screening and dinner of the film Les Miserables in New York in 2012. Epstein reportedly wrote "Amazing!!!" in response to the list.
Reacting to the documents, Princess Sofia stated: "Now that I have read about all the terrible crimes he has subjected young women to, I am so grateful that I have had nothing to do with him since the few occasions in my twenties." She added, "My thoughts go out to all the victims. I hope there will be justice in this."
She clarified that they met at a restaurant in a social context and at a film screening with many others. However, a spokesperson previously denied she would have participated in such a screening, claiming she was in Sweden on the relevant date.
Earlier Connections
The Swedish royal family previously disclosed that Princess Sofia met Epstein multiple times in 2005. Leaked emails reported by Swedish outlet Dagens Nyheter revealed that Epstein invited her to his private island in the Caribbean and offered her and a friend places at acting school. The invitations were allegedly not accepted.
Princess Sofia was introduced to Epstein by a Swedish businesswoman who later attended her wedding. The businesswoman wrote in an email: "This is Sofia, an aspiring actress who just arrived in New York. She's the girl I told you about before I left, who I thought you might like to meet." Epstein replied, "I'm in the Caribbean. Does she want to come for a couple of days? I'll send a ticket."
From Reality TV to Royalty
Before marrying Prince Carl Philip in 2015, Princess Sofia was a well-known figure in Stockholm's nightlife. She participated in the reality show Paradise Hotel in 2005 and later moved to New York, where she attended exclusive parties and blogged about her glamorous life. She married the prince in a lavish ceremony at Stockholm's Royal Palace, with thousands of well-wishers celebrating the commoner-turned-princess.
Her past included posing topless with a live boa constrictor for a men's magazine in 2004, which Swedish media revisited before her wedding. In response, she said she had long since moved on from that chapter of her life.
