Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip of Sweden’s baby boy has a name!
Two days after the son of King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife welcomed their third child at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm, the couple shared the first photo of their newborn son, Prince Julian, on Instagram Sunday.
In a statement from the Swedish Royal Court, Prince Carl Philip, 41, and Princess Sofia, 36, announced that their third son’s full name is Julian Herbert Folke but will go by his royal title.
Prince Julian has been granted the Duchy of Halland, according to the statement, which also said the child will be a member of the Royal Family but not of The Royal House, and therefore will not enjoy the style of Royal Highness.
Prince Julian, who is the little brother to 4-year-old Prince Alexander and 3-year-old Prince Gabriel, is seventh in line to the Swedish throne and the eighth grandchild for King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia announced their third child’s arrival in a statement on Friday.
“We are so happy and grateful to be able to welcome our third son to our family. Princess Sofia and I, and his two big brothers, have all been longing for this day. And now we are looking forward to getting to know this new little member of our family,” said Prince Carl Philip.
The Swedish royals announced the exciting baby news last December with a stunning black-and-white photo posted on the royal family’s official Instagram page. “We are happy and excited and look forward to welcoming our third child,” the couple said. “A new little member of our family.”
The addition of Prince Julian comes just weeks after Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia announced that they tested positive for COVID-19 after they began to experience flu-like symptoms in late November.
In October 2019, King Carl XVI Gustaf announced that he decided to strip the HRH titles from children of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia as well as his daughter Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill.
“His Majesty The King has decided on changes to The Royal House. The purpose of these changes is to establish which members of The Royal Family may be expected to perform official duties incumbent on the Head of State or related to the function of the Head of State,” a statement from the palace read.
“His Majesty The King has decided that the children of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, and the children of Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O’Neill will no longer be members of The Royal House.”
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia’s third child is the family’s first new addition since the rule went into effect.
After the announcement, Prince Carl Philip shared on Instagram that he saw the decision as “positive.”
“Today, the King announced the decision that our children no longer hold the Royal Highness position. We see this as positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life,” he wrote. “They will retain their prince titles and their duchies, Södermanland and Dalarna, which we value and are proud of. Our family has strong connections to both landscapes and we maintain our commitment there.”
The royal added, “We will continue to focus on our heart issues and commitment. We will also continue to support the King and Crown Princess – our future head of state – and participate in the King’s House activities as we wish.”