Princess Sofia of Sweden’s £ 10,000 diamond engagement ring broke Swedish tradition
Princess Sofia of Sweden, 37, married Prince Carl Philip, 42, 2015 and became Princess of Sweden. Prior to that, Sofia was a glamor model and reality TV contestant. Their sons Prince Alexander, five, Prince Gabriel, four, and 11-month-old Prince Julian are five, sixth and seventh, respectively, in the queue for the Swedish throne.
While many royal fans know all about the British royal family’s engagement rings, they do not always know as much about European engagement rings.
In 2014, Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip proposed to Sofia Hellqvist as a model.
But the ring he gave her broke from royal tradition.
The Duke of Värmland asked Sofia to marry him with a round diamond surrounded by a ring of smaller diamonds set on a paving stone.
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According to reports, Prince Carl Philip worked on the design of the engagement ring with the court jeweler WA Bolin.
This was the same exclusive jewelry company that also created a ring for the prince’s sister, Princess Victoria.
But the ring he gave her broke a common tradition in their country.
Traditionally in Sweden, elegant engagement rings are not exchanged.
Instead, they often change modest gold bands during the engagement and keep the more glittery ring for the bride on the wedding day.
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In the past, Swedish engagement rings were smooth without any embellishments. In other countries, it is often the engagement ring that is the more elaborate ring.
Experts on Steven Stone jewelers took a closer look at Princess Sofia’s engagement ring.
They said: “Sofia’s lavish engagement ring is set on a double diamond band.
“It has a brilliant diamond in the middle surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds.”
The ring is estimated to be worth 10,000 pounds.
Prince Carl Philips’ marriage proposal came as a complete surprise to Sofia.
The then 35-year-old Prince asked the question only in the morning.
Speaking about the proposal, the prince admitted: “I woke up several times the night before, I do not know if Sofia noticed it. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
The couple got married on June 13, 2015 in a beautiful ceremony in the Royal Church in Stockholm, with horse-drawn carriages and exquisite royal guests.
The bride wore a fantastic wedding dress made by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt.
Sofia was a controversial royal bride when she was previously a model and reality TV personality, who later became a princess of Sweden.
After their wedding, Princess Sofia chose to pair her engagement ring with a diamond-plated wedding band.
Prince Carl Philip is the only son and second child of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
His older sister Princess Victoria is the heir to the Swedish throne and she has two children.
That is why Prince Carl Philip is currently fourth in the line of succession.