Exclusive: Princess Beatrice and Prince Carl Philip of Sweden unite to fight for common cause at World Dyslexia Assembly
Later in the day, Prince Carl Philip was joined on stage by his wife Princess Sofia and Kim Waller, Secretary General of the Prince and Crown Princess Foundation. Once again, he spoke with openness and honesty about his learning difference and his diagnosis at the age of ten. “We know discovery is so important – it helps with writing, reading and self-esteem.” He then confided: ‘I felt I was not on the same level as my friends in my class. I felt that my self-esteem was not good. ‘
Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia then described, with humor and obvious tenderness for her husband, her dyslexic journey that began with “falling madly in love” with Prince Carl Philip “but not understanding how he thinks.” So she googled the dyslexic mind to find out about her then boyfriend and shared her surprise, ‘oh my god, they know him!’ she exclaimed. When she called her husband “brilliant”, she told me that as a mother, “with the genetic factor we can also have dyslexic children and I am now so comfortable, without a doubt, that my children will live to their full potential.”
Prince Carl Philip ended his cozy “fireside” chat, “hearing the thoughts and questions we’ve talked about today I feel very positive.”
The congregation concluded with a ceremonial handover to Eric Adams, Mayor of New York, a dyslexic himself who plans to democratize support in the city and help create school systems where every dyslexic child thrives.