Sweden’s Princess Estelle steps into surprising royal role at age 13

Princess Estelle of Sweden has taken on an unexpected role within the Swedish monarchy — despite being just 13 years old.

The young royal, who is the first-born child of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, is the second in line to the throne and is expected to be queen one day.

On Thursday, the Royal House of Sweden confirmed that the teenager has been named one of the godparents for Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland and Princess Sofia’s baby daughter, Princess Ines.

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Ines, who was born in February, is the couple’s fourth child and first daughter.

The sweet family update came just one day before Ines was baptized at Drottningholm Palace Chapel on Friday, which also falls on her parents’ 10th wedding anniversary.

“The Prince and Princess have chosen the following five godparents for Princess Ines: HRH Princess Estelle, Fredrik von der Esch, Claes Kockum, Sandrine Kockum [and] Tiara Larsson,” a palace statement said.

The royal baby’s godparents include several members of the royal family, as well as close friends who are not related.

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As for Princess Estelle, who is also the older sister of 9-year-old Prince Oscar, she is currently enrolled in a Swedish school and only attends a handful of royal events each year.

Last month, Princess Ines made her very first palace balcony appearance in honor of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s birthday celebrations.

The youngster was met with loud cheers and a warm reception during her first official outing for her grandfather’s 79th birthday.

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The Swedish royal family appeared on the balcony of the Royal Palace in the capital city of Stockholm, as Princess Sofia held her newborn, who was dressed in a white bonnet, in her arms.

Prince Carl Phillip and Princess Sofia are already proud parents to sons Prince Alexander, 9, Prince Gabriel, 7, and Prince Julian, 4, who are fifth, sixth and seventh in line to the Swedish throne, respectively.

During the celebrations, which were led by the Armed Forces, Princess Sofia carried the newborn onto the balcony, where her husband and their sons were standing.

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Other Swedish royals joining in on the celebration included Crown Princess Victoria, who is next in line to the throne.

They were later joined by the rest of the family, including Queen Silvia, Victoria’s husband Prince Daniel and their children, Estelle and Oscar.

Princess Madeleine and her husband, Christopher O’Neill, also joined in on the fun, as well as their children Princess Leonore, 11, Prince Nicolas, 9, and Princess Adrienne, 7.

Earlier this week, Prince Carl Philip celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary with Princess Sofia with a sweet post on social media.

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“Tomorrow we celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary,” he wrote Thursday alongside a sweet video compilation from their nuptials.

“Now we have four wonderful children and tomorrow we are christening our little Ines.”

King Carl XVI Gustaf stripped some of his grandchildren, including the couple’s sons, of their royal titles in 2019.