SWEDISH ROYALTY

The last of the Swedish king's three children, Prince Carl Phillip, got married today. Nothing out of the ordinary in that. Sweden changed its succession law some time ago, so that his elder sister Victoria will become queen; and she has already had a daughter, who will become queen in turn.

However, what was out of the ordinary was the Prince's choice of bride. 30-year old Sofia Hellqvist is a pretty girl-next-door, who has been in the Swedish version of Paradise Hotel, worked as an underwear model, and posed for a lads' mag clothed in nothing more than a boa constrictor. If the Prince loves her, which he obviously does, then who cares about her past? I suspect that at least some in royal circles do.

This matters, since the Swedish royal family is not as popular as (say) the Danish equivalent next door. Liberal attitudes to non-discriminatory succession rules can, and do, lead to liberal thinking that perhaps a monarchy is anachronistic in the 21st century. Things haven't been helped by unflattering revelations about the current king.

So it is likely that Princess Sofia, as she now is, will keep her tattoos out of public view, do lots of charity work and provide a royal baby or two in the near future.
   
Walter Blotscher