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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Jane Lavender & Zoe Forsey

Royal princess who posed in lads mags, found reality TV fame and is 'pals' with porn star

She's the princess who has bravely swapped her royal duties for life on the health service frontline to help care for coronavirus patients.

Princess Sofia of Sweden, who is married to the eldest son of King Carl XVI Gustaf, made the courageous decision to become a medical assistant in the Sophiahemmet hospital.

She had to take part in a training scheme at a Stockholm university before taking up the role and cutting back on her royal duties so she can help the very sickest in hospital.

The princess shared a photo of her wearing full scrubs on social media and has been widely praised for stepping up to help during the coronavirus pandemic.

The snap shows her name badge, which simply says 'Sofia'.

Princess Sofia is volunteering in a hospital (IBL/Shutterstock)

A statement from the Swedish Royal Family said: "In the crisis we find ourselves in, the Princess wants to get involved and make a contribution as a voluntary worker to relieve the large workload of health care professionals."

Her role means she will be cleaning, helping with patient care and assisting in the kitchens.

The 35-year-old joined Sweden's royal family in 2015 and she and her husband, Prince Carl Philip, have two children - but Princess Sofia is used to life in the limelight.

Now a well-respected member of the royal family, Princess Sofia first found fame as a model when she was just 20.

And when she and Prince Carl Philip began dating, eyebrows were certainly raised in royal circles over her past.

Princess Sofia of Sweden is married to Prince Carl Philip and the couple have two children (Getty)

Princess Sofia started her career in front of the camera as a glamour model, posing for Swedish lads mag, Slitz, in camouflage knickers with a snake draped around her shoulders - and not a lot else.

At the time the young model said she had taken the job to help her pay for college.

But she was extremely popular with Slitz readers and in 2004 was crowned Miss Slitz.

From modelling it was only a small step into the world of reality TV. Princess Sofia starred in the show Paradise Hotel.

It saw a group of beautiful single people moved into a lavish hotel "to see what happened".

Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip on their wedding day (Getty Images)

While she was a contestant on the show, the now royal was given a massage, with her topless, from a man also taking part.

Her new found fame opened all sorts of doors for the young model and she travelled to Los Angeles, where she met porn str Jenna Jameson.

Princess Sofia later told the magazine that had propelled her into the spotlight, Slitz, that she and Jenna had kissed.

She added: "We ended up at the same party as Jenna. She came up saying that I was one of the cutest girls she had seen and wanted me to come and sit with them."

And it seemed like life on the other side of the Atlantic agreed with the budding model and TV star, who relocated to New York.

Here, she lived with her best friend and seemed to throw herself into the party lifestyle.

Princess Sofia and her pal are said to be the authors of a secret blog, where they detailed all their exploits with the rich and famous, including Puff Daddy and Hollywood A-listers like Mark Wahlberg.

One entry said: "To be a woman in NY is an advantage. Don’t take this the wrong way, but here the men aim to please."

But it was on a visit back to Sweden that Princess Sofia's life was to change forever.

She was on a night out in her native Stockholm with her friends when she was introduced to Prince Carl Philip - and the rest seems to be fate.

Less than 12 months later the couple were living together and the princess-in-waiting had ditched her old life.

Instead, she was now focused on her charity work and her role within in the royal family grew.

She was pictured at official royal events, like the christening of Crown Princess Victoria’s daughter and in 2015, she was the centre of her very own fairytale when she and Prince Carl Philip married in a stunning ceremony.

However, she hadn't completely turned her back on the past and her glittering gown, which was an intricate lace dress, was cut so her huge sun tattoo on her back could be seen.

And Princess Sofia has never shied away from her early found fame - even if she is now one of the hardest working royals in the world.

In an interview in 2013 she said: "For me it’s pretty boring, it happened 10 years ago and I’ve moved on with my life. But no regrets, experience shapes a person."

 
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