Princess Sofia has had a busy few weeks of work leading up to Christmas, but she took a break from her duties and allowed her three kids to spend some quality time with their grandmother Queen Silvia of Sweden.
The Swedish royal's official Instagram page shared a handful of photos of their family day out, explaining in the caption: "Yesterday, all the grandchildren helped grandma to receive this year's Christmas trees at the Castle. Thanks to the master hunter students at SLU in Umeå!"
Sofia and her husband Prince Carl Philip's three sons Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel and Prince Julian were pictured alongside Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill's kids Prince Nicolas, Princess Leonore and Princess Adrienne and Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling's children Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar.
They all looked smart in festive Christmas jumpers and dresses as they picked colourful baubles out of a wicker basket to hang on several trees glittering with fairy lights.
Royal fans were delighted to see the cousin reunion, with many taking to the comments section to comment on the rarely-seen family resemblance. Up close, some remarked on the similarities between Sofia's sons, who sported similar bone structure, cheeky smiles and sweeping hair – not to mention their matching collared shirts.
"Gabriel and Julian look so much alike. Such a cute bunch, all cousins together," one wrote, while others noted the strong genes between the other family members: "How Adrienne is like the Queen."
A third penned: "Has Estelle outgrown the queen??" in reference to Victoria's daughter's towering height.
Sofia's pregnancy
There will soon be another grandchild to join in with the tradition after Princess Sofia announced she was expecting her fourth child in February 2025.
Sofia and Carl – who married in Stockholm in 2015 – revealed the news days after she attended Princess Martha Louise's wedding in Norway. The palace confirmed that the 39-year-old is "doing well" and that there will be no changes to Sofia's schedule throughout autumn.
While they have not shared details on whether they are expecting a baby girl or boy, it is known that the child will not be styled HRH, in line with the decision made by King Carl XVI Gustaf in 2019.
The Swedish monarch decided that Carl Philip and Sofia's children and Princess Madeleine's three children would not need the formal title as they are not expected to carry out royal duties in future.
Sofia and Carl on parenting
The Swedish royal couple tend to remain tight-lipped about their family life, only sharing occasional photos to celebrate their children's birthdays.
They made an exception in 2017 when they opened up about parenting their two eldest kids in an interview with Kupé magazine.
After joking that they are dealing with "chaos" at home amid "diaper changes and sleepless nights", Sofia candidly added: "We try to create as much family time as possible in the evenings, with bathing and spending the night and getting routines in place. But ask me again in a couple of months, haha.
"Now Gabriel sleeps and eats mostly, but we still got a couple of small glimpses that it is tougher with two than with one child. But it's also twice as much love."
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