After their romantic June wedding, royal couple Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden had hoped to move into a newly-renovated palace Villa Solbacken after they married – but unfortunately for the newlyweds, construction work has put a hitch into their plans.
The villa was ridden with asbestos in certain areas, so the Prince and Princess had to find a new home where they could start their life together – and they've settled into another set of royal digs: Rosendal Palace, Swedish publication Aftonbladet reports.
The palace was built in 1827 and was always intended as a summer retreat – a place where the royal family could escape from the formalities of court life. Rosendal, however, has now become Carl Philip and Sofia's first marital home.
Located on the couple's favorite island of Djurgården in central Stockholm, the palace is normally open to the public during the summer months. Guests can take a guided tour of the leafy grounds and the decadent interior, which looks very much the same as it did during King Karl XVI Johan and King Oskar's time. The palace remains in the hands of the royal family.
Carl Philip, 36, and Sofia, 30, had originally intended to begin their married life at Villa Solbacken, which was bequeathed to Carl Philip by the late Prince Bertil. When Bertil died in 1997, he gave the historic villa to a young Carl Philip on the basis that his wife Princess Lilian could live there until her death. Lilian passed away in March 2013 and the house has since been unoccupied.
The newlyweds have found a new home – Rosendal Palace located on their fave island Photo: Kungahuset.se
In February of this year, just four months before they married, Carl Philip and Sofia began renovation work on what they thought would be their future house. Complications arose when builders discovered the asbestos, leaving the royal couple to abandon their original plan. More extensive work on the property is currently being carried out.
