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Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden’s son Prince Alexander is growing up fast! The couple’s oldest child turned four years old on Sunday, April 19. The royals celebrated their firstborn’s special day by releasing a new, adorable snapshot of the birthday boy. “Congratulations to our beloved Alexander on the 4th birthday ❤,” the caption translated from Swedish read. The little Prince, sporting a striped shirt and jumper, was pictured gazing off to the side as he flashed a toothy smile, while his long golden locks were tucked behind his ears.
In accordance with the 1979 succession order, Alexander is fifth in line to the Swedish throne after his aunt Crown Princess Victoria, cousins Princess Estelle, Prince Oscar and dad Prince Carl Philip. Over a year after Alexander’s birth, Sofia and Carl welcomed their second son, Prince Gabriel , born August 31, 2017.
Last year, Alexander and his two-year-old brother—as well as Princess Madeleine ’s three children—were removed from Sweden’s Royal House. Although they no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness, they retained their titles of Duke and are members of the royal family, but won’t be expected to perform official royal duties when they are older.
Carl and Sofia viewed the change as a “positive” for their sons . At the time, in a statement shared on their personal social media account, the couple said: “We see this as positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life. They will retain their prince titles and their duchies, Södermanland and Dalarna, which we value and are proud of. Our family has strong connections to both landscapes and we maintain our commitment there.”
“We will continue to focus on our heart issues and commitment,” Carl and Sofia added. “We will also continue to support the King and the Crown Princess - our future head of state - and participate in the King‘s activities in the way we wish.”