We heard last week that Sweden’s Princess Sofia – the wife of Prince Carl-Phillip – completed a three-day training program for emergency hospital workers. Sofia will now work in one of Sweden’s hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s not as if anyone believes that Sofia is qualified as a nurse now, but she (and the other people who took the course) can basically work inside hospitals as various assistants, food-preparers and such:
Princess Sofia of Sweden has traded her tiaras for scrubs. The 35-year-old royal mom is joining the frontline effort in helping coronavirus patients. After completing a intensive training program online, Sofia started working at Sophiahemmet Hospital, of which she is Honorary Chair. For her first day on the job, where she will be assisting hospital staff with non-medical related tasks, the wife of Prince Carl Philip posed for a photo alongside other workers wearing scrubs and white sneakers. She wore an ID tag and her hair tied back in a practical ponytail.
The hospital has been overwhelmed due to COVID-19, leading to the launch the emergency training program. Now, 80 people a week complete the course that Princess Sofia took.
The Royal Court said in a statement on Wednesday, “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.”
A spokeswoman for Sophiahemmet Hospital, which has no confirmed cases of coronavirus yet, explained that Sofia and her fellow volunteers will not be working directly with patients but rather supporting doctors and nurses.
“They can disinfect equipment, do shifts in the kitchen and cleaning,” Pia Hultkrantz said.
It reminds me of one of the “clap for carer” videos I saw a little while back – after one of the hospital shifts, the doctors and nurses stood in the hallway to clap for the hospital’s janitorial and non-medical staff, all of whom have been working the same hours as the doctors and nurses. That’s what this feels like – Sofia will be cleaning and preparing food for patients and medical staff, which is an incredibly important task too. It would be a remarkable thing to see… any of the Windsors do anything similar.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Instagram.
I applaud Sofia for this work.
She should get a lot of credit and praise for this.
Now let’s see if Ivanka or Melania, who pretend they’re royalty, do the same thing. Plenty of US hospitals need assistance, especially in light of the damage caused by the family.
Agree. I can’t remember why, up until this point, I was meh about her and Carl-Philip. Something they did rubbed me the wrong way. But the way she is stepping up and doing basic manual labors to fill in and help, she’s got my admiration. This time is bringing out the absolute worst people and their ignorance and cruelness, but it also bringing with it the best of people who can and want to help. At least my heart warmed a little today reading this story!
Seeing a working royal doing any type of work in the front lines is awesome. Hopefully it gives them a greater appreciation of what they have, and she should because she is a non aristocrat. I doubt we would see Wills and Kate due to the reasoning that they need to be protected being directly in line for the throne (Will). BUT, there is lots they can do and not just video chats. They could use this to let people see they care and do work hard. But NOPE. Status quo for them.
Why single out William and Kate. Any of the British royal family could be doing this.
Because William and Kate are hardly doing anything. As usual they’re all talk and no action.
Is anyone else doing anything in the BRF? Bea? Eugenie? Edward? Sophie?I don’t particularly care for anyone that sucks down taxpayer dollars at the rate these people do, but let’s be fair here…none of them are doing what this gal is doing.
I single them out because they are in line to lead the country and yet they do nothing.
Sophie has worked at a food bank a few times already and Eugenie was helping arrange and deliver food to NHS workers. So they have done something.
Kate is patron for the nurses and she has not lifted a finger to help. Zoom calls and ghostwritten letters are pretty empty actions at this time.
Yeah, well, still no comparison in my book. This girl is going above and beyond. Agree that W&K are doing zero, but no one else is killing themselves either. Sophia is impressive.
I just was pointing out that other members of the BRF have done more. Of course what Sophia is doing is great and is far more than the rest. It just shows how Kate has done so little. A few zoom calls and a ghost written letter is nothing.
Being second in line does not give Will or Kate a pass. They could easily do something similar at their local hospital. What an inspiration they would be, instead today there is an article praising Kate for doing her own hair. Imagine that, working on the front line versus blow-drying your hair.
Lizzy and NIC919, agree with both you ladies but I am not as well versed in BRF and protocol. Thank you!
Given the Sussex’s statement about the UK tabloid press and the lawsuit starting this week, I expect more of these passive aggressive articles about Unable’s lack of actual work to show for all the talk – to me this article was a dig at how useless and disengaged she and he are. If doing her own hair and makeup is the only positive things that they have to say/follow up on the zoom calls – it doesn’t paint a very nice picture of her. All Kate has ever given the press to talk about is her appearance – mostly because there is nothing else there. With Kate the lights are on but no one is home.
There is no protocol stopping Kate or William from being more hands on. Queen Elizabeth directly worked as a mechanic during the war when she was second in line. These two could do something similar to Sophia but choose not to.
Well done, Sofia!
Good for her, and she’s got that smile that says “I’m happy to be here”, too!
I thought that, she looks genuinely proud to be helping out. Good for her!
Yes! Very sweet!
I work in healthcare and there are so many disciplines that go unrecognized. We always try to make sure that Environmental services, clerical, food and nutrition services, plant operations and central supply understand how truly valued they are. They are the hidden gems, and without them, the hospitals wouldn’t be able to continue to provide care. It’s wonderful that a royal sees what an important role these employees play. Thank you Sophia! We need all the help we can get!
Awesome comment!
Sofia doing this – and the explanation what exactly she’ll be doing – is also putting a light on all the functions and work that has to be done to support the doctors and nurses. Work that is often overlooked or looked down but work that is absolutely essential as well. I hadn’t really thought about this until I read about Sofia’s initiative, so just by signing up for this course and then volunteering she’s also put a spotlight on a group of workers and functions that are important. It’s in the news because of who she is, because she is news worthy – and hopefully more people will take the course and volunteer.
Yes.
This is not the same, but definitely invokes for me the work that the Queen did during the second world war. Meghan and Harry would definitely have been the most likely of royals to do this work…. but they were driven out.
If Beatrice is so damn keen to become a full time working royal this would be a great way to show it.
I even side-eye what the Queen did during the war and when she did it. Waiting until the very tail-end of the war to sign up for courses when there was no or very little danger to herself, imo, was a Keen-worthy publicity stunt.
The Queen didn’t turn 18 until near the end of the war, which is why she didn’t enroll in the Auxiliary Territorial Services earlier. Her father was very against her doing it (he thought she was busy enough as heir to the throne) and she enrolled against his wishes. Whether or not it justified the resources to keep her attending, as he insisted she still sleep at Windsor Castle instead of a barracks, is a different question, but it wasn’t a publicity stunt.
@Mary, you do realize that QEII didn’t turn 18 until April 1944? So yes, she did have to wait until the tail-end. Her parents wouldn’t okay it when she was a minor and I don’t blame them. I side-eye a great many things the Queen has done or not done, but volunteering in WWII isn’t one of them.
I really doubt Harry would do something like that
Harry and Meghan have had direct contact with vulnerable people in a city hit hard by Covid-19 by delivering much needed meals to them. In certain areas in the U.S., just by being out and about and in contact with others, in public, you risk infection. So, yes, I can see Harry being both brave and empathetic enough to do what Princess Sofia is doing.
Hasn’t Sophie of Wessex been doing something a bit similar? I think I read somewhere she had been prepping meals for health workers? Not sure it was a recurring “job” though
Being safe in your own backyard (Fergie and Andrew), on a phone (Eugenie) or in a, likely, sanitized room with a limited number of people wearing PPE (Sophie) is very different from a Royal putting herself in a hospital where the possibility of the transmission of Covid-19 is very real. What Sofia is doing is brave. The Yorks and Sophie? Publicity stunts. I also think that what Meghan and Harry have done is brave.
When a royal suits up and risks infection by interacting directly with the public, and not remotely or in a cocoon, they are to be lauded and their bravery in no way should be compared to cheap publicity stunts.
Sophie like Meghan married into a royal family after having had her own life and career. She is used to working. And it shows. Good for her. She is making ALL of these royals look bad lol.
She’s looking like an absolute class act, and I love it. I’m happy to see her doing this because I know she doesn’t HAVE to do it. It’s not like she’s trying to make ends meet or anything – she’s choosing to go put herself out where people could really use the help, and that’s just so fantastic.
Sophie no longer gets a pass from me after the way she treated Harry and Meghan at that Commonwealth church service.
ugh, I know. I just can’t get over that. I was a fan of Sophie before.
Same.
Princess Sofia or Sophie of Wessex?
I take it Erinn meant Princess Sofia. Total respect from me for doing this. She could have used any number of excuses- royalty, mother of young children at home- but she didn’t. I also love that this hospital is a patronage of hers. To me, that’s really showing that she is committed – taking on a patronage like this is taking on a responsibility which she took seriously. She hasn’t let them down. So glad Celebitchy covered this story. Thanks.
That’s incredible. We all need to come together, because this virus doesn’t care about your status.
God bless her! So amazingly selfless
It would be even more remarkable to see anyone in the Dump family do something like this!
This is my favorite story.
This is my favorite story too. I am so in awe of Sofia
That is awesome and inspiring!
Thank goodness for nurses and health care workers, they are absolutely heaven sent when you need it the most!
Someone said she can afford to be in the frontlines as she is not in direct line to the throne, we got to get away from that backwards way of thinking, no life is more or less valuable or disposable than others, unless you are a child. Everyone is important to someone.
BTW she looks great!
Wow. That is amazing. Cleaning, kitchen work, etc. is necessary and important. I’m In awe of her.
I remember people really sh*tting on her hard when they got engaged just because they disagreed with how she earned her money. Makes me super happy to see that she’s turned out to be one of the better royals. Love it.
I remember that, too. They really made fun of her. But she and her husband rode it out, and she has really worked hard on behalf of the Swedish people even before she signed up to help in the hospital. Now look at what an inspiration she has become.
I’m still so impressed with this! How many other royals, who have lived lavishly on the backs of their countrymen, will be giving back in such an incredible way?
Well done Sofia.
Cain and Unable should take heed.
She is the only Royal I want to hear about right now.
WRT the British Royals, all of the other Senior Royals are too old and high risk to do something like this. Cain and Unable well let’s be honest they haven’t done a day’s hard work in their lives. They aren’t going to start now.