Sweden's Prince Carl Philip to marry ex-topless model

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Sweden's Prince Carl Philip will marry former topless model and reality TV star Sofia Hellqvist on June 13, the Royal Court said on Thursday.

The 35-year-old prince, who is third in line to the throne, will marry Hellqvist in the chapel of the Royal Palace in Stockholm after a five-year relationship.

It will be the third royal wedding in Sweden in four years, after Crown Princess Victoria's in 2010 and baby sister Madeleine's in 2013.

Ms Hellqvist, 29, was a well-known figure in Sweden years before meeting the royal couple's only son in 2009.

In 2004, she posed topless for a men's magazine and the following year took part in "Paradise Hotel", a TV programme Swedish media labeled as "scandal reality".

In 2010, the same year her relationship with Carl Philip became official, she founded Project Playground, a children's rights non-profit organisation in South Africa, following in the footsteps of Queen Silvia and Princess Madeleine, who are both heavily involved in charity work.

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