Princess Sofia of Sweden is temporarily trading in her tiara for scrubs amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Swedish royal (who married Prince Carl Philip in 2015) announced on Instagram on Thursday, April 16, that she’d gone through training and started working as a medical assistant at Sophiahemmet hospital in Stockholm to help in the fight against COVID-19. As you can see below, her ID card simply reads “Sofia.” The princess is also the honorary chairperson of the hospital.
“I am now placed in one of the hospital’s care departments, where together with other newly trained colleagues, I support and relieve the health care staff with different tasks,” Princess Sofia wrote on Instagram, explaining that her tasks will include cleaning and caring for patients.
“To have the opportunity to help in this difficult time is extremely rewarding,” she concluded. “Thanks!”
So how did she get this job? Well, an emergency program allows 80 people a week to take a three-day course at Sophiahemmet University College to learn how to support medical staff. According to a hospital spokesperson, the volunteers “can disinfect equipment, do shifts in the kitchen, and clean.”
Although the Sophiahemmet hospital has no confirmed coronavirus cases, it’s reportedly overwhelmed due to COVID-19. In a statement on Wednesday, April 15, the royal court said, “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.”
Princess Sofia of Sweden with assistant nurse Anna Kyhlstedt during Princess Sofia’s first day at work at Sophiahemmet hospital in Stockholm
Getty ImagesEarlier this month, Miss England 2019, Bhasha Mukherjee, returned to work as a junior doctor at the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, England. “When you are doing all this humanitarian work abroad, you’re still expected to put the crown on, get ready…look pretty,” she told CNN at the time. “I wanted to come back home. I wanted to come and go straight to work.”
As news about the novel coronavirus pandemic rapidly evolves, Glamour is committed to bringing our readers accurate and up-to-date information. As a result, information in this story and others like it may be updated. For the most recent news about COVID-19, please visit the CDC, WHO, and your state’s Department of Health.