Princess Sofia Of Sweden Switches Her Tiara For Scrubs To Help Fight COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis has forced all of us to change our habits. For Princess Sofia of Sweden, this includes volunteering to be a medical assistant at a hospital in Stockholm.
Sofia is one of many European royals who are going out of their way to help during the pandemic, setting a high standard for celebrities and other philanthropists around the world.
Sofia Becomes a Medical Assistant
Princess Sofia of Sweden, wife of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, has completed online training to become a medical assistant at the Sophiahemmet Hospital in Stockholm to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. She made the announcement on Instagram, where she wrote, “I am now placed in one of the hospital’s care departments, where together with other newly trained colleagues, I support and relieve the healthcare staff with different tasks. To have the opportunity to help at this difficult time is extremely rewarding.”
The Swedish Royal Court also wrote, “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.”
She will not be interacting with sick patients, as her responsibilities include sterilizing medical equipment, cooking, and cleaning for medical staff. Sofia is no stranger to medical-related charity work. She is an honorary chairman of Sophiahemmet Hospital. There are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in the hospital, but there are 12,500 cases in Sweden.
Why It Matters
It’s easy to shrug off stories of European royals because their roles are largely symbolic. However, this pandemic has shown the altruistic nature of royals around Europe. Prince William and Kate Middleton have reached out to teachers working during the pandemic and are dedicating their charity to helping COVID-19 relief. Prince William is rumored to be returning to his old job as an ambulance pilot and virtually attended an opening for a hospital he helped to fund in Birmingham. Despite being diagnosed with COVID-19, Prince Charles also helped fund a hospital and virtually attended the opening.
“To have the opportunity to help at this difficult time is extremely rewarding.”
Despite no longer being a senior member of the Royal Family, Prince Harry made a video call to parents of children with COVID-19, calling them “super parents”. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, has also put her cooking skills to charitable use by cooking meals for NHS workers.
Queen Elizabeth II has proven her strong leadership during the crisis. During a recent speech, she sent out a message of unity with the message, “We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."
This proves that European royal families have evolved. They’re no longer the tyrannical monarchs of the past but kind-hearted public servants who often show the best humanity has to offer. In a world desperate for positivity, the royals are spoiling us.
Closing Thoughts
Princess Sofia is one of the many royals who proves that she isn’t all talk when it comes to charity work. In times like this, it’s important to focus on the positive, and royals going out of their way to help their people is one uplifting example.