In just two weeks, Sofia Hellqvist will officially join the Swedish royal family and become Princess Sofia of Sweden. Much like the attention given to the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton following her engagement to Prince William in 2010, royal fans have been keen to see the fashion choices Sofia has made since her intention to wed Prince Carl Philip was announced in October 2014.It seems that Kate, who has effortlessly transformed into the perfect princess since her wedding day in April 2011, has influenced and inspired Sofia's style in the run-up to her new role.
Many of Sofia's recent sartorial choices have echoed some of Kate's best fashion moments, from the designers and styles she has chosen, to the similar colour palettes.Given that Sofia and Kate have similar complexions and long brunette locks, it is little wonder that Prince Carl Phillip's fiancé wore a vibrant blue dress for her engagement photoshoot as it is a colour regularly sported by the Duchess – and the one she chose when she famously met the media at St James's Palace when her engagement was first announced.
The elegant royal blue wraparound dress with three quarter-length sleeves which Sofia wore for the photoshoot also closely resembled the electric blue Trina dress by Reiss which Kate stepped out in to make her first official speech at the Treehouse children's hospice in 2012. And while Kate wore a cream dress for her official engagement photos, the snaps of Sofia and Carl Philip beaming and standing in each other's arms certainly echoed the love and warmth William and Kate portrayed with their similar pose.
Several of Sofia's evening looks have channelled outfits that Kate has previously worn.The black Diane Von Furstenburg gown that Kate sported when she attended The Royal Variety Show with Prince William in November 2014 seems to have been of particular inspiration to Sofia. The future princess wore a similar black jewel-encrusted dress to an official dinner at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.
For Queen Silvia's 70th birthday celebrations in November 2013, Sofia stepped out in a similar navy gown by Tadashi Shoji – the Japanese designer whose creations have been worn by Princess Madeleine, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg and the Duchess of Cambridge herself.Kate's penchant for monochrome ensembles has also been reflected in Sofia's outfit choices of late. Prince William's wife teamed a cream coat dress with a statement black hat for Trooping the Colour in 2011, a look echoed by Sofia during her wedding bann service on 17 May.
While the Duchess of Cambridge has clearly influenced Sofia's fashion choices however, the former model has also taken inspiration from her future sister-in-laws Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine on numerous occasions.For a meeting of the Royal Swedish Academy in December 2014, Sofia chose a grey gown crossed at the chest, which strongly resembled the green dress Princess Madeleine wore to the same event and a teal number the Duchess had previously sported on several occasions.
Royal fashion watchers are now keen to see if any of Sofia's royal style inspirations have any bearing on her eagerly anticipated wedding dress.While Victoria and Kate chose designers from their respective home countries Pär Engsheden from Sweden and Cheshire-born Sarah Burton from the United Kingdom, Madeleine opted for Italian fashion maestro Valentino Garavani.
