Princess Sofia's son Gabriel is her blue-eyed twin in birthday portrait – see photo

It's a big family milestone for the Swedish royal family as Prince Gabriel, the second son of Prince Carl-Philip and Princess Sofia turns nine. Born Gabriel Carl Walther on the 31 of August 2017, the young prince is sixth in line to the Swedish throne after his aunt, cousins and father. 

To mark the special occasion, his doting parents have shared a new portrait of Gabriel in a grey cable knit Tommy Hilfiger jumper in front of what appears to be a dining table. The image is captioned: "Today we are celebrating our beloved Gabriel, who is turning 9 years old!" accompanied by a heart and cake emoji.

© Instagram

Most striking is the nine-year-old's resemblance to his mother Sofia, as they share the same blue-grey eyes and smile, making Gabriel her little doppelganger. 

When Gabriel was born, Prince Carl-Philip remarked to reporters: "We are really happy. He's a very cute boy.

"It feels great, pure joy! He seems to be a very charming little boy and Sofia is a wonderful mum. It's overwhelming. He has a draw of both me and Sofia."

© WireImage

At the time, the Swedish royals explained how much energy having two under two required from them both. Of course, things have moved on fairly quickly for the doting parents, as they are now a family of six, welcoming Prince Julian in 2021, and Princess Ines in 2025.

Is Prince Gabriel HRH?

In 2019, King Carl XVI Gustaf took the decision that some of his grandchildren should be removed from the royal house, meaning that they no longer have the title of royal highness and will not be called upon to perform official royal duties. This also means that those grandchildren will not be entitled to receive appanage, the taxpayer-funded annual sum which is given to members of the royal house.

© Getty Images

Prince Gabriel, while retaining his title of Prince and Duke of Dalarna, is not given the HRH title. The same change affects his siblings, but not Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, the children of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, as they are in the immediate line of royal succession.