- Royal kinship now encompasses four-parent lineages as well.
On September 2nd, an unexpected announcement came from the Swedish palace: Prince Carl Philip (45) and his wife Sofia (39) are expecting their fourth child, due in February 2025. The couple currently has three sons: Princes Alexander (8), Gabriel (7), and Julian (3). This makes them the largest royal family in Sweden, surpassing King Carl Gustaf (78) and Queen Silvia (80), who each have three children, as well as Carl Philip's younger sister Madeleine (42) and Crown Princess Victoria (47) who each have two children.
This isn't an unusual occurrence among royal families. Several royals, including Carl Philip and Sofia, have been blessed with four children.
Sizable royal families in Denmark, Belgium, and Jordan
The Danish royals are particularly fertile. King Frederik X (56) and Queen Mary (52) have Crown Prince Christian (18), Princess Isabella (17), and the twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine (13). Prince Joachim (55), the king's brother, also has four children. He fathered two sons and a daughter from his first marriage and a son and daughter with his second wife, Princess Marie (48).
The Belgian royal family is also quite large. King Philippe (64) and Queen Mathilde (51) have two daughters and two sons. There's a chance that Crown Princess Elisabeth (22) will join their ranks.
Princess Caroline of Monaco (67) is another mother of four. From her marriage to Stefano Casiraghi (1960-1990), she has sons Andrea (40) and Pierre (36) and a daughter Charlotte (38). With her third husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover (70), she had a daughter, Princess Alexandra (25), at the age of 42 in 1999.
King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein (62) of Jordan and his wife, Queen Rania (54), are also parents to four children. They have two sons, Crown Prince Hussein (30) and Prince Hashem (19), and two daughters, Princess Iman (27) and Princess Salma (23).
Interestingly, Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), the former British monarch, was also a mother of four. With her husband, Prince Philip (1921-2021), she had three sons and a daughter.
Nobles with even more children
Historically, many royals had numerous children. For instance, Queen Victoria (1818-1901) of Britain had nine children. However, today, royal families with more than four children are relatively uncommon. Grand Duke Henri (69) and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (68) of Luxembourg have five children. The German Stephanie Countess von Pfuel (63) gave birth to six children. Regrettably, their large family faced a tragedy in 2019 when their son Charly passed away in a car accident at the age of 26.
In the global realm of royal families, Carl Philip and Sofia from Sweden join other esteemed parents with four children.The Danish royals, led by King Frederik X and Queen Mary, share this distinction with Carl Philip and Sofia, as they too have four children.
