NordenBladet – Princess Sofia of Sweden gave birth to her third child on Friday at 11.19 am at Danderyd Hospital. King Carl XVI Gustaf revealed the name of his two-day-old grandson this morning in a cabinet meeting with the Prime Minister.
The new royal’s names are Julian Herbert Folke, and he is the Duke of Halland. So, where did his names come from?
The name Julian was selected by Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia for the simple reason that they liked it. It does not have any family links. In 2020, the name Julian ranked 74th in Swedish names, so it is not an overly popular name in the Scandinavian country either.
The middle name Herbert honours Princess Sofia’s late grandfather, who went by Herbert. Information Manager at the Royal Court, Margareta Thorgen, told Svenskdam: “The name Herbert in Prince Julian’s name is after Princess Sofia’s grandfather, who was named Herbert in his middle name.”
The name Folke is after the King and Count Folke Bernadotte. Folke is one of the King’s middle names, and he was named after the Count, who was a World War II hero that saved many Jews and non-Jews from the Nazis. Learn more about Folke Bernadotte’s heroism here.
With the little royal’s middle names, Carl Philip and Sofia have paid tribute to beloved family members while also giving him an ‘unroyal’ first name – fitting as he does not have the Royal Highness style and will not have the pressure of representing the Royal Family as he becomes an adult.
Photo by HRH Prince Carl Philip/Kungahuset