Sofia Hellqvist's ancestry

Following the announcement of the engagement between Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist last Friday, 27 June 2014, the genealogist and publisher Ted Rosvall has worked hard to trace the ancestors of the (most likely) princess-to-be and future member of the Bernadotte family. The second edition of Rosvall's book Bernadotteättlingar (The Bernadotte Descendants) was published in 2010.

Ted Rosvall's first results were published in the blog Rötter (Roots) on the website of Sveriges Släktforskarförbund (Swedish Roots, Sweden's Genealogists' Society), on Monday 30 June 2014. The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet followed up with an article on 1 July 2014, in which also the Älvdalen genealogist Roland Skoglund was interviewed. Skoglund, who is chairman of Runslingan, Uppland Genealogical Society, has in earlier works covered the population of Älvdalen from the period 1600-1900. Because of Skoglund's work, which I hope will eventually end up with a published genealogy of Sofia Hellqvist's mother's family, Ted Rosvall has focused his research on Sofia's father's family.

Based on the above-mentoned articles and Ratsit, a credit report company which at it's website has public records from the Swedish public register, I can present a short summary of Sofia Hellqvist's ancestry.

1. Sofia Kristina Hellqvist, b. Danderyd Hospital 6 December 1984, later moved to Älvdalen
2. Erik Oscar Hellqvist, b. --- Denmark 3 June 1949.
3. Marie Britt Rotman, b. Älvdalen 2 May 1957.
4. Stig Hellqvist (deceased)
5. Ingrid --- (deceased)
6. Janne Herbert Ribbe Rotman, d. 1996.
7. Britt Ingegerd ---, b. 10 June 1937.

Sofia's sisters are Lina Maria Hellqvist, b. 16 January 1982, who lives in Stockholm, and Sara Helena Hellqvist, b. 30 May 1988, who lives in Sollentuna.

Sofia's grandfather Stig was born in Lidhamn outside Malmö, but his father was a handelsresande (salesman/commercial traveller) from Norrköping. Going one generation further back, we find tullvaktmästare (some sort of customs officer) Anders Fredrik (Andersson) Hellqvist (1850-1927), who was born in Norrköping/Hedvig as the son of factory worker Anders Nilsson and Anna Maria Persdotter (1823-1904).

The surname Hellqvist actually stems from the latter's family. Her father, grenadier Petter Häll/Hell (1793-1852), was from Hällebyle i Gistad parish. At least one of his children, Johan Fredrik (1833-1916), later took the surname Hellqvist, something his sister's son also settled on. Peter Häll was born in Svinstad parish southeast of Linköping. Svinstad was in 1804 renamed Bankekind, possibly because of the original name (svin means swine/pig). As Rosvall sums up, in Sofia's father's family we only find commoners - cotters/crofters, soldiers and workers. On her mother's side, 3/4 of the family has roots in Älvdalen in Dalarna, and most of them were farmers.Through her Älvdalen family Sofia Hellqvist is related to Gyris Marit Ersdotter, who died in captivity in 1669, most likely she suffered death at the stake for witchcraft.

I am sure that more details will be published as we get closer to the wedding next summer. In the meantime, you can also find some information at Nobiliana provided by Netty Leistra.

Updated on 19 June 2015 at 10.55 (place of birth for Sofia corrected from Täby, where the family lived at the time, to Danderyd Hospital, cf. Kungahuset.se). Updated on 21 April 2016 (spelling of Sofia's father's name). Updated on 28 March 2021 (the death year of no. 6 Janne Herbert Ribbe Rotman corrected from 2005 to 1996, cf. Sveriges Dödbok 1860-2016).