Four-month-old Princess Ines of Sweden made her first official public appearance on Friday, joining her parents, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, to open the Royal Palace in Stockholm for National Day celebrations.
The infant princess helped her parents welcome visitors to the palace as part of Sweden's traditional June 6 festivities, marking her debut at an official royal event.
The royal couple opened the palace's southern gates at 10am local time, welcoming the public to the inner courtyard for special visiting hours.
It marked Princess Ines's second public appearance since her birth on February 7, having previously appeared on the palace balcony for King Carl XVI Gustaf's 79th birthday on April 30.
Swedish royal baby Princess Ines made her official debut alongside her parents Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip
Pelle T Nilsson/SPA
Princess Sofia carried her daughter in her arms for the brief appearance, with both mother and baby dressed in matching traditional Swedish national costumes featuring blue and yellow colours reflecting the national flag.
The 40-year-old princess wore the traditional Sverigedräkten whilst her infant daughter sported a miniature version of the outfit, complete with a white shirt underneath and white tights.
In a video shared on Instagram, the royal couple wrote: "Glad nationaldag. Today we opened the Royal Palace for visitors."
The footage showed them opening the palace's massive wooden doors with Princess Ines before greeting visitors from the Swedish Scouts and the Prince Couple's Foundation.
Princess Ines was first seen publicly druing King Carl XVI Gustaf's 79th birthday celebrations
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Prince Carl Philip delivered a speech in the courtyard, saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome to the Royal Palace. How nice that so many of you have come here today!"
He continued: "Being able to gather here on Sweden's National Day means a lot to my family and me.
"The royal palaces are an important part of our cultural heritage. Therefore, it is a pleasure to welcome you into these unique environments filled with history, art and stories," he concluded.
Whilst Prince Carl Philip joined other senior royals for the main proceedings, Princess Sofia, currently on maternity leave, spent the remainder of the day privately with their four children.
Princess Sofia was previously feared to miss the national celebrations
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The appearance of Princess Sofia and Princess Ines will come as a delight to royal watchers as it had previously been announced that the new mother had withdrawn from official National Day celebrations just days before they are due to start, despite being originally confirmed to attend the event.
Sweden's Royal Court confirmed that the royal would be absent from the service last week without giving a reason.
Sofia has previously missed events after welcoming Ines, notably skipping a State Banquet which was held during Iceland's state visit to the country last month.
Parents in Sweden are legally entitled to a total of 480 days of paid parental leave when a child is born or adopted.
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The young princess will be christened next Friday, 13 June, at Drottningholm Palace Chapel, coinciding with Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's tenth wedding anniversary.
Princess Ines, whose full name is Princess Ines Marie Lilian Silvia, was given middle names honouring both grandmothers - Sofia's mother Marie and Queen Silvia.
The infant is eighth in line to the throne and holds the title Duchess of Västerbotten, bestowed by her grandfather at birth.
She joins three older brothers: Prince Alexander, nine, Prince Gabriel, seven, and Prince Julian, four, completing the family of Prince Carl Philip, second child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
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