Princess Sofia of Sweden volunteers at hospital to clean and cook amid global crisis

In a modern-day Princess Diaries style glow up, Princess Sofia of Sweden has traded her royal tiaras for some navy blue scrubs. Determined to do her part during the pandemic, the 35-year-old completed an intensive online training program to become a medical assistant and recently joined the frontline effort at Sophiahemmet Hospital in Stockholm. The mother-of-two announced her new role on Instagram a few days ago by posting a photo of her scrubs—with her name tag "Sofia" printed in all capital letters—and explaining that she will be helping "the care staff with various tasks, including care of patients and cleaning."

According to PEOPLE, Sophiahemmet Hospital—of which the princess is the Honorary Chair—launched the emergency training program to help relieve the extreme strain on healthcare staff amid the pandemic. About 80 people complete the course every week since the launch of the program. Posting a photo of the royal in her new scrubs on Instagram, the hospital wrote: Princess Sofia is not only Sophia's honorary chair but now also works with us. This is after having completed our basic nursing education which has been developed to relieve the now severely strained healthcare staff.

Princess Sofia, the wife of Prince Carl Philip, revealed that with medical assistants like herself helping out at the hospital, Sophiahemmet has extended its resources to other medical facilities in Stockholm. About 40 employees are lent to work in intensive care at emergency hospitals. In addition, Sophiahemmet relieves emergency hospitals by supporting surgery primarily in cancer, she wrote on Instagram. A spokeswoman for Sophiahemmet Hospital explained that the princess and her fellow volunteers will not be working directly with patients but rather supporting doctors and nurses. "They can disinfect equipment, do shifts in the kitchen and cleaning," said Pia Hultkrantz.

"In the crisis we find ourselves in, the Princess wants to get involved and make a contribution as a voluntary worker to relieve the large workload of health care professionals," the Royal Court said in a statement on Wednesday. Like many across the world, the Swedish royal family has transitioned to working from home amid the pandemic. The clan celebrated Easter over a video call, taking the opportunity to highlight the importance of social distancing to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Posting an excerpt from their digital celebration on Instagram, the royal family wrote: Easter celebrations look different in many places this year. There are many who are not given the opportunity to meet loved ones.

The royal family follows the recommendations and does not celebrate a common Easter. However, with technical aids, it is possible to meet digitally to wish Happy Easter, which the Royal Family did earlier in the Easter week, it added. Royal families across Europe have been stepping up their altruistic acts in recent times. For example, Prince William and Kate Middleton have taken their royal duties online, making digital appearances to support and call attention to the work of essential workers and charities during the crisis.

Meanwhile, Sophie Wessex helped prepare food and care packages for NHS staff at her local hospital. The Countess worked alongside volunteers from the UK Army Cadets, NHS foundation, and Army Medical services to provide meals at the Frimley Park hospital, located near her home. According to Daily Mail, the 55-year-old has been eager to help NHS services amid this global crisis, joining arms with London-based hospitality group Rhubarb to help prepare and cook meals for doctors and nurses last week. The organization posted photos of the Countess working alongside others in the kitchens on Instagram, writing: Thank you to Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex for joining us today and working so hard in the kitchen at rhubarb to prepare food for our heroic NHS Hospital Teams. With further thanks to MarshallWace – Mealforce and Helpforce - for their generosity in funding this.