Swedish prince in steamy waterside sauna battle

Despite a no from local authorities, Swedish prince Carl Philip is adamant he wants a waterside sauna and his appealing the decision that the project would be in violation of Sweden’s environmental laws.

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“We will meet with the court soon and this will be appealed, I can say as much as that,” said Tommy Hansson of the local building contractor firm Helge Hanssons Byggnads AB, which has applied for the dispensation for the prince, to local paper Södermanlands Nyheter.

Carl Philip and his girlfriend, former reality show contestant and glamour model Sofia Hellkvist, have long had their hearts set on a sauna next to the sea at the prince’s inherited country estate Ökenäs near Källvik in Södermanland county, south of Stockholm.

However, in Sweden, environmental laws prohibit anyone to build closer than 100-300 metres near water, safeguarding both animal wildlife and the public right of access.

To circumvent these rules, any would-be builders can apply for a dispensation from local authorities, which will then be considered by the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen).

Trosa municipality first granted the prince dispensation but had to retract the permission after intervention from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC). On Monday, the agency told the prince that there would be no dispensation from the rules.

“It is strange how the agency has ruled, considering we have done everything right with each application,” Hansson told the paper.

However, the prince and his girlfriend refuse to give up on their waterside sauna and now have three weeks to appeal the decision to the land and environment court (mark-och miljödomstolen) in Stockholm.

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