Flag-waving Swedes have celebrated as reality show starlet Sofia Hellqvist became a real-life princess by marrying Prince Carl Philip.

A cheer erupted from the crowd outside the palace in Stockholm on Saturday when Carl Philip kissed his bride, a former glamour model, before riding in a horse and carriage through the heart of the capital. Several hundred thousand well-wishers lined the streets.

At the televised ceremony inside the royal chapel, the prince blinked back tears as the bride was led down the aisle to the dramatic tones of Enya’s Father in Heaven.

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The ceremony was witnessed by other royals including Britain’s Prince Edward, Belgium’s Queen Mathilde and Princess Takamado of Japan.

Reminiscent of a scene from the film Love Actually, the newlyweds left the chapel together to a rocky gospel song as the assembled guests clapped to the beat.

Princess Sofia, 30, a slender and elegant brunette with no royal background, is known for her infectious gap-toothed smile and easygoing ways.

She told public broadcaster SVT in an interview aired Friday that the couple clicked after they met at a lunch with mutual friends in 2010.

Princess Sofia together with Prince Carl Philip wave to the crowd from the balcony after their wedding ceremony along with their parents. Photo: AAP

Her husband, 36-year-old Carl Philip, is the second child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and holds the title of Duke of Varmland.

He is third in line to the throne, behind his elder sister Crown Princess Victoria – who also married a commoner – and her three-year-old daughter Princess Estelle.

The prince maintains his royal title thanks to a change of rules in 1980 which makes Hellqvist a princess through marriage.

The Swedish media revealed the prince’s budding relationship with Hellqvist in 2010, titillated by her racy past.

She took part in 2005 in the Swedish reality show Paradise Hotel, where young scantily-clad men and women stay at a luxury resort and compete to be the last contestant voted off the show amid intrigue, scheming and drama.

The year before that, at age 20, she had posed topless with a boa constrictor for the men’s magazine Slitz, winning its Miss Slitz title.

The Swedish media was quick to publish the photos when the couple’s engagement was announced in June 2014.

While the pictures may have raised a few eyebrows, Hellqvist’s colourful past hasn’t led to any major controversy.

“It’s a shame there’s still so much written about that,” she told Swedish Television in a documentary about the royal family in January, referring to the racy photos.

“It was 10 years ago, I’ve gotten on with my life since then … I don’t regret anything,” she said.

Ahead of the wedding, royal-watchers speculated that she may have been under pressure by the palace to remove or hide her tattoos – but they were proven wrong as one on her upper back was clearly visible as she stood at the altar.

The Prince and Princesss during their first dance. Photo: AAP