Category Archives: Norwegian Royals

King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway

By Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

King Carl XV of Sweden (and King Karl IV of Norway) was the third monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty which has reigned in Sweden since 1818. He was born Prince Carl Ludwig Eugen of Sweden, Duke of Skåne, on May 3, 1826, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, the eldest child of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg. He had four younger siblings:

Carl was educated privately, earning his baccalaureate in December 1843, and then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Christiania (Oslo) and the University of Uppsala. From a young age, he was drawn to the arts. He served as an officer in the Swedish army, having been given his first officer’s commission in 1841 by his grandfather, King Carl XIV Johan. Following his father’s accession to the throne in 1844, and following a tradition dating back to the 1700s, Carl was appointed chancellor of the Universities of Uppland and Lund in 1844.

Wedding of Carl and Louise of the Netherlands- source: Wikipedia

On June 19, 1850, Carl married Princess Louise of the Netherlands at the Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm. She was the daughter of Prince Fredrik of the Netherlands (a son of King Willem I) and Princess Luise of Prussia (a daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III). The marriage had been arranged by Carl’s father who wanted to establish familial relationships between the relatively new Bernadotte dynasty and some of the much older ruling dynasties in Europe. They had two children:

The marriage was never happy. While Louise was smitten with her husband, he was rather indifferent to her and took many mistresses and fathered several illegitimate children. After the death of their son in 1854, and discovering that she could no longer bear children, Louise offered Carl a divorce but he refused.

In February 1856, Carl was appointed Viceroy of Norway and spent a year and a half in his father’s “other land”. While in Norway, Carl indulged his interest in drawing and painting, along with his desire to be involved in politics. He developed a strong friendship with King Frederik VII of Denmark, which led to improved relations between the Scandinavian countries. In September 1857, Carl returned to Sweden where he served as Regent for his ailing father for nearly two years.

King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon his father’s death on July 8, 1859, Carl ascended to the thrones of Sweden – as King Karl XV – and Norway – as King Karl IV. He was crowned in Sweden on May 3, 1860, and in Norway on August 5, 1860. Despite his abrupt manner, he is noted as one of the most successful sovereigns in Sweden. During his reign, he oversaw the enactment of communal law, ecclesiastical law, and criminal law, and in 1858, passed the law of legal majority for unmarried women. He is also noted for helping Louis De Geer reform the Swedish Parliament in 1866.

Tombs of King Carl XV and Queen Louise on the right; Photo © Susan Flantzer

After becoming ill the previous year, King Karl XV died from tuberculosis on September 18, 1872, in Malmö, Sweden.  He is buried in the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm. As he had no surviving son, the Swedish and Norwegian thrones passed to his younger brother King Oscar II. However, through his daughter, King Karl XV’s descendants occupy the thrones of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Norway, along with the former throne of Greece.

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Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway was the wife of King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway, born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte. She was born Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, on November 8, 1777, in Marseille, France, the youngest of the nine children of François Clary, a wealthy French merchant, and his second wife Françoise Rose Somis. Through Désirée, her parents are the ancestors of the royal families of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Désirée had eight siblings:

  • Joseph Nicolas Clary, 1st Comte Clary et de l’Empire, (1760 – 1823), married Anne Jeanne Rouyer
  • Joseph Honoré Clary (1762 – 1764), died in childhood
  • Marie Anne Rose Clary (1764 – 1835), married Antoine-Ignace Anthoine, baron de Saint-Joseph et de l’Empire, Mayor of Marseille
  • Marseille Clary (1764 – 1784), unmarried
  • Justinien François Clary (1766 – 1794), unmarried
  • Catherine Honorine Clary (1769 – 1843), married Henri Joseph Gabriel Blait de Villeneufve
  • Julie Clary (1771 – 1845), married Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and Sicily, King of Spain and the Indies, elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte
  • Basile Clary (1774 – 1781), died in childhood

Désirée had four half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Gabrielle Fléchon (1732–1758):

  • François-Joseph Clary (1752 – 1753), died in infancy
  • Marie-Jeanne Clary (1754 – 1815), married (1) Louis Honoré Lejeans (2) Emmanuel Mathieu Pézenas, Baron de Pluvinal
  • Marie Thérèse Catherine Clary (1755 – 1818), married Lazare Lejeans
  • Étienne François Clary (1757 – 1823), married Marcelle Guey, had two children

Désirée was educated at a convent in her early years, before returning home to her family during the French Revolution. Several years later, she met Joseph Bonaparte, the elder brother of Napoleon, and the two became engaged. Soon after, Napoleon suggested that Joseph should instead marry Désirée’s sister Julie and that he would marry Désirée. They became engaged in April 1795, but Napoleon soon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais, and the engagement ended in September 1795. Désirée spent the next several years living with her sister and brother-in-law in Genoa and Rome. While in Rome in 1797, she became engaged to a French general Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, allegedly arranged by Napoleon. They were to marry on December 31, 1797, but Duphot was shot and killed in a riot the previous day.

Désirée’s husband Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, the future King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Returning to Paris, Désirée soon met Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a noted French general and future King of Sweden. The couple married on August 17, 1798, and had one son:

In 1804, Bernadotte was made Marshal of France, and Désirée was given an allowance by Napoleon, as well as a house on the Rue d’Anjou Saint-Honoré in Paris, France. Désirée maintained this house for the rest of her life, living there whenever she was in Paris. With her husband often gone, Désirée installed herself in the ranks of Parisian high society, spending her time with both the Bonaparte and Clary families. She occasionally traveled to see her husband but quickly returned to Paris, the only place she felt at home.

Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway. portrait by François Gérard, c.1810. source: Wikipedia

In 1809, King Carl XIII of Sweden ascended the throne of Sweden. He had no living children, and his adopted son and heir died the following year. The Swedes had the idea to offer the position of Crown Prince to one of Napoleon’s Marshals. On August 21, 1810, the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates elected Désirée’s husband Jean Baptiste Bernadotte as Crown Prince of Sweden. He arrived in Stockholm in November 1810 and was formally adopted by the King Carl III of Sweden, taking the name Carl Johan, and converting from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism.

The new Crown Prince of Sweden was actively involved in the events leading up to the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, in which Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden. Unlike the previous union with Denmark, this was a personal union under a single sovereign, and Norway remained an independent state with its own constitution. King Carl XIII of Sweden also reigned as King Karl II of Norway. The separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway were under a common monarch from 1814 until its dissolution in 1905.

Not wanting to leave Paris, Désirée did not initially accompany her husband to Sweden. She finally made the trip in December 1810 and was immediately unhappy. She found the Swedish weather very harsh, and could not adapt to the formality and responsibilities of her new role as Crown Princess. Added to that was a very difficult relationship with the wife of King Carl XIII of Sweden, Queen Hedwig, who complained, perhaps rightfully so, about Désirée’s constant complaints about everything that was not French.  The following year, Désirée left Sweden and returned to Paris, where, she acted as a go-between and mediator between her husband and Emperor Napoleon and kept her husband fully advised of the political events in Europe. After Napoleon was overthrown, Désirée often spent time with the court of King Louis XVIII of France.

King Carl XIII of Sweden/King Karl II of Norway died on February 5, 1818, and Bernadotte ascended the thrones of Sweden and Norway as King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway. However, Désirée, the new Queen of Sweden and Norway, remained in Paris. It would be several years before she made her return to Sweden. In 1822, her son, now Crown Prince Oscar of Sweden and Norway, toured Europe to find a bride and met with his mother twice. The following year, in June 1823, Désirée returned to Sweden, accompanying her future daughter-in-law Princess Josephine of Leuchtenberg, the granddaughter of Napoleons’s first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais from her first marriage to Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, who had been guillotined during the French Revolution. Although Désirée planned to make just a temporary visit, she remained in Sweden for the rest of her life.

Coronation of Queen Desideria in Sweden, August 1829, by Fredric Westin. source: Wikipedia

Désirée’s coronation was delayed due to the long time she remained in France and the potential religious issues stemming from her remaining a Roman Catholic and not converting to Lutheranism like her husband and son. Finally, on August 21, 1829, Queen Desideria, her official name although she never used it herself, was crowned Queen of Sweden. She was never crowned in Norway due to her religion.

Désirée attempted to fulfill her role as Queen Consort, holding parties and balls, but she soon grew tired of it and longed to return to Paris. Her lack of effort to embrace her new homeland, and her refusal to learn the languages of either Sweden or Norway, led to her never being fully accepted by the Swedish or Norwegian people. Her less-than-royal roots did not help either. She was better received in Norway, where she visited several times, and served as patron of the Eugenia Foundation from 1828 until 1847. Despite plans to return to her home in Paris in 1853, Désirée’s fear of sea travel prevented her from making the trip. She spent her remaining years in Sweden, splitting her time between her apartments at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, Drottningholm Palace, and Haga Palace.

Queen Desideria’s tomb; source: Wikipedia

Désirée died on December 17, 1860, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. Following her funeral in January 1861, she was interred in the Bernadotte Chapel at the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, in front of her husband’s tomb.

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Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway was born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte on January 26, 1763, in Pau, France. He was the youngest of five children of Jean Henri Bernadotte and Jeanne de Saint-Jean. He was educated to follow his father in the law profession but seems to have had no interest. Following his father’s death, Jean ended his studies and joined the military, where he quickly stood out for his courage and leadership. During the French Revolution, he rose quickly through the ranks, attaining the rank of Brigadier General in 1794.

Désirée Clary, 1807 portrait by Robert Lefèvre. source: Wikipedia

On August 16, 1798, Bernadotte married Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, known as Désirée, whose sister Julie Clary was married to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother. Désirée had previously been engaged to Napoleon. They had one son:

In 1804, Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor of France and appointed Bernadotte Marshal of France. He served for several months as Governor of the recently-occupied Hanover, and in December 1805, took part in the battle of Austerlitz. In recognition of his efforts at Austerlitz, Napoleon created Bernadotte Prince of Pontecorvo, a small principality in Italy.

Bernadotte’s relationship with Napoleon was often strained, but the Emperor respected Bernadotte greatly. Bernadotte often went against the Emperor’s orders during battle, at least once being stripped of his command. Despite this, he was later appointed Governor of Rome but never took up the position. Instead, he would find himself heading north to Sweden.

In 1809, King Carl XIII of Sweden ascended the throne of Sweden. He had no living children, and his adopted son and heir died the following year. The Swedes had the idea to offer the position of Crown Prince to one of Napoleon’s Marshals. Bernadotte was well-liked in Sweden, particularly because of his considerate treatment of Swedish prisoners during the recent war with Denmark. In addition, he had a connection to Napoleon and already had a son who could continue the succession. On August 21, 1810, the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates elected Bernadotte as Crown Prince. He arrived in Stockholm in November 1810 and was formally adopted by the King Carl III of Sweden, taking the name Carl Johan, and converting from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism.

The new Crown Prince quickly took an active role in the Swedish government, particularly in the area of foreign policy. He was actively involved in the events leading up to the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, in which Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden. Norway refused to accept the treaty at first, and the Crown Prince invaded, quickly suppressing the Norwegian forces. Soon, Norway became united with Sweden at the Convention of Moss. Unlike the previous union with Denmark, this was a personal union under a single sovereign, and Norway remained an independent state with its own constitution.  The separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway were under a common monarch from 1814 until its dissolution in 1905.

Coronation in Norway, painting by Jacob Munch. source: Wikipedia

King Carl XIII of Sweden/King Karl II of Norway died on February 5, 1818, and Bernadotte ascended the thrones of Sweden and Norway. His coronation in Sweden took place on May 11, 1818, at the Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) in Stockholm, Sweden and he took the name Carl XIV Johan. Thus began the Bernadotte dynasty in Sweden, which continues today. In September 1818, he was crowned at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway as King Karl III Johan of Norway.

Following his accession, the King soon lost much of his popularity with the Swedish and Norwegian people. In Norway, his role in the events of 1814 and his constant attempts to change the constitution to allow him great powers, caused him to be viewed skeptically by the people. His attempts to squash the celebrations of Norway’s National Day (May 17th) – going so far as making it illegal – further cemented the negative views of the Norwegians.

In Sweden, where he enjoyed much more power and control, his conservative almost autocratic views caused significant dissent among the population. By the 1830s, there were calls for his abdication, however, he held onto his throne and seems to have regained the respect of many of his subjects.

Tomb of King Carl XIV John and his wife Desiree. photo © Susan Flantzer

On his 81st birthday in January 1844, King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway suffered a stroke, from which he never recovered. He died on March 8, 1844, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. Following his funeral, he was interred at the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

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Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Skaugum Estate

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

source: The Royal House of Norway, photo: Cornelius Poppe, Scanpix

source: The Royal House of Norway, Photo: Cornelius Poppe, Scanpix

Skaugum Estate

Located in Asker, the Skaugum Estate is the home of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and their family and has been the official residence of the heir to the Norwegian throne since 1929. It is privately owned.  The estate encompasses approximately 242 acres, of which 118 are farmed and 124 are forests. In addition to the main house, there are numerous other buildings and structures, many of which are lodgings for current and former employees of the estate.

the original house, c.1921. source: Wikipedia

The property had once been a monastery and was affiliated with the Church of Mary in Oslo. After changing hands several times, it was purchased by Fritz Wedel Jarlsberg, a Minister in the Norwegian government, in 1909. When Crown Prince Olav (later King Olav V) married Princess Märtha of Sweden in 1929, it was necessary for them to have their own home. Jarlsberg arranged to sell the property to Olav, and the newly married couple took up residency after their marriage.

The new house, c1932. source: Wikipedia

The original building was destroyed by fire in 1930, and a new structure was built on the foundations of the old one. The new building was completed in 1932.

In 1968, upon the marriage of Crown Prince Harald (later King Harald V) to Sonja Haraldsen, King Olav transferred ownership of the property to his son. In turn, King Harald gave the property to Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, upon his marriage to Mette-Marit Høiby. Following extensive renovations, partially funded by the Norwegian government, the couple took up residence just before Christmas 2003.

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit at Skaugum. source: The Royal House of Norway

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit at Skaugum. source: The Royal House of Norway

The L-shaped building includes several representation rooms on the main floor, with the private living quarters upstairs. It is designed to be, first and foremost, a family home, while also being able to accommodate official functions and events for the couple.

Learn more about the other Norwegian Royal Residences here!

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The Royal Palace, Oslo

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

source: Wikipedia, photo: Bjørn Erik Pedersen

The Royal Palace, Oslo

Located in central Oslo, The Royal Palace is the primary official residence of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, and the seat of the Norwegian Monarchy. It is the site of many annual events and national festivities, as well as host to many State and official visits from foreign heads-of-state.

In 1814, Norway became an independent kingdom and was ruled under a personal union with the Kingdom of Sweden. Finding that the sovereigns were spending more time visiting Christiania (as Oslo was called at the time), King Carl III Johan (Carl XIV Johan of Sweden) decided that a true palace was needed. After selecting the location in 1821, and getting the Norwegian parliament to allocate funding, work began on the site and the King laid the cornerstone of the palace in 1825.

The building was initially designed to be in the shape of an ‘H’, with two wings extending from the front and back of the main block. However, due to excessive costs and several delays, the design was later changed to have just two wings off the back of the palace, and the addition of a third story to the building. After King Carl III John’s death in 1844, it was also found that the private apartments were not sufficient for the new King Oscar I’s larger family, so the two wings were extended to accommodate them. With construction finally completed, the palace was inaugurated by King Oscar I on July 26, 1849, in the presence of the entire Royal Family.

King Haakon VII and Queen Maud at their coronation, 1906. source: Wikipedia

In 1905, the personal union between Norway and Sweden came to an end, and Prince Carl of Denmark was elected as the new King of Norway, taking the name Haakon VII. The palace was quickly updated to be used as a permanent residence, and the new King Haakon VII and Queen Maud took up residence in November 1905. During the reigns of Haakon VII and his son Olav V, minor maintenance of the palace was carried out, but by the time King Harald V came to the throne in 1991, the palace was in dire need of repair. A six-year project was undertaken, which included updating the electrical and plumbing systems, as well as extensive renovation and restoration of the building itself. After completion in 1999, a separate project began to update the Royal Apartments, which would take nearly two years to complete. The most recent project has been the rehabilitation of the roof over the main block of the palace, which took place in 2011-2012.

Some of the rooms in the palace are:

The Council Room. source: The Government of Norway, photo: Cornelius Poppe, NTB Scanpix

The Council Chamber.  King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon meeting with the Council of State, 2013. source: The Government of Norway, Photo: Cornelius Poppe, NTB Scanpix

The Council Chamber is the room in which The King holds a meeting of the Council of State each week. The original council chamber was part of the King’s private apartments on the second floor but was moved to the first floor under King Haakon VII. Due to the increasing size of the council, the room was expanded by combining it with an adjacent antechamber in the 1990s.

The Bird Room. source: The Royal Court, Photo: Bjørn Sigurdsøn, Scanpix

The Bird Room. source: The Royal House of Norway, Photo: Bjørn Sigurdsøn, Scanpix

The Bird Room is one of the best-known rooms in the palace.  It is used as an antechamber for those waiting for an audience with the King and is often used for official photos at ceremonial events.  The walls are painted to depict an outdoor pavilion, looking out on some famous Norwegian landscapes.  Incorporated into the artwork are forty different birds, which give the room its name.   

The Family Dining Room. source: Royal House of Norway

Despite its name, the Family Dining Room is used primarily for smaller, less-formal official dinners and lunches, such as the annual dinners for the Supreme Court and the Bishops.

The Great Hall. source: The Royal Court, Photo: Kjartan Hauglid

The Great Hall. source: The Royal House of Norway, Photo: Kjartan Hauglid

The Great Hall is the Palace’s Ballroom and is used for luncheons and banquets.  It is considered to be the grandest room in the palace and was the site of the wedding banquet for Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit in 2001.  The room encompasses two floors, with a balcony that wraps around the entire room (seen in the photo above).

The Banqueting Hall. source: Royal House of Norway, photo: Kjartan Gusssssxd

The Banqueting Hall. source: The Royal House of Norway, Photo: Kjartan Hauglid

The Banqueting Hall is the palace’s State Dining Room and is used for very formal functions such as State Visits and the annual banquet for members of the Norwegian government.  The above photo shows the Banqueting Hall prepared for a large gala.

The Palace Chapel. source: The Royal House of Norway, photo: Kjetil Rolseth

The Palace Chapel. source: The Royal House of Norway, Photo: Kjetil Rolseth

The Palace Chapel is built on the site of the original foundation stone for the palace (the altar is actually erected directly above the foundation stone).  It is here where both King Haakon VII and King Olav V lay in state before their funerals, and it continues to be the site of religious events within the royal family.  In 2004, the Chapel was restored in connection with the christening of Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and it has been used for several other christenings and confirmations. As well as being used for the Church of Norway, the Palace Chapel is often the site of concerts and musical events.

The Queen’s Park with the private apartment wing in the background. source: Wikipedia; Photo: Kjetil Bjørnsrud

The private apartments of King Harald and Queen Sonja are located in the southern wing extending from the back of the palace, overlooking The Queen’s Park, which is part of the larger Palace Park.

The Palace is situated in the middle of a large area known as the Palace Park. The park spans more than 50 acres and encompasses both the large gardens and the Palace Square located in front of the building. The park includes three ponds and several walking trails as well as several pavilions and statues. Within the park, there is a smaller area known as The Queen’s Park, which is used primarily as a private area for the Royal Family when they are in residence.

The Palace Square is located at the front of the palace. This is considered the main parade ground in Norway and is the site of many ceremonial events, including the formal welcome ceremonies during State Visits, and the annual National Day celebrations. On National Day, the Royal Family appears on the balcony overlooking Palace Square, to watch the Children’s Parade and greet the crowds gathered to celebrate the day.

Learn more about the other Norwegian Royal Residences here!

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Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Queen Josefina of Sweden & Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway, Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg was born on March 14, 1807, in Milan, then in the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, now in Italy. Her father was Eugène de Beauharnais, the son of Empress Joséphine (Napoleon Bonaparte‘s first wife) from her first marriage to Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, who had been guillotined during the French Revolution. Her mother was Princess Augusta of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt.  Augusta’s father created his son-in-law Duke of Leuchtenberg and Prince of Eichstätt with the style Royal Highness.  Joséphine had six siblings, some of whom made excellent marriages.

In Sweden, the king of a new upstart dynasty was considering how to provide his dynasty with legitimacy.  The House of Bernadotte has reigned in Sweden since 1818 when Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, a Marshal of France, assumed the throne as King Carl XIV Johan. His predecessor King Carl XIII was childless and the House of Holstein-Gottorp was becoming extinct. On August 21, 1810, the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) appointed Bernadotte as heir to the throne. The first four Bernadotte kings were also Kings of Norway until 1905 when the union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved. King Carl XIV John found the answer to his legitimacy problem in Joséphine.

Through her mother, Joséphine was a descendant of King Gustav I of Sweden and King Charles IX of Sweden from the House of Vasa which ruled Sweden from 1523-1654.  If Joséphine married the king’s only child Oscar, it would ensure that future members of the House of Bernadotte were descendants of the House of Vasa.  Oscar was born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte on July 4, 1799, in Paris, France. Napoleon Bonaparte was his godfather. He was 11 years old when his father Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden and he moved to Stockholm with his mother Désirée Clary, who ironically was once the fiancée of Napoleon.  Oscar was given the title Duke of Södermanland, and, unlike his mother, quickly learned Swedish and adapted to life in Sweden.

In 1823, Oscar married Joséphine and after her marriage, she was known as Josefina, the Swedish form of her name.  They married first by proxy at the Leuchtenberg Palace in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, on May 22, 1823, and in person at a wedding ceremony conducted in Stockholm, Sweden on June 19, 1823.

The couple had five children:

Josefina brought to Sweden jewelry that had belonged to her grandmother Empress Josephine, still worn by the Swedish and Norwegian royal families. The Cameo Tiara, originally made for her grandmother Joséphine, Empress of the French, was worn by her descendant Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at her wedding in 2010.

josephineofleuchtenberg

Credit – Wikipedia

CrownPrincessVictoriaCameoTiara

Crown Princess Victoria wearing the Cameo Tiara at her wedding; Photo Credit – The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor

Oscar and Josefina’s marriage was a happy one.  They shared interests in music and art and had similar personalities. While he was crown prince, Oscar had an affair with a lady-in-waiting which produced a daughter.  Unfortunately, Oscar had another well-known affair with Emilie Högquist, a famous Swedish actress at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.  Oscar had two sons by his mistress Emilie.  In 1832, Queen Josefina wrote in her diary that a woman was expected to endure a husband’s extramarital affairs: “A woman should suffer in silence.”  Josefina and her husband continued to appear together in public.  Oscar discontinued his extramarital affairs when he became King of Sweden and Norway in 1844 upon the death of his father.

Queen Josefina in 1874; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After being bedridden for a long time, King Oscar I died at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on July 8, 1859, at the age of 60. An autopsy confirmed that he had a brain tumor.  King Oscar I was buried in the Bernadotte Chapel at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.  Josefina survived her husband for 17 years and died in Stockholm on June 7, 1876, at age 69. She remained Roman Catholic, was given a Catholic funeral, and was buried with her husband at Riddarholmen Church.

Bernadotte Chapel

Bernadotte Chapel at Riddarholmen Church; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer, August 2011

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Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Maud of Norway was born Princess Maud of Wales on November 26, 1869, at Marlborough House in London, England. She was the third and youngest daughter and the fifth of the six children of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark.

The infant princess was christened Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria at Marlborough House, her parents’ London home, on December 24, 1869. Her godparents were:

Princess Maud had five siblings:

 

Growing up, Maud was the most exuberant of the three sisters and was known as Harry in the family. She developed a one-sided romance with Prince Francis of Teck, the brother of her future sister-in-law Mary of Teck. Maud and Francis exchanged a couple of letters, but it was soon apparent that Francis was not interested in Maud.

Because Maud’s mother was a Danish princess, Maud visited her Danish relatives often and was familiar with her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark (later King Haakon VII of Norway), the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, who was three years younger than Maud. On October 29, 1895, the couple’s engagement was announced. The Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) gave his daughter Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate for Maud to use on her visits to England.

Maud and Carl were married in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace on July 22, 1896. The bride wore a dress of white satin with a belt of silver embroidery and a wedding veil of old lace, a present from her grandmother Queen Victoria. The couple spent their honeymoon at Appleton House. Maud was so reluctant to leave England, that the couple was still at Appleton House five months after the wedding.

Painting by Laurits Tuxen; Credit – Wikipedia

Maud and Carl finally left for Denmark in December 1896 and took up residence at Bernstorff Palace in Gentofte near Copenhagen, Denmark. Because Maud found the cold Danish winters so difficult to bear, she visited England as often as possible. Maud and Carl had one child, a son:

Maud with her husband and son; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1905, upon the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs, as well as his wife’s British connections, Carl was the overwhelming favorite. Before accepting, Carl insisted that the voices of the Norwegian people be heard regarding retaining a monarchy. Following a referendum with a 79% majority in favor, Prince Carl was formally offered and accepted the throne. He sailed for Norway, arriving on November 25, 1905, and took the oath as King two days later. Carl took the name Haakon VII and his son two-year-old son was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway. Maud and Carl were crowned in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway on June 22, 1906.

Maud and Carl on the coronation day; Credit – Wikipedia

Recognizing the people’s need to feel that their royal family was Norwegian, Maud and Haakon were photographed in Norwegian folk costumes and enjoying winter sports such as skiing. They ensured their son was raised as a Norwegian, although Maud never became fluent in Norwegian. Maud never gave up her love for her native country and visited often, usually staying at Appleton House. However, she fulfilled her duties as Queen of Norway. Maud became active in women’s rights and the welfare of unmarried women. During World War I, she founded Dronningens Hjelpekomité (the Queen’s Relief Committee) to assist people in difficult circumstances due to the war. Maud was renowned for using clothes and jewelry to give a regal appearance, perhaps something she had learned from her mother.

Maud skiing; Credit – Wikipedia

Maud’s last public appearance in the United Kingdom was in 1937 at the coronation of her nephew King George VI. She rode with her sister-in-law Queen Mary in the glass coach and sat with her in Westminster Abbey. In October 1938, Maud came to England, staying at Appleton House and then at a London hotel. While at the hotel, Maud became ill and was taken to a nursing home where abdominal surgery was performed. She survived the surgery, but died on November 20, 1938, six days before her 69th birthday, from heart failure. Her remains were taken to the chapel at Marlborough House in London, where she had been born and christened. Her casket was then taken by gun carriage to Victoria Station to travel by railroad to Portsmouth and then to travel by sea to Oslo, Norway. Upon arrival in Oslo, the casket was taken to a small church before burial in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Maud was the last surviving child of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Her husband King Haakon VII survived her for 19 years. He died on September 21, 1957, at the age of 85, and was buried with Maud in the white sarcophagus in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Fortress.

White tomb of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud on the left and green tomb of their son King Olav V and his wife Princess Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway on the right; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Norway Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Prince Sverre Magnus was born on December 3, 2005, at Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo, Norway.  He is the youngest of the two children of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit (née Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby), and one of the five grandchildren of King Harald V of Norway.  The prince is third in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, behind his father and sister.

Prince Sverre Magnus’s family, 2022: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Prince Sverre Magnus, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra

Prince Sverre Magnus has an older sister:

He also has an older half-brother, the son of his mother and Morten Borg:

  • Marius Borg Høiby (born 1997)
Sverre Magnus_norway_christening

Christening of Prince Sverre Magnus; Photo Credit – http://www.royalcourt.no, photographer: Tor Richardsen / Scanpix

Prince Sverre Magnus was christened on March 6, 2006, at the chapel in the Royal Palace in Oslo. His godparents were:

In the autumn of 2007, Sverre Magnus began attending preschool in Asker, Norway, where he lives with his family at Skaugum, the official residence of his parents, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway. In 2011 he began attending Jansløkka Elementary School, a local state school attended by his sister and half-brother. From 2014 to 2021, Sverre attended Oslo Montessori School. He began attending the Elvebakken Upper Secondary School in Oslo in 2021 and graduated in 2024.

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Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway was born at the Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo, Norway on January 21, 2004. She is the elder of the two children of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit (née Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby), and one of the five grandchildren of King Harald V of Norway.

Credit – http://www.royalcourt.no

Ingrid Alexandra was christened on April 17, 2004, in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway. Her godparents were:

Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s family, 2022: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Prince Sverre Magnus, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra

Princess Ingrid Alexandra has a younger brother:

She also has an older half-brother, the son of her mother and Morten Borg:

  • Marius Borg Høiby (born 1997)

In 1990, Norway adopted absolute primogeniture whereby the crown goes to the eldest child regardless of gender. This means that Princess Ingrid Alexandra is second in the line of succession to the throne of Norway behind her father and is expected to become the reigning Queen of Norway.

Ingrid Alexandra_Norway_first day of school

Princess Ingrid Alexandra arrives at Jansløkka School, accompanied by her parents and grandparents, Photo Credit – http://www.royalcourt.no, photographer Stian Lysberg Solum / Scanpix

In January of 2006, Ingrid Alexandra began attending a daycare center in Asker, Norway,  where she lives with her family at Skaugum, the official residence of her parents, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway. Four years later, she began attending (link translated by Google Translator), a public school, also in Asker. In 2014, Princess Ingrid Alexandra transferred to the Oslo International School, a private English language school. On August 19, 2019,  the Princess started at Uranienborg School in Oslo to complete her lower secondary education. In the fall of 2020, Ingrid Alexandra began her studies at Elvebakken High School in Oslo. Her grandmother Queen Sonja of Norway also attended Elvebakken High School (link in Norwegian). She graduated in April 2023.  In January 2024, Ingrid Alexandra began twelve months of military training with the Combat Engineer Battalion of the Brigade Nord, the major combat formation and only brigade of the Norwegian Army.

 

On June 10, 2010, Princess Ingrid Alexandra was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her godmother, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. She is the shortest bridesmaid standing on the left of the photo below. Two other royal godchildren of Crown Princess Victoria were also in the wedding party. Princess Catharina Amalia of the Netherlands (Princess of Orange) is sitting to the left of Ingrid Alexandra, and Prince Christian of Denmark is on the far right.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s confirmation

The confirmation service of Princess Ingrid Alexandra was held on August 31, 2019, in the Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway. The confirmation service was conducted by Oslo’s Bishop Kari Veiteberg and presided over by Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien.

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Ari Behn, former husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Ari_Behn

Ari Behn; Photo: Wikipedia

Former husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, Ari Behn, whose birth name was Ari Mikael Bjørshol, was born in Århus, Denmark on September 30, 1972. He was the eldest child of Olav Bjørshol (born 1952) and Marianne Solberg Behn (born 1953), both teachers of the Waldorf School philosophy. Ari had two younger siblings, Anja Sabrina Bjørshol and Espen Bjørshol Solberg, a film director. In 1996, Ari changed his name to Ari Behn when he took his maternal grandmother’s maiden name.

When Ari was young, his family moved to Plymouth, England for five years where his father trained and worked as a photographer. The family then moved to Norway in 1977. Ari attended the Waldorf School and Kirkeparken Videregående Skole (secondary school) in Moss, Norway.  He then received a Bachelor’s degree in history and religion from the University of Oslo.  Ari spent several years traveling in Africa, Asia, and the United States.

Before he had success as an author, Ari worked as a truck driver, bartender, and in a preschool. He had his literary breakthrough in 1999 with his collection of short stories, titled Trist som faen (Sad as Hell) which sold over 100,000 copies. He subsequently published two more books and in 2011 made his debut as a playwright with Treningstimen (Training Hour) which was staged at Rogaland Teater.  His books have been translated into six languages: Swedish, Danish, German, French, Hungarian, and Icelandic.

In addition to his writing, Ari also had other artistic and creative projects. Along with Baron von Bulldog, a fashion design company in Oslo, he launched a collection in 2004.  In 2007, he launched a very successful collection of glasses and dishes called “Peacock” for Magnor Glassworks.  In addition, he made documentaries for television and worked as a writer for various publications including Dagbladet and Aftenposten.

Ari Behn_wedding

Photo source: Svenskdam

On December 13, 2001, Ari became engaged to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, the daughter of King Harald V of Norway. The couple was married in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway on May 24, 2002. In August 2016, it was announced that the couple separated. They divorced in 2017.

Embed from Getty Images 
Norwegian Royal family on the occasion of King Harald V’s 25th anniversary on the throne in 2016: Front: Queen Sonja, Prince Sverre Magnus, King Harald V; Back: Ari Behn, Princess Märtha Louise with Leah Isadora Behn and Emma Tallulah Behn, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Haakon, Maud Angelica Behn, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra

Ari Behn and Princess Märtha Louise had three daughters: Maud Angelica (born in 2003), Leah Isadora (born in 2005), and Emma Tallulah (born in 2008).

Sadly, Ari Behn died by suicide on December 25, 2019, at his home in Lommedalen, Norway. He was 47-years-old. His manager Geir Håkonsund made an announcement on behalf of his family: “It is with great sadness in our hearts that we, the closest relatives of Ari Behn, must announce that he took his own life today. We ask for respect for our privacy in the time to come.”

Behn’s funeral was held on January 3, 2020, at the Oslo Cathedral, with services conducted by Kari Veiteberg, Bishop of Oslo. His former brother-in-law Crown Prince Haakon was one of the pallbearers. The other pallbearers were his father Olav Bjørshol, his brother Espen Bjørshol, his brother-in-law Christian Udnæs,  and nephews Ask and Isak. During the funeral service, Behn’s parents, his siblings, and his eldest daughter Maud Angelica Behn shared memories of their son, brother, and father. Ari Behn was buried at the Cemetery of Our Saviour in Olso, Norway.

Crown Prince Haakon, second from the left, was one of the pallbearers at the funeral of Ari Behn; Credit – http://www.royalcourt.no/

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