Category Archives: Swedish Royals

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden; Photo: Sara Friberg, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Sara Friberg, The Royal Court of Sweden

In the spring of 1946, Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wife of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, was pregnant for the fifth time.  The couple was parents of four daughters, none of whom could be in the line of succession to the throne due to the succession laws at that time. Prince Gustaf Adolf’s grandfather King Gustaf V was the reigning King of Sweden and his father, the future King Gustaf VI Adolf, was the Crown Prince.  As his father’s eldest son, Prince Gustaf Adolf was second in the line of succession.  On April 30, 1946, Princess Sibylla gave birth to a son at Haga Palace.  The newborn prince was third in the line of succession to the Swedish throne after his grandfather and father.

Prince Carl Gustaf is a descendant of Queen Victoria through both of his parents.  His paternal grandmother was Princess Margaret of Connaught, daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.  His maternal grandfather was Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the posthumous son of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, Queen Victoria’s youngest son.

Four Generations: The infant Prince Carl Gustaf held by his great-grandfather King Gustaf V. Seated on the left is the prince’s grandfather, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf (the future King Gustaf VI Adolf), and standing is the prince’s father, Prince Gustaf Adolf; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

The infant prince was christened Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus on June 7, 1946, in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden.  He was given the title Duke of Jämtland on the day of his christening. His godparents were:

Carl Gustaf with his parents and four elder sisters; Credit – Wikipedia

Carl Gustaf has four elder sisters:

On January 26, 1947, when Carl Gustaf was only nine months old, his father died in an airplane crash at Kastrup Airport near Copenhagen, Denmark. At that time, Carl Gustaf became second in the line of succession behind his grandfather.  Carl Gustaf’s great-grandfather King Gustaf V died on October 29, 1950, and his grandfather became King Gustaf VI Adolf while four-year-old Carl Gustaf became Crown Prince.

Until he was six years old, Carl Gustaf was educated at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.  In the fall of 1952, he began school at the Broms School, a private school in Stockholm.  He then attended the Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket, a boarding school in Sigtuna, Sweden, and graduated from its upper secondary school in 1966.

After completing school, Carl Gustaf spent two and a half years in the Swedish Army, Navy, and Air Force.  The Crown Prince passed the Naval Officer Examination in 1968 and served as an officer on various ships in the Swedish Navy. He later completed a command course at the Swedish National Defense College.

From 1968-1969, Carl Gustaf attended a program at the University of Uppsala where he studied history, sociology, political science, financial law, and economics.  Next, the Crown Prince followed a specially designed program of field trips to national and local institutions, industries, factories, laboratories, and schools.  He studied the Swedish judicial system, social welfare organizations, trade unions, and employer associations.  The program included a special emphasis on the work of the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament), the Government, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.  To gain international experience, Carl Gustaf worked at the Swedish mission to the United Nations in New York, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency in Africa, the Hambro Bank, the Swedish Embassy, and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, all in London, and at the Alfa Laval factory in Nevers, France.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, Carl Gustaf met Silvia Sommerlath who was serving as an interpreter and hostess.  She was born in Heidelberg, Germany to German businessman Walther Sommerlath and his Brazilian wife Alice Soares de Toledo.  Previously, Silvia worked at the Argentinean Consulate in Munich and was Deputy Head of Protocol of the Organizing Committee for the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.  Carl Gustaf has said that the couple immediately “clicked” upon meeting.  While the couple was courting, Carl Gustaf’s grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, died on September 15, 1973, and Carl Gustaf became king at the age of 27.  He was invested as King Carl XVI Gustaf in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on September 19, 1973.

 

The engagement of King Carl Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath was announced on March 12, 1976.  The couple was married at Stockholm’s Storkyrkan Cathedral on June 19, 1976. The night before the wedding the Swedish group ABBA performed the first live Swedish television performance of their song Dancing Queen at a gala in honor of Carl Gustaf and his queen-to-be.

Embed from Getty Images 
Princess Madeleine, Princess Sofia, Prince Carl Philip, Helena Norlen, King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Andreas Norlen, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Estelle, and Prince Daniel  celebrate Sweden’s national day in 2019

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia have three children:

Drottningholm Palace; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The King and his family moved to Drottningholm Palace, a short distance from Stockholm, in 1980.  The official offices remain at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.  On April 26, 2018, King Carl XVI Gustaf became the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history surpassing King Magnus IV who reigned for 44 years and 222 days from July 8, 1319 – February 15, 1364.

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Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

source: Royal House of Norway; photo: Ingeborg Ljusnes, the Royal Court Archive

Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway; source: Royal House of Norway; photo: Ingeborg Ljusnes, The Royal House of Norway Court Archive

Princess Märtha Sofia Lovisa Dagmar Thyra of Sweden was born March 28, 1901, at the Hereditary Prince’s Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. She was the second daughter of Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. Her grandfathers were King Oscar II of Sweden and King Frederik VIII of Denmark. For the first four years of her life, she was also a Princess of Norway. Sweden and Norway were in personal union under the sovereigns of Sweden. This union ended in 1905.

Märtha had three siblings:

photo: Wikipedia

On March 21, 1929, Märtha married her first cousin, Crown Prince Olav of Norway at the Oslo Cathedral. She was once again a Princess of Norway.

The couple took up residence at the Skaugum Estate in Asker, Norway. They had three children:

In 1940, Princess Märtha and her children fled Norway when the Germans invaded, traveling to her native Sweden. However, they were not well received by the Swedish people, feeling that their presence would threaten Sweden’s neutrality. Shortly after, at the invitation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, the family sailed for America. After brief stays at Roosevelt’s private estate in Hyde Park, New York, and then the White House, the family leased (and later purchased), an estate in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington DC. Her husband had stayed with his father, King Haakon VII, establishing a government-in-exile in London.

Princess Märtha remained very active in supporting the Norwegian people during the war, working extensively with the Red Cross, and speaking to groups throughout the country to promote the resistance. She developed a very close friendship with President Roosevelt, and the family was often included in both public and private functions at the White House.

Princess_Märtha_of_Sweden_statue

Statue of Crown Princess Märtha outside the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, DC; Credit – Wikipedia

The work Crown Princess Märtha did in the United States had a lasting impact on U.S.-Norwegian relations. Her advocacy on her country’s behalf during World War II influenced President Roosevelt’s famous “Look to Norway” speech. In September 2005, the United States erected a statue of Crown Princess Märtha on the grounds of the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the two nations. The statue was unveiled by her three children.

The Norwegian Royal Family returning to Oslo, June 1945. photo: Wikipedia

In 1945, with the war finally over, Princess Märtha and the children returned to Norway and were reunited with Crown Prince Olav and King Haakon. She continued her work with the many patronages and charities in Norway, focused on doing everything possible to restore Norway and the Norwegian people.

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

Sadly, the Crown Princess suffered ill health over the next few years. On April 5, 1954, she died at the National Hospital in Oslo, Norway following a long battle with cancer. She is buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Fortress. Her husband would go on to become King Olav V in 1957 and reign until his death in January 1991. He is buried with his wife in the green tomb.

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Kingdom of Norway Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Swedish Royal Court; Janerik Henriksson/Scanpix

Photo: Swedish Royal Court; Janerik Henriksson/Scanpix

Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland, began life as Lillian May Davies, born August 30, 1915, in Swansea, Wales. She was the daughter of William Davies and Gladys Curran. Her parents separated when she was young, and at the age of 16, Lilian (having dropped one of the Ls from her name) moved to London, England where she found work as a model and actress. In 1940, she married Scottish actor Ivan Craig. Soon after, he enlisted in the British Army and served overseas during the war. As a military wife, Lilian worked at a British factory making radio parts for the Royal Navy, and at a hospital for wounded veterans.

photo source: The Mirror

photo source: The Mirror

It was in 1943 that she first met her Prince charming. Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland, the third son of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught,  a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was serving as a naval attaché at the Swedish Embassy in London. They reportedly met at a cocktail party and quickly became involved. When her husband returned in 1945, having fallen in love with an Italian woman while serving overseas, the two agreed to a quick and very amicable divorce. Lilian and her ex-husband would remain close through the years, with Mr. Craig visiting Lilian and Bertil several times at their home on the French Riviera.

At the time, Bertil was third in line to the throne, behind his father and older brother Gustaf Adolf. His other two brothers, Sigvard and Carl Johan, had both lost their royal status upon marriage to commoners. By the time his father came to the throne in 1950, Bertil was now second in the line of succession. His elder brother Gustaf Adolf had been killed in a plane crash in 1947, leaving an infant son, Carl Gustaf, the future King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the heir to the throne. With the likelihood of Bertil being called to serve as Regent for his young nephew, he and Lilian chose not to marry so that he could retain his position in the Royal Family.

The couple lived together privately, primarily at Villa Mirage, their home in Sainte-Maxime, France, purchased by Prince Bertil in 1946. In 1949, he purchased Villa Solbaken, in Djurgården, Stockholm, Sweden. Prince Bertil continued his role within the royal family, supported by Lilian, a much-loved member of the family (although not in the public eye), despite the lack of a marriage. As she stated in her memoirs, she was never invited to any official functions, instead, sitting home and watching her Prince on television. She finally received an invitation to the private celebrations for King Gustav V Adolf’s 80th birthday celebration in 1962. However, her first public appearance with the Swedish Royal Court was not until his 90th birthday celebrations in 1972.

photo: Corbis

Bertil and Lilian on the day of their wedding with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on the left and his wife Queen Silvia on the right; photo: Corbis

Bertil’s father died in 1973, and Bertil’s nephew became King Carl XVI Gustaf. The rules, as well as the times, were beginning to change. The King married in June 1976 to a commoner, Sylvia Sommerlath, and soon after, he granted his formal permission for Bertil and Lilian to marry. The couple married in the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace in Drottningholm, Sweden, on December 7, 1976. At the time, Bertil was heir-presumptive to the throne and would remain so until the birth of Prince Carl Philip in 1979.

During these years, Princess Lilian formed a very close bond with the new Queen Silvia and became a surrogate grandmother to the young Victoria, Carl Philip, and Madeleine, the three children of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia. All three are reported to have had a very close relationship with both Lilian and Bertil. Lilian took part in many official functions and is best remembered for her appearances at the Nobel Prize ceremonies each year.

photo: Corbis

photo: Corbis

Her beloved Prince Bertil died in 1997 at Villa Solbacken. His large estate was left primarily to Lilian, with the exception of Villa Solbacken which was left to his godson, Prince Carl Philip, with the condition that Lilian would retain use of the home for the remainder of her life. Their French retreat, Villa Mirage, held too many memories for the Princess, and she passed ownership on to the King. A summer residence was later sold, and she retained an apartment in London. She also refused a specific bequest of 15 million SEK, instead insisting that it be divided between Victoria, Carl Philip, and Madeleine.

In 2000, Lilian wrote a memoir – Mitt liv med prins Bertil (My life with Prince Bertil). She continued to be an active member of the royal family, participating in official events and continuing her patronage of many organizations until 2010. At that point, it was announced that Princess Lilian was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and would no longer be appearing in public. She was unable to attend the marriage of Crown Princess Victoria a few weeks later.

photo: Swedish Royal Court; Anders Wiklund/Scanpix

Princess Lilian’s funeral; photo: Swedish Royal Court; Anders Wiklund/Scanpix

On the afternoon of March 10, 2013, Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland, passed away at Villa Solbacken. Her funeral was held six days later in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. In attendance were the King and Queen, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine, and Mr. Christopher O’Neill. Also attending were Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (Princess Lilian’s niece by marriage), and Princess Astrid of Norway, as well as other family, friends, and representatives from the Swedish government. Following the funeral service, Princess Lilian was interred beside her husband Prince Bertil at the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.  In 2014, Princess Madeleine named her first child Leonore Lilian Maria, with Lilian in honor of Princess Lilian.

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HRH Princess Leonore Lilian Maria of Sweden

 

Princess Leonore Lilian Mary of Sweden photo: Chris O’Neill; source: Swedish Royal Court

Welcome to the newest member of the Swedish Royal Family – Her Royal Highness Princess Leonore Lilian Maria, Duchess of Gotland.  

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The names and titles were announced today by King Carl Gustaf at a Cabinet meeting held at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.  The announcement was made on the Swedish Royal Court website as well as their Facebook page.

Swedish Royal Court Announcement

 

Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Carl of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Oscar Carl Wilhelm, called Prince Carl, was born at Arvfurstens Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on February 27, 1861. He was the third of four sons of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau. Like his father, Carl exhibited excellent skills of diplomacy and was later sought to help mediate peace talks and arrange the release of political prisoners.  Carl had three brothers:

Princess Ingeborg of Denmark and Prince Carl of Sweden in 1897; Credit – Wikipedia

In May 1897, an engagement was announced between Carl and another Scandinavian royal, Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. Born at Charlottenlund Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 2, 1878, Ingeborg was the second daughter and fifth child of the future King Frederik VIII of Denmark and his wife Lovisa of Sweden.  Although neither was the heir to a throne, the prospect of another Danish-Swedish royal union was exciting to the families of the couple and citizens of their respective countries.  On their 50th wedding anniversary, Carl admitted that their marriage had been completely arranged by the couple’s fathers. Ingeborg added, “I married a complete stranger!”

The wedding was held at Christiansborg Palace Chapel in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 27, 1897. Among the guests were Alexandra, Princess of Wales and Russian Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark), the bride’s aunts. Copenhagen was decorated with flowers and flags of both countries to celebrate the occasion. Following a brief stay in Denmark, the new couple set off for a honeymoon in Germany.

Carl and Ingeborg had a comfortable family life, dividing their time between Arvfurstens Palace in Stockholm and summers in Fridhem, Sweden. Despite the difference in their ages (Carl was 17 years older than Ingeborg), the two were happy and well-suited to one another. The couple had four children born between 1899 and 1911. They were:

During their young adulthood, the four children of Ingeborg and Carl were repeatedly sought after as spouses by several European monarchs. Astrid and Märtha were both linked to the future King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom before their respective marriages. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands strongly desired a marriage between Carl and her daughter and heir, the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.  However, the two vehemently disliked each other upon meeting in the late 1920s. Carl and Ingeborg are ancestors of the current Belgian royal family, Luxembourg grand ducal family, and Norwegian royal family. Belgian Kings Baudouin and Albert II, Norwegian King Harald V, and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, the wife of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, are all grandchildren of Carl and Ingeborg.

Carl and Ingeborg continued to play important roles in European history throughout their marriage. Ingeborg served as the de facto first lady of Sweden for several years during the absence of Sophia of Nassau and Viktoria of Baden. Due to her close familial connections, she also worked to bring peace to the three Scandinavian royal families following the Norwegian independence in 1905. Carl distinguished himself as the President of the Swedish Red Cross, earning several Nobel Peace Prize nominations for his work with prisoners of war.

Both Carl and Ingeborg lived long lives. Carl died on October 24,  1951, in Stockholm, Sweden at the age of 90. Ingeborg survived him by seven years, dying in 1958 at age 79. The two are buried in the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.

Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg in 1926; Credit – Wikipedia

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King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

King Oscar I was born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte on July 4, 1799, at 291 Rue Cisalpine (today’s address: 32 Rue de Monceau) in Paris, France.  His father was General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, a Marshal of France and the French Minister of War.  His mother Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, known as Désirée, was the first fiancée of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Julie Clary, his mother’s sister, was married to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, and Jean-Baptiste and Désirée’s son was named after Joseph Bonaparte.  The name Oscar was suggested by Napoleon Bonaparte, the baby’s godfather.  Napoleon was an admirer of the 18th-century Scottish poet James Macpherson and the name Oscar was used in Macpherson’s works.

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 Oscar’s father  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.

Oscar was eleven years old when his father was elected Crown Prince of Sweden and in December 1810, he traveled to Stockholm with his mother Désirée. Oscar was given the title Duke of Södermanland, and, unlike his mother, quickly learned Swedish and adapted to life in Sweden. As Crown Princess, Désirée had difficulty adjusting to the Swedish court and despised the weather in Stockholm. She left Sweden in 1811 and did not return until 1823, five years after her husband became king.  As a result, Oscar did not see his mother for twelve years.

Oscar’s father prescribed guidelines for his son’s education. Upon arriving in Sweden, Oscar was immediately schooled in Swedish, quickly became proficient, and served as his father’s translator.  Besides Swedish, Oscar was also taught Norwegian and German.  He studied humanities, administration, constitutional law, science, art, and music.  Oscar was particularly talented in music and composed a funeral march performed at King Carl XIII’s funeral in 1818.  When the composer Ludwig van Beethoven heard of this, he wrote to Oscar’s father and was invited to help develop Oscar’s musical talent.  Besides his musical talent, Oscar was an expert in social-political issues and wrote articles on education and prison reform.  He was elected an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and was appointed chancellor of Uppsala University.

Oscar married Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg (known by the Swedish form of her name Josefina) by proxy at the Leuchtenberg Palace in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria on May 22, 1823, and in person at a wedding ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on June 19, 1823.  Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg’s father was Eugène de Beauharnais, the son of Empress Joséphine (who was Napoleon’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, a descendant of King Gustav I of Sweden and King Charles IX of Sweden, thereby ensuring that future members of the House of Bernadotte were descendants of the House of Vasa which ruled Sweden from 1523-1654.  Joséphine brought to Sweden jewelry that belonged to her grandmother Empress Josephine. Members of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families still wear the jewelry. For instance, Empress Jospéhine’s Cameo Tiara was worn by her descendant Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden on her wedding day.

Queen Josefina wearing the Cameo Tiara; Credit – Wikipedia

Oscar and Josefina  (as she was known in Sweden) had five children, four sons and one daughter.

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.  After his marriage, Oscar had another well-known affair with Emilie Högquist, a famous Swedish actress at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.  Oscar had two sons with 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.

Oscar I’s health had never been strong and he began to suffer periods when he would fall silent in mid-sentence and then continue a minute later as if nothing had happened.  By the early 1850s, these symptoms worsened and in 1852 he was forced to make a trip to the spa at Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in hopes of recovery.  In the fall of 1852, he became ill with typhoid fever and it took a year for him to fully recover.  He continued to have neurological symptoms and by 1857, it was suspected that Oscar had a brain tumor.  By September 1857, Oscar was paralyzed and the doctors recommended that he be relieved of his duties.  On September 25, 1857, Oscar’s eldest son Carl was declared Regent.  After being bedridden for a long period, 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.

Bernadotte Chapel at Riddarholmen Church; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, 1944; Credit – Wikipedia

Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, was born Prince Sigvard of Sweden on June 7, 1907, at Drottningholm Palace in Drottningholm, Sweden.  He was the second son of the future King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  He had four siblings:

Sigvard (left) with his parents and eldest siblings, 1912. source: Wikipedia

The family divided their time between homes in Stockholm and their summer residence at Sofiero Palace near Skåne. The family was a close one, and unlike royal parents of previous generations, Gustav Adolf and Margaret spent a great deal of time with their children. Sigvard’s mother died suddenly on May 1, 1920, shortly after undergoing mastoid surgery. She was eight months pregnant with her sixth child. The loss of Margaret was so devastating for the family that Gustav Adolf refused to let anyone speak of her out of grief. Three years later, Gustav Adolf married again to Lady Louise Mountbatten.

Sigvard was educated privately and later at the Lundberg School. He entered Uppsala University in 1926, studying political science and art history. Sigvard became the first Bernadotte to earn an academic degree in 1929, the same year he designed a church window at Lundberg. He continued his studies at Konstfack, a Swedish art and design college. He was among a group of painters selected to design the Stockholm Exhibit in 1930.

Sigvard (center) with his brothers Bertil (left) and Gustaf Adolf (right) in the 1930s. source: Wikipedia

Throughout his young adulthood, Sigvard was romantically linked to various European princesses. Maria Francesca of Italy and Juliana of the Netherlands were rumored to be nearly engaged to Sigvard. Even actress Greta Garbo was said to be involved with Sigvard. Although the two did know one another, it is unlikely they were more than friends.

In the early 1930s, Sigvard relocated to Germany (supposedly due to a romance with a commoner) where he worked as a set designer for several theaters. Through his theater work in Berlin, Sigvard met his first wife actress Erica Patzek. When Sigvard declared his intentions to marry Erica, his family and top Swedish government officials attempted to dissuade him. Sigvard’s grandfather King Gustav V was so disgusted with the third marriage to a commoner within the family (following Gustav’s brother Oscar and Gustav’s grandson Lennart) that he stopped speaking with Sigvard for a time.

Erica and Sigvard married quietly in London in 1934. The marriage removed Sigvard from the line of succession and meant a loss of his titles and appanage. The couple, now Sigvard and Erica Bernadotte, relocated to Hollywood, California to establish Erica’s movie career (without success), while Sigvard designed posters for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Sigvard and Erica divorced in 1943, and in the same year, he married Danish commoner Sonja Robbert. The couple had a son Michael, born in 1944. After their divorce in 1961, Sigvard married Marianne Lindberg with whom he stayed until his death.

During the following two decades, Sigvard divided his time between Copenhagen, Stockholm, and New York working at Bernadotte & Bjorn Industrial, a design firm he founded with Danish designer Acton Bjorn. Sigvard was well-known in Sweden for his design work, designing everything from machinery to appliances to cookware. He was particularly fond of designing items from silver.

In 1951, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg conferred on him the title of Count of Wisborg. After marriages to commoners became a common practice among Swedish royals in the 1960s and 1970s, Sigvard decided to pursue the reinstatement of his princely title. Sigvard’s nephew, King Carl XVI Gustav, never consented to this, which caused a long-standing rift between the two. A lawsuit against the Kingdom of Sweden was ongoing at the time of Sigvard’s death.

Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, died on February 4, 2002, in Stockholm, Sweden. He was 94 years old, and for the last eight years of his life, had been the eldest living great-grandchild of Queen Victoria, and her longest-lived descendant. He is buried in the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. His widow, Countess Marianne, remained active with several Swedish charities, some of which she founded with her late husband. She was often seen at family functions, including the weddings of Crown Princess Victoria in 2010, Princess Madeleine in 2013, and Prince Carl Philip in 2015.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on June 17, 1884, at Tullgarn Palace, a royal summer palace in the province of Södermanland, south of Stockholm, Sweden, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden (Carl Wilhelm Ludvig)  was the second of three sons of King Gustaf V of Sweden and Victoria of Baden.  Wilhelm saw little of his parents during his childhood, as his mother frequently traveled abroad. In his young adulthood, he became known as the “Sailor Prince,” due to his service in the navy.

Wilhelm had an older brother and a younger brother:

Wilhelm represented his father at the Jamestown Exposition in the United States in 1907 and was very well received by Swedish-Americans. At around the same time, Wilhelm became engaged to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, and the only daughter and the eldest of the two children of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark (Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna).  When Maria Pavlovna was only seventeen months old, her mother died shortly after giving premature birth to her second child, Maria Pavlovna’s brother.  Maria Pavlovna and her brother were raised by their childless uncle Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, and his wife Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine).

In 1907, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna received a request from the Swedish royal court for a photograph of Maria Pavlovna. Wilhelm’s mother was looking for a bride for him. Marrying Maria Pavlovna to Wilhelm worked well with Elizabeth Feodorovna’s plans to retire from the Russian court and start a Russian Orthodox religious order.  It was decided that Prince Wilhelm would travel to Moscow to meet Maria Pavlovna. The day after they met, 23-year-old Wilhelm told 16-year-old Maria he wanted to marry her. Pressured by Elizabeth Feodorovna, Maria Pavlovna became engaged to marry a man that she had just met with the stipulation that the wedding was to be postponed until Maria was 18-years-old. The couple married at the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo near St. Petersburg, Russia on May 3, 1908.

Maria Pavlovna and Prince Wilhelm of Sweden on their wedding day

The couple had one son:

Wilhelm of Sweden with his wife, Maria Pavlovna of Russia and their son, Lennart. Photo credit: Wikipedia

Wilhelm and Maria Pavlovna settled in the Djurgarden, a fashionable section of Stockholm, where the couple’s home (Oakhill) was built. However, the couple could spend little time together due to Wilhelm’s military responsibilities. Maria was homesick in a strange country where the royal court was even more formal than the Russian court. In 1913, Maria left her husband and son and returned to Russia, causing a great scandal in Sweden. On March 13, 1914, the marriage was officially dissolved, and then confirmed by an edict issued by Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia on July 15, 1914. Wilhelm and Maria’s son Lennart remained in his father’s custody, was raised primarily by his paternal grandmother Queen Victoria of Sweden, and rarely saw his mother during his childhood.

Around the time of his divorce, Wilhelm met a French woman, Jeanne de Tramcourt. Jeanne was divorced from a Swedish sculptor, who used her as a model in several of his works. Wilhelm lived with Jeanne at his new home Stenhammar Palace in Flen, Sweden. Although it was known within the family circle that Jeanne and Wilhelm were a couple, Wilhelm’s royal status prohibited him from marrying commoner Jeanne. For her part, Jeanne told Wilhelm when he mentioned marriage, that she did not want to be the “Swedish Mrs. Simpson” and was fine with cohabiting quietly. Jeanne was known instead as the “hostess” of Stenhammar.

Jeanne de Tramcourt, Wilhelm's longtime partner. Photo credit: polarbearstale.blogspot.com

Jeanne de Tramcourt, Wilhelm’s longtime partner. Photo credit: polarbearstale.blogspot.com

Jeanne was killed in a car accident near Stjärnhov in 1952 when the couple was on their way to visit Wilhelm’s son Lennart. The snowy weather and icy road conditions were determined to have caused the accident. However, Wilhelm, the driver, was heartbroken and blamed himself until the end of his life.

Like his grandfather King Oscar II of Sweden, Wilhelm was a poet, and wrote more than forty books between 1912 and his death. His 1955 book of poetry entitled Verklighetens Skuggbilder (The Shadow Images) reflects Wilhelm’s pain and desperation after Jeanne’s death. Wilhelm also produced several short films and authored numerous travel books, visiting Central America, Central Africa, and Thailand to conduct research for his works.

Wilhelm died of a heart attack at Stenhammar Palace in Flen, Sweden on June 5, 1965, twelve days before his 81st birthday. Unusual for a Swedish prince, he was not buried at the traditional Swedish royal burial sites but in the parish cemetery in Flen, Sweden.

Grave of Prince Wilhelm and first daughter-in-law Karin Nissvandt; Credit – Wikipedia

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Sophie of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Baden

Sophie of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Baden. Photo credit: Wikipedia

May 21, 1801 – Birth of Sophie of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Baden

Sophie’s Wikipedia page

Sophie was the daughter of Gustav IV Adolf, King of Sweden and Frederica of Baden. Sophie was well-educated and had a wide variety of interests throughout her life. Sophie left Sweden with her family in 1809 following her father’s overthrow as king. She was described as stubborn and self-important as a child and maintained negative feelings about her father’s deposition for the rest of her life.

At the age of fourteen, Sophie was engaged to her half grand uncle, the future Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden. By this time, there were only two heirs left in the direct male line in Baden, both of whom were childless. One of these men, Sophie’s uncle Karl I, arranged a marriage between Sophie and Leopold, the result of a morganatic marriage between Grand Duke Charles Frederick and Louise Caroline of Hochberg. Sophie’s Baden lineage would shore up Leopold’s more tenuous claim to the grand ducal throne.

Sophie married Leopold, only eleven years her senior, in 1819. The couple had seven surviving children, including two future Grand Dukes of Baden. Sophie and Leopold raised their children away from court per request by Sophie’s uncle Louis I. Leopold inherited the grand ducal throne in 1830.

In 1828, so-called “wild child” Kaspar Hauser appeared in Nuremberg. He was believed by some to have ties to the Baden grand ducal family, rumors that were probably manufactured by Leopold’s detractors. When Hauser was stabbed in 1833, Sophie was accused of ordering his murder leading to a rift between her and her husband. The family fled Baden during the 1848 revolutions, returning the following year.

Sophie died in 1865. In 1881, her granddaughter Victoria of Baden married the future Gustaf V of Sweden for much the same reason as Sophie had married Leopold: Victoria was a princess with old Swedish lineage which was meant to strengthen the claim to the throne held by the new Bernadotte dynasty.

Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden; Credit: Wikipedia

Born on January 15, 1882, at Bagshot Park in Surrey, England, Margaret was the eldest of the three children of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia. She grew up at her parents’ homes at Bagshot Park and Clarence House in London, England, and was known in the family as Daisy.  Margaret had a younger brother and sister:

NPG x36196; The Duke and Duchess of Connaught with their children by Hughes & Mullins

The Duke and Duchess of Connaught with their children by Hughes & Mullins, albumen cabinet card, 1893 NPG x36196 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Margaret was christened on March 11, 1882, in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle and given the names Margaret Victoria Augusta Charlotte Norah.  She had an impressive set of godparents:

Along with her sister Patricia, Margaret was known as a great beauty and their uncle King Edward VII expected them to marry a European king or crown prince. In January 1905, both sisters and their parents visited Portugal where Margaret and Patricia were entertained by the two sons of King Carlos I.  The Portuguese expected that one of the sisters would become their future queen.  The trip continued to Cairo, where Margaret met and fell in love with Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Skåne, the eldest son of Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden, the future King Gustaf V of Sweden. Gustaf Adolf proposed to Margaret at a dinner held at the British Consulate in Egypt, and she accepted. The couple married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 15, 1905. Margaret was given a tiara from the Khedive of Egypt as a wedding gift as a symbol of the courtship that started there. It is known as the Khedive Tiara, was worn by several of Margaret’s descendants at their weddings, and is now in the possession of her granddaughter Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Wedding of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught; Credit – Wikipedia

Margaret and Gustaf Adolf had four sons and one daughter:

Margaret and Gustaf Adolf with their four eldest children; Credit – Wikipedia

Margaret was eager to learn the Swedish language and history, endearing her to the Swedish public. During World War I in neutral Sweden, Margaret organized supply drives and acted as a go-between for her relatives whose Allied and Axis countries were divided by the war. She was also interested in gardening, taking great care of the gardens at the family home of Sofiero Castle.  In 1907, when Gustaf Adolf’s grandfather King Oscar II died and his father became King Gustaf V, Gustaf Adolf and Margaret became the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden.

Margaret was eight months pregnant with her sixth child in 1920 when she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection set in, killing Margaret, at the age of 38, and her unborn child on May 1, 1920, her father’s 70th birthday. Her family along with the Swedish and British public mourned her death greatly.

Margaret left written, specific instructions for her burial. She requested to be buried wearing her wedding dress and veil, holding a crucifix in a simple coffin made from English oak and covered with British and Swedish flags.  Initially, Margaret was buried at the Storkyrkan (The Great Church) next to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden.  In 1922, Margaret’s remains were transferred to the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden in a burial site she and her husband had chosen for themselves.  She was the first person to be buried at the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park.

Margaret’s husband married again, in 1923 to Lady Louise Mountbatten, formerly Princess Louise of Battenberg.  The couple had no children.  In 1950, upon the death of his father, 67-year-old Gustaf Adolf became King.  He reigned until his death at age 90 in 1973, having survived both his wives.  King Gustaf VI Adolf was succeeded by his and Margaret’s grandson, King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Grave of Margaret, her husband, and his second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

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