by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014
photo: Wikipedia
Princess Désirée Elisabeth Sibylla of Sweden was born June 2, 1938, at Haga Palace, the third child and third daughter of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (son of King Gustaf VI Adolf), and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She is the third of the four elder sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Through both of her parents, she is a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She was named for her ancestress, Queen Desideria, born Désirée Clary.
Désirée has four siblings:
- Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler (born 1934) married John Ambler, has one daughter and two sons
- Princess Birgitta of Sweden (born 1937) married Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern, had two sons and one daughter
- Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson (born 1943) married Tord Magnuson, had three sons
- King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (born 1946) married Silvia Sommerlath, had two daughters and one son
Along with her siblings, Princess Désirée spent much of her youth at Haga Palace. Her father was killed in a plane crash in 1947, and in 1950, her great-grandfather died, and her grandfather ascended to the Swedish throne. The family moved to the Royal Palace of Stockholm. She was initially educated at home, and later attended a French school and studied languages in Switzerland. She and her sisters were often known as ‘Haga Princesses’ and were considered some of the most glamorous, and most eligible, princesses in Europe.
photo: Wikipedia
On June 5, 1964, she married Baron Nils-August Otto Carl Niclas Silfverschiöld, from a Swedish noble family, at the Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral). Due to her husband’s non-royal position, Désirée lost her royal status and any right of succession to the Swedish throne. She became simply Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld. The couple lived at Koberg Castle in Västergötland, Sweden and at Gåsevadholm Castle in Halland, Sweden. Baron Silfverschiöld died on April 11, 2017, at the age of 82.
The couple had three children:
- Carl Otto Edmund Silfverschiöld (born 1965), married Gunilla Maria Fredriksson, had one daughter, divorced
- Christina Louise Ewa Madelaine Silfverschiöld (born 1966), married to Hans Louis Gerard De Geer of Finspång, had one daughter and two sons
- Hélène Ingeborg Sibylla Silfverschiöld (born 1968)
While no longer a member of the official Swedish Royal Court, Princess Désirée is occasionally in attendance at state and official functions along with private family events.
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