by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Lady Louise Mountbatten were married on November 3, 1923, at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London, England. This was Gustaf Adolf’s second marriage. He was previously married to Princess Margaret of Connaught from 1905 until she died in 1920.

Gustaf Adolf’s Early Life

Gustaf Adolf of Sweden (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf) was born on November 11, 1882, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. At birth, he was created Duke of Skåne by his grandfather, King Oscar II. He was the eldest of three sons of the future King Gustav V and Victoria of Baden. Along with his two brothers – Prince Wilhelm and Prince Erik – Gustaf Adolf began his education at home, with a governess and then with tutors. In 1901, he began his formal education, studying history, economics, political science, and archeology at Uppsala University. He also received military training at the Military Academy Karlberg, becoming an officer in the Swedish Army. He would eventually rise to the rank of Lieutenant-General. In 1907, Gustaf Adolf became Crown Prince upon his father’s accession to the Swedish throne. He would hold this title for nearly 43 years before becoming King himself in 1950.

Gustaf Adolf married Princess Margaret of Connaught in 1905, and the couple had five children – Prince Gustaf Adolf (father of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden); Prince Sigvard; Princess Ingrid (became Queen of Denmark, mother of QueenMagrethe II of Denmark); Prince Bertil; and Prince Carl Johan. Margaret died in 1920, while eight months pregnant with her sixth child.

For more information about Gustaf Adolf see:

• Unofficial Royalty: King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
• Swedish Royal Court: King Gustaf VI Adolf

Louise’s Early Life

Lady Louise Mountbatten was born Princess Louise Alexandra Marie Irene of Battenberg on July 13, 1889, at Schloss Heiligenberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse. She was the second of four children of Prince Ludwig of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. Her siblings were Princess Alice (later Princess Andrew of Greece), George, 2nd Marquess of Milford-Haven, and Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Despite their German titles, the family was very much British. Louise’s father spent his entire life in the British Royal Navy and served as First Sea Lord until World War I.

Educated mostly at home, Louise traveled often as her father’s naval position often had him stationed in different places. She did a lot of volunteer work with military organizations as well as working as a nurse with the Red Cross.

In 1917, King George V of the United Kingdom asked all of his relatives in Britain to relinquish their German titles and styles. Louise’s family gave up their Battenberg titles, taking on the surname Mountbatten, and her father was created Marquess of Milford Haven. As the daughter of a Marquess, Louise became Lady Louise Mountbatten.

Louise had several previous romances – she refused a proposal from King Manuel II of Portugal, and later was secretly engaged to Prince Christopher of Greece. Another engagement to a Scottish artist was also called off.

For more information about Louise see:

• Unofficial Royalty: Queen Louise of Sweden
• Swedish Royal Court: Queen Louise

The Engagement

In June 1923, Lady Louise’s great-aunt, Princess Helena (the third daughter of Queen Victoria), passed away in London. Among those attending the funeral was Prince Gustaf Adolf. He and Louise were drawn to each other immediately, and despite her vow that she would never marry a king or a widower, fate had other plans. Their engagement was announced on July 1, 1923, by both the Swedish and British courts. However, it was not without controversy. Some in Sweden felt that it violated the succession laws in Sweden, which stated that a Swedish prince would forfeit his succession rights if he “with or without the King’s knowledge and consent, married a private Swedish or foreign man’s daughter”. As Louise ceased to be a Princess of Battenberg several years earlier when the family gave up their German titles, it was questioned if she was considered a private man’s daughter or not. After lengthy discussions, it was deemed that she was of suitable rank and that her husband-to-be would remain Crown Prince of Sweden.

Wedding Guests

Unlike the groom’s first marriage which was attended by royalty from around the world, the marriage between Gustaf Adolf and Louise was a much smaller affair. Other than their immediate families, only two foreign royals attended. Below is a partial list of the guests:

The Groom’s Family
King Gustav of Sweden
Prince Wilhelm of Sweden

The Bride’s Family
The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven
The Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven
David Mountbatten, Earl of Medina
Lady Tatiana Mountbatten
Lord and Lady Louis Mountbatten
Princess Andrew of Greece
Princess Margarita of Greece
Princess Theodora of Greece
Princess Cecilie of Greece
Princess Sophie of Greece

The British Royal Family
King George and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom
Dowager Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom
The Prince of Wales
The Duke and Duchess of York
Prince Henry of the United Kingdom
Prince George of the United Kingdom
Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles and Viscount Lascelles

Foreign Royalty
Queen Maud of Norway
Dowager Queen Olga of Greece

The Wedding Attendants

Louise’s bridesmaids were the four daughters of her sister, Princess Andrew of Greece:

• Princess Margarita of Greece
• Princess Theodora of Greece
• Princess Cecilie of Greece
• Princess Sophie of Greece

Her train was carried by the children of her brother George, Marquess of Milford Haven:

• David Mountbatten, Earl of Medina
• Lady Tatiana Mountbatten

The bridesmaids wore dresses of crepe Georgette in pale peach, with Lady Tatiana also in the same color. David, Earl of Medina wore a sailor outfit.

The groom was attended by his brother, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, who wore his blue and gold uniform of the Swedish Navy.

The Wedding Attire

Lady Louise wore a dress made from Indian silver gauze which had been a gift from her uncle, the Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. The dress featured a square neck and wrap-over skirt, with a low waist adorned with a lover’s knot of orange blossoms. The flowers also trailed down the dress, encased in silver thread, leading to a 4-yard train. Over the gown, she wore a short ermine cape that had belonged to her grandmother, Princess Alice. She carried a bouquet of lilies of the valley.

Instead of a jeweled tiara, she wore a heavy diadem of orange buds, designed in the shape of a tiara. Her veil, of Honiton lace, had also belonged to her grandmother, Princess Alice. It had been a gift from Alice’s mother, Queen Victoria, at the time of Alice’s wedding in 1862. In addition, Louise’s mother Victoria also wore the veil at her wedding in 1884.

Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf wore his full military uniform with several Swedish and British honours:

• The badge – on a necklet – of the Order of the Polar Star (Sweden)
• The Royal Victorian Chain (UK)
• The Sash and Star of the Order of the Bath (UK)
• The Star of the Order of the Seraphim (Sweden)
• The Star of the Order of Vasa (Sweden)
• The Star of the Order of Carl XIII (Sweden)

The Ceremony

With the guests and the groom waiting, Lady Louise arrived at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace, accompanied by her brother The Marquess of Milford Haven. The brief marriage service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London. During the service, the Archbishop spoke kindly of Louise’s late father and his lifelong service to Britain. He referred to Louise as the “…daughter of a gallant, well-loved man, to whose prescience, firmness and resource England and the Allies of England owe a debt which is not forgotten.”

Following the service, the newly married couple greeted the crowds who had gathered, including a large group of the Swedish community in London who were seated in a special stand just outside the chapel. They traveled by car to Kensington Palace, where a wedding reception was held for the invited guests. Afterward, the couple traveled to Cliveden in Buckinghamshire – the home of Viscount and Viscountess Astor – which was loaned to them by the Astors for the first part of their honeymoon. They then traveled to Paris and Italy before returning to Sweden.

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