Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden was the father of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and would have himself become King of Sweden had he not died tragically in an airplane crash at the age of 40. He was born on April 22, 1906, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, the eldest son of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught. He had four younger siblings:

Gustaf Adolf as an infant, held by his great-grandfather, King Oscar II. His grandfather, King Gustaf V, and father, King Gustaf VI Adolf stand behind them. source: Wikipedia

Gustaf Adolf’s mother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, was the daughter of Queen Victoria’s third son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. She married the future King Gustaf VI Adolf in 1905. The marriage was a happy one but was tragically cut short when Margaret died from an infection after a mastoid operation in 1920. She was eight months pregnant with her sixth child.

Gustaf Adolf, c1913. source: Wikipedia

As a child, Gustaf Adolf grew up at the Royal Palace, and spent summers at Sofiero Castle and at his maternal grandparents’ home Bagshot Park, in England. With his siblings, he began his education privately at home, before attending the Lundbergs School, a private boarding school in Värmland. Along with his studies, the prince excelled at fencing and horse riding. He was the Swedish champion in saber fencing, and in 1936, competed in show jumping at the Olympic Games held in Berlin. He would later serve as President of the Swedish Olympic Committee from 1933 until he died in 1947. He was also very involved in the Scouting movement, both as a child and an adult.

Graduating from Lundbergs School in 1925, Gustaf Adolf began his military career, entering the cavalry. He later attended the Military Academy Karlberg, becoming a lieutenant in the Life Guards. In 1927, he attended the War College and attained the rank of Captain in the Mounted Life regiment. He later attended Uppsala University and the Stockholm School of Economics, in preparation for his future role in the monarchy.

In November 1931, while attending the wedding of Lady May Cambridge in London, Gustaf Adolf’s sister Ingrid introduced him to one of the other bridesmaids, Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Sibylla was the daughter of Prince Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein. Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla were second cousins, through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. A romance quickly began and they were engaged on June 16, 1932.

Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla at their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla married in a civil ceremony on October 19, 1932, at Veste Castle in Coburg. The following day, a religious ceremony was held at St. Moritz Church.

After extensive renovations, they took up residence at Haga Palace, and had five children:

Gustaf Adolf with his family, 1946. source: Wikipedia

Along with his participation in the Olympic committee, Prince Gustaf Adolf also served as Chairman of the Swedish Guide and Scout Council, President of the International Scout Committee, Chairman of the Swedish Sports Confederation, and Chairman of the Swedish Hunters Association, among others.

Prince Gustaf Adolf was killed in a commercial airplane crash on January 26, 1947, at the Kastrup Airport in Kastrup, Denmark, near Copenhagen. He was returning from a hunting trip and a visit to Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The plane had landed at Kastrup for a routine stop before continuing to Stockholm. After taking off, the plane climbed to an altitude of only 150 feet, stalled, and plummeted nose-first to the ground, where it exploded upon impact. All 22 people aboard the plane were killed. Also killed in the accident were the prince’s aide, Count Albert Stenbock, Danish actress Gerda Neumann, and American opera singer Grace Moore.

Grave of Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla. source: Wikipedia

Following a funeral held at the Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral) in Stockholm, Sweden on February 4, 1947, Prince Gustaf Adolf was buried at the Royal Cemetery at Haga Park in Solna, Sweden. His only son, nine-month-old Carl Gustaf, became second in the line of succession and would succeed his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, in 1973.

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