Author Archives: Susan

Queen Louise of Sweden (Lady Louise Mountbatten)

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Queen Louise of Sweden (Lady Louise Mountbatten); Credit – Wikipedia

Louise Alexandra Marie Irene was born on July 13, 1889, at Heiligenberg Castle in Seeheim-Jugenheim in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse. She was the second of the four children of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. Through her mother, Louise was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. One of her father’s younger brothers, Prince Henry of Battenberg, married Princess Beatrice, the youngest child of Queen Victoria. Until 1917, Louise’s style and title were Her Serene Highness Princess Louise of Battenberg. In that year, King George V requested that his British relatives relinquish their German titles and styles, and adopt British-sounding surnames. George compensated his male relatives by creating them British peers. Louise’s mother was the king’s first cousin and lived in the United Kingdom with her husband who was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and had been First Sea Lord. Louise’s father adopted the surname Mountbatten and was created 1st Marquess of Milford Haven. Louise was then styled Lady Louise Mountbatten.

Louise had an elder sister and two younger brothers:

Prince Louis and Princess Victoria with their two eldest daughters Alice and Louise in 1889; Credit – Wikipedia

While Louise was growing up, her family moved quite a bit depending on her father’s assignment in the British Royal Navy. They also spent time at their summer home in Heiligenberg near Darmstadt in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine. Louise and her family frequently visited her great-grandmother Queen Victoria at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and her maternal aunt Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, (born Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine), wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia in Russia. Louise and her sister Alice were taught by a governess, and also attended Texters Girls’ School in Darmstadt.

At the outbreak of World War I, Louise’s father was the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. Although Louise’s family considered themselves British, her father was forced to resign his position shortly after the war began due to anti-German sentiment During World War I, Louise did volunteer work with the Soldiers and Sailors Families Association, Smokes for Soldiers and Sailors, and the British Red Cross. From March 1915 to July 1917, she served as a nurse at military hospitals in Nevers, France and Palaves, France, and received the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, and the Medal of French Gratitude. Louise’s family lost much of its wealth during the war, as it had been invested in Russian securities and assets, and this caused the family to move to a small house in Fishponds in Southampton, England. After the war, Louise was active in a charity to help children in slum districts in Battersea, London.

In 1909, Louise received a marriage proposal from King Manuel II of Portugal. Her great-uncle King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was in favor of the marriage, but Louise declined because she did not want an arranged marriage. At the same time, Louise received the Portuguese marriage proposal, she was secretly engaged to Prince Christopher of Greece, but since the couple had no money and their parents did not want to take financial responsibility for them, the engagement was broken.

In 1923, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden visited London and met Louise at a party. Gustaf Adolf had been a widower for three years following the death of his wife Margaret of Connaught, who was Louise’s first cousin once removed. The couple’s engagement was announced on July 1, 1923, but some legal problems needed to be addressed. The 1810 Swedish succession law stated a Swedish prince would forfeit his succession rights if he married “with or without the King’s knowledge and consent, married a private Swedish or foreign man’s daughter”. After some discussion, it was decided that the couple could marry. Louise and Gustaf Adolf were married on November 3, 1923, in the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London by Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury. The couple’s marriage was a happy one, but unfortunately, they had a stillborn daughter in 1925 and no more children after that.

Gustaf Adolf and Louise on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1926 – 1927, the Crown Prince and Princess made an extensive international trip that was very successful, particularly in the United States. After her mother-in-law died in 1930, Crown Princess Louise performed all the duties of a Queen of Sweden, twenty years before she became Queen. Louise and Gustaf Adolf traveled to Greece, the Middle East, and Africa in 1934 – 1935. During World War II, Sweden was neutral but Louise was active in the Red Cross and had her own charity, the Crown Princess Gift Association For the Neutral Defense Forces, which provided the soldiers who guarded the borders of neutral Sweden with socks, scarves, and caps knitted by people from all over Sweden. As her husband’s first wife did during World War I, Louise acted as a messenger between people who needed to communicate with relatives and friends across the borders of countries who were at war with each other.

In 1950, Louise’s husband became King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden upon the death of his father, and she became Queen of Sweden. She disliked the attention she received just because she was a queen and said, “People look at me as if I were something fancy. I do not look different today than I did yesterday!” Despite this, Louise diligently carried out her duties, even when she was ill. She reformed the court protocol and invited professional women to “democratic ladies’ lunches.” Louise loved to travel but wanted to do so privately, so she traveled incognito under the name Countess of Gripsholm or Mrs. Olsson. She often visited her relatives in England and stayed at the Hyde Park Hotel on the busiest street in Knightsbridge, London. Because she often crossed the street to shop, Louise kept a note in her handbag that said “I am the Queen of Sweden” in case she was hit by a car or bus.

King Gustaf VI Adolf and Queen Louise in the 1950s; Credit – Wikipedia

During the 1950s, Louise’s health began to suffer and she developed cardiac issues. Soon after she attended the Nobel Prize banquet in December 1964, her last public appearance, her health deteriorated. On March 4, 1965, Louise was taken to St. Göran Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden where she had six-hour surgery to correct a severe circulatory disorder in the right leg as a result of changes in her aorta. Although the surgery went well, complications developed and the 75-year-old Louise died on March 7, 1965, with her husband King Gustaf VI Adolf, her stepson Prince Bertil, her stepson Count Sigvard Bernadotte, her stepdaughter Queen Ingrid of Denmark, her stepdaughter-in-law Princess Sibylla, and her sister Princess Alice of Greece at her side. Louise’s funeral was held at the Storkyrkan in Stockholm and she was buried near her husband’s first wife at the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. King Gustaf VI Adolf survived his wife for eight years. He died on September 15, 1973, at the age of 90, and was buried with his wives.

“Horse-drawn casket queen Louise Mountbatten of Sweden” by Andy Eick – Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horse_drawn_casket_queen_louise_mountbatten_of_sweden.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Horse_drawn_casket_queen_louise_mountbatten_of_sweden.jpg

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.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden;  Credit – Wikipedia, Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANEFO),

King Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf) was born at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on November 11, 1882. He was the eldest of the three children of King Gustaf V of Sweden and his wife Victoria of Baden. Gustaf Adolf had two younger brothers:

GustavAdolf child

Gustaf Adolf with his brother Wilhelm; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustaf Adolf and his brothers were educated by their governess Ida Borin and then starting in 1890, by their tutor Dr. Carl Svedelius. The three brothers enjoyed spending their summers at Tullgarn Palace or at Mainau, an island in Lake Constance near Konstanz, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, owned by the Baden Grand Ducal Family of their mother. Frequently, their grandmother, Queen Sofia (born Princess Sofia of Nassau) would request the company of her grandsons at Ulriksdal Palace, her favorite residence.

In 1901, Gustaf Adolf began studies in history, economics, political science, and archaeology at Uppsala University, the oldest university in Sweden. It was here that Gustaf Adolf expanded on his love for archaeology. The famous Bronze Age discoveries he found in the excavation of the Håga Mound while a student at Uppsala University, are now at the Swedish History Museum.  Gustaf Adolf was fluent in Swedish, English, French, and German. He also read Italian and understood Latin.

Throughout his life, Gustaf Adolf was a devoted archaeologist and participated in archaeological expeditions in China, Greece, Korea, and Italy. In 1925 he founded the Swedish Institute in Rome, a research institution that serves as the base for archaeological excavations and other scientific research in Italy. His other great area of interest was botany, concentrating on flowers and gardening. He was considered an expert on the rhododendron and created one of the finest rhododendron collections at Sofiero Castle, his summer residence. In 1958, Gustaf Adolf was admitted to the British Academy for his work in botany.

Gustaf Adolf also received military training at Military Academy Karlberg and became a Captain in the Swedish Army in 1909 upon completing his training. Subsequently, he became a major (1913), lieutenant colonel (1916), colonel (1918), major-general (1923), and lieutenant general (1928).

On January 26, 1905, Gustaf Adolf was in Cairo, Egypt for a birthday banquet for Khedive Abbas Hilmi Pasha of Egypt where he met Princess Margaret of Connaught, the elder daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. Margaret’s younger sister Patricia, who was rumored to be Gustaf Adolf’s future wife, was supposed to sit at his table, but instead, he took Margaret as his dinner partner. The couple were engaged on February 26, 1905, in Cairo and were married on June 15, 1905, in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. In 1907, when his father became king, Gustaf Adolf became the Crown Prince of Sweden.

Wedding of Gustf Adolf and Margaret; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustaf Adolf and Margaret had five children:

Then Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf with his first wife Crown Princess Margaret and four older children in 1912; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs Division

Margaret was eight months pregnant with her sixth child in 1920 when she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection set in, killing Margaret, aged 38, and her unborn child on May 1, 1920. Her family along with the Swedish and British public mourned her death greatly. Margaret was buried at the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.

After Margaret’s death, Gustaf Adolf traveled extensively, including to England in 1923 where his friends introduced him to his second wife Lady Louise Mountbatten (born Princess Louise of Battenberg), at a dinner party. Lady Louise was the daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg (Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven after 1917) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. Princess Victoria was the daughter of Princess Alice, a daughter of Queen Victoria and was also an elder sister of the late Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia.

The couple’s engagement was announced on July 1, 1923, and they were married on November 3, 1923, in the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London, England by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Gustaf Adolf and Louise had a stillborn daughter in 1925, and after that, they had no more children.

Gustaf Adolf and Louise on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 29, 1950, Gustaf Adolf became king at age 67 upon the death of his father, King Gustaf V. Gustaf Adolf’s personality, his informal and modest nature, and his expertise and interest in a wide range of areas made him popular with the Swedish people. It was said that he wrote 7,000 signatures per year and hosted 3,000 guests per year. He was the patron of about 200 scientific, sporting, and art organizations. Queen Louise died on March 7, 1965, at St. Göran Hospital in Stockholm following emergency surgery after a period of severe illness.

 

On August 18, 1973, Gustaf Adolf fell ill from bleeding ulcers at his summer Sofiero Castle and had surgery on August 21. After the surgery, he developed pneumonia, cardiac issues, and kidney failure. King Gustaf VI Adolf died on September 15, 1973, just short of his 91st birthday, at Helsingborg Hospital in Helsingborg, Sweden. He was buried alongside his two wives at the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. It was the first time since 1689 that a Swedish monarch was not buried in Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

 

King Gustaf VI Adolf was succeeded by his 27-year-old grandson King Carl XVI Gustaf. The new king was the son of King Gustaf VI’s eldest son Prince Gustaf Adolf who had died in a plane crash when Carl Gustaf was not even a year old. King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden was also the grandfather of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

Grave of King Gustaf VI Adolf and his two wives; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

photo: Mattias Edwall, Swedish Royal Court

Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland; Photo: Mattias Edwall, Swedish Royal Court

Sofia Kristina Hellqvist is the wife of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, the second child and the only son of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. She was born on December 6, 1984, in Täby, Sweden, and is the second of the three daughters of Eric and Marie Hellqvist. Sofia has an older sister Lina and a younger sister Sarah. She grew up in Älvdalen, Dalarna, Sweden. Sofia attended high school in nearby Vansbro where she was involved in dance, theater, and music.

When she was 18, Sofia moved to Stockholm where she worked as a waitress and a glamour model.  Two years later, she did a risqué photoshoot for the men’s magazine Slitz and was later voted Miss Slitz 2004 by the readers. In 2005, Sofia appeared on the Swedish reality show Paradise Hotel. Sofia’s modeling and her appearance on Paradise Hotel were controversial after she became associated with Prince Carl Philip. She addressed this in the documentary The Year with the Royal Family: “Much has been written [about it] over the years, not only following our engagement. For me it’s pretty boring, it happened ten years ago and I moved on with my life. But no regrets. All experiences build a person, although I wouldn’t do it now if you asked me.”

After appearing in Paradise Hotel, Sofia moved to New York where she trained to become a certified yoga teacher at Yoga To The People and then started a yoga center. She also studied at the New York Institute of English and Business, where she trained in accounting focusing on business development. Sofia has also studied global ethics and child and youth studies at Stockholm University.

In September and October 2009, Sofia did volunteer work in Ghana where she visited orphanages and helped build a women’s center. In 2010, Sofia and Frida Vesterberg founded Project Playground, an organization that helps disadvantaged children and adolescents in South Africa. The organization does much good work and Sofia’s sister Lina Hellqvist is the organization’s project coordinator.

sofia-hellqvist-project-playground

Sofia Hellqvist on the right with Frida Vesterberg and children from Project Playground; Photo Credit – http://image.gala.de

In August 2010, the Swedish Royal Court released a statement confirming that Sofia and Prince Carl Philip had a relationship. In the documentary The Year with the Royal Family, Prince Carl Philip explains how the couple met: “I was eating with friends in Baastad. Sofia was there with a friend and our friends knew each other. We started with a shy greeting and everything followed.”

 

In April 2011, the couple moved in together at a private estate in Djurgården, Sweden and the Swedish Royal Court confirmed this two months later. Sofia and Prince Carl Philip became engaged on June 27, 2014, and were married on June 13, 2015, at the Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

 

On October 15, 2015, the Swedish Royal Court announced that Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia were expecting their first child.  In early April 2016, Carl Philip and Sofia moved from their apartment in Djurgården to Sjoflygeln (Lake Wing) on the grounds of Drottningholm Palace.

source: Swedish Royal Court

Carl Philip and Sofia with their first son Alexander – source: Swedish Royal Court

Sofia and Carl Philip have three sons and one daughter:

  • Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland (born 2016)
  • Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna (born 2017)
  • Prince Julian, Duke of Halland (born 2021)
  • Princess Ines, Duchess of Västerbotten (born 2025)

On October 7, 2019, the Swedish Royal Court announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf had decided to make changes regarding the children of his son Prince Carl Philip and his daughter Princess Madeleine. At birth, the children of Carl Philip and Madeleine were styled as Royal Highness and were members of The Royal House. As of October 7, 2019, their children would no longer be members of The Royal House but would continue to be members of The Royal Family. Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne would no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness but they would retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by King Carl XVI Gustaf. They will remain in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. In the future, they will not be expected to perform any royal duties. They will be styled Prince/Princess <Name>, Duke/Duchess of <Geographical Area>.

Prince Alexander, Princess Sofia, Prince Julian, Prince Carl Philip and Prince Gabriel on the occasion of Prince Julian’s christening; Credit – Photo: Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / The Royal Court of Sweden

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.

Count Christian of Rosenborg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Christian of Rosenborg

Count Christian of Rosenborg and his wife Countess Anne Dorte; Credit – http://danishroyalmediawatch.blogspot.com

Count Christian of Rosenborg (Christian Frederik Franz Knud Harald Carl Oluf Gustav Georg Erik) was born a Prince of Denmark on October 22, 1942, at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby, Denmark, north of Copenhagen. He was the younger son and the youngest of the three children of Prince Knud of Denmark (son of King Christian X) and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark (daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark who was a son of King Frederik VIII). Christian had an elder sister and an elder brother:

  • Princess Elisabeth (1935 – 2018), unmarried
  • Prince Ingolf (born 1940), married (1) Inge Terney without consent, lost his royal title, became His Excellency Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, married (2) Sussie Hjorhøy Pedersen

Christian served as an officer in the Royal Danish Navy. Upon his retirement in 2006, after 40 years of service, he was officially adopted as the commander of the Danish Greenland Patrol with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

The Danish Act of Succession of 1953 allowed a woman to inherit the Danish throne if she had no brothers. Before this Christian was third in the line of succession to the Danish throne after his father Prince Knud and his elder brother Prince Ingolf. Now they were all bumped down three places as the three daughters of King Frederik IX were numbers one through three. In 1972, King Frederik IX’s eldest daughter succeeded him as Queen Margrethe II, and in 2009 the succession law was changed to allow for the succession of the firstborn child regardless of gender.

On February 27, 1971, Christian married Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen (1947 –  2014). Just like his brother Ingolf did three years previously, Christian did not seek the permission of King Frederik IX to marry. Therefore he forfeited his succession rights and lost his royal title. After his wedding, he was styled His Excellency Count Christian of Rosenborg. For a history of the title Count of Rosenborg, see Unofficial Royalty: The Danish Counts of Rosenborg.  Count Christian and Countess Anne Dorte lived in a wing of the Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby near Copenhagen.

The couple had three daughters who are not in the Danish line of succession:

  • Josephine Caroline Elisabeth af Rosenborg (born October 29, 1972), married Thomas Christian Schmidt, had issue
  • Camilla Alexandrine Cristine af Rosenborg (born October 29, 1972), married Mikael Rosanes, had issue
  • Feodora Mathilde Helena af Rosenborg (born February 27, 1975), (1) married and divorced Eric Patte, no issue, (2) married Morten Rønnow, had issue

Count Christian of Rosenborg died at Gentofte Hospital in Gentofte, Denmark on May 21, 2013, at the age of 70. He had been suffering from throat cancer since 2009. His funeral was attended by his first cousin Queen Margrethe II and other members of the Danish Royal Family. Christian was buried at Lyngby Church in Lyngby, Denmark. His wife Countess Anne Dorte survived him for only seven months also dying from throat cancer on January 2, 2014, at the age of 66, and was buried with her husband.

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.

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg with his wife Countess Sussie; Credit – Wikipedia

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg (Ingolf Christian Frederik Knud Harald Gorm Gustav Viggo Valdemar Aage) was born a Prince of Denmark on February 17, 1940, at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark, north of Copenhagen. He was the elder son and the second of the three children of Prince Knud of Denmark (son of King Christian X) and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark (daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark who was a son of King Frederik VIII). Ingolf had an elder sister and a younger brother:

In 1947, Ingolf’s grandfather King Christian X died and his uncle King Frederik IX acceded to the throne. At that time, only males were allowed to be in the line of succession. King Frederik had three daughters, so Prince Knud, Ingolf’s father and the King’s only brother, was the heir presumptive and Ingolf was second in the line of succession. As the early years of King Frederik’s reign passed and no baby prince was born to King Frederik, it seemed likely that Knud would succeed his brother as King and that eventually, Ingolf would be King.

Because of the unpopularity of Prince Knud and the belief that the 1853 succession law was outdated, the Danish Act of Succession was adopted on March 27, 1953. The new law allowed for female succession if the monarch had no sons. This enabled the daughters of King Frederik IX to supplant their uncle Knud and cousin Ingolf in the line of succession. Instead of being first and second in the line of succession, Knud and Ingolf were now fourth and fifth behind Margrethe, Benedikte, and Anne-Marie, King Frederik IX’s daughters. To compensate for the change in the succession, Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince of Denmark, and both Knud and his elder son Ingolf were granted fixed annuities and additional flexible annuities for life. In 1972, Frederik’s eldest daughter succeeded him as Queen Margrethe II and in 2009 the succession law was changed to allow for the succession of the firstborn child regardless of gender.

In 1968, Ingolf decided to marry Inge Terney (1938 – 1996), an untitled commoner. He decided to marry without seeking King Frederik IX’s permission because he had little chance of succeeding to the throne and it was expected that the King would not give permission. This would mean that Ingolf’s succession rights would be forfeited. The title Count of Rosenborg had been granted to other Danish princes who had relinquished their position within the Royal Family upon marrying without official consent from the monarch. Before his son’s wedding, Prince Knud tried to convince his brother that Ingolf should be allowed to retain his royal title after marriage, but King Frederik IX refused. After Ingolf’s wedding on January 13, 1968, he was styled His Excellency Count Ingolf of Rosenborg. For a history of the title Count of Rosenborg, see Unofficial Royalty: The Danish Counts of Rosenborg.

After his first wife died in 1996, Ingolf married lawyer Sussie Hjorhøy Pedersen (born 1950) on March 7, 1998, at the City Hall in Egtved, Denmark. Ingolf had no children from either marriage and lives at his estate Egeland in Egtved, Denmark. Ingolf and his wife attend major events of the Danish Royal Family.

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.

Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer    © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 27, 1912, Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark was born at Jægersborghus, a country house in Gentofte, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the second child of the five children of Prince Harald of Denmark and his wife, Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.  At the time of her birth, her grandfather Frederik VIII, was King of Denmark, although he died three weeks after her birth. Caroline-Mathilde was named after her maternal grandmother and was known in the family as Calma. Her full name was Caroline-Mathilde Louise Dagmar Christine Maud Augusta Ingeborg Thyra Adelheid.

Caroline-Mathilde had two sisters and two brothers:

  • Princess Feodora (1910 – 1975), married her first cousin, Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe, had issue
  • Princess Alexandrine-Louise (1914 – 1962), married Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell, had issue
  • Prince Gorm (1919 – 1991), unmarried, no issue
  • Prince Oluf (1923 – 1990), lost his title, became His Excellency Count Oluf of Rosenborg after marrying without consent (1) Annie Helene Dorrit Puggard-Müller (2) Lis Wulff-Juergensen, had issue with both wives

On September 8, 1933, Princess Caroline-Mathilde married her first cousin, Prince Knud of Denmark at Fredensborg Palace in Zealand, Denmark. Knud was the younger son of King Christian X of Denmark, the brother of Caroline-Mathilde’s father, Prince Harald. The couple lived at Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby, north of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Caroline-Mathilde and Knud had one daughter and two sons:

  • Princess Elisabeth (1935 – 2018), unmarried
  • Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, born Prince Ingolf of Denmark (born 1940), married (1) Inge Terney, no children; Ingolf married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights  (2) Sussie Hjorhøy, no children
  • Count Christian of Rosenborg, born Prince Christian of Denmark (1942 – 2013), married Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen, had three daughters who are not in the line of succession; Christian married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights
Knud of Denmark Family

Caroline-Mathilde and her family; Credit – danishroyalmediawatch.blogspot.com

From 1947 to 1953, Prince Knud was the heir presumptive of his older brother, King Frederick IX. Knud would have become king and Caroline Mathilde queen, but a 1953 change in the succession law caused Knud to lose his place in the succession to his niece, who became Queen Margrethe II when her father died in 1972. After the change, Prince Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince, and Caroline Mathilde became Hereditary Princess.

Prince Knud died in 1976, and Caroline-Mathilde survived him by 19 years. She died in her home, Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark, on December 12, 1995, at the age of 83, and was buried with her husband at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

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.

Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Knud Christian Frederik Michael was born on July 27, 1900, at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark,  the younger of the two sons of King Christian X of Denmark and his wife Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Knud had one older brother:

Knud on the right with his brother Frederik in 1919; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, German Federal Archive

Prince Knud had a military education and attended the Royal Danish Naval Academy. While serving as a naval officer, Prince Knud held several commands, including serving as the commander of Kongelunds Fort in Copenhagen.

On September 8, 1933, Prince Knud married his first cousin Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark (known as Calma) at Fredensborg Palace in Zealand, Denmark. Caroline-Matilda was the daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark who was a brother of Prince Knud’s father King Christian X. The couple lived at Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby north of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Knud and Caroline-Mathilde had one daughter and two sons:

  • Princess Elisabeth (1935 – 2018), unmarried
  • Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, born Prince Ingolf of Denmark (born 1940), married (1) Inge Terney, no children; Ingolf married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights  (2) Sussie Hjorhøy, no children
  • Count Christian of Rosenborg, born Prince Christian of Denmark (1942 – 2013), married Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen, had three daughters who are not in the line of succession; Christian married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights
Knud of Denmark Family

Prince Knud and his family; Photo Credit – danishroyalmediawatch.blogspot.com

In 1947 when King Christian X died and his elder son became King Frederik IX, Knud was the heir presumptive. Danish succession law did not allow female succession, so King Frederik IX’s three daughters were not in the line of succession. It was expected that Knud and then his elder son Ingolf would become king. However, the 1953 Danish Act of Succession allowed for a female to become queen if she did not have any brothers. With the passage of that act, Knud and Ingolf went from being first and second in the line of succession to being fourth and fifth after the three daughters of King Frederik. The 2009 Act of Succession now allows for the eldest child to become the monarch regardless of gender. To compensate for the change in the succession, Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince of Denmark, and both Knud and his elder son Ingolf were granted fixed annuities and additional flexible annuities for life.

Prince Knud was the inspiration for the idiom, “One more time for Prince Knud,” which has become common in Danish. The meaning of the idiom is that the speaker will repeat what was just said because the listener was slow to grasp it. In 1958, Knud and his wife were attending a ballet at Falconer Centre in Frederiksberg, Denmark. Knud was asked if he had liked a certain scene of the ballet and responded that he had not been able to see it clearly from his vantage point. The whole scene was repeated again, the incident made the newspapers, and the newspaper articles made it seem like, to use another idiom, Prince Knud was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Hereditary Prince Knud died on June 14, 1976, in Gentofte, Denmark at the age of 75. Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde survived her husband for 19 years and died on December 12, 1995, at the age of 83. Both were interred at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

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.

Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Alexandra Christina Manley was born in Hong Kong on June 30, 1964. Her father Richard Manley (1924 – 2010), an insurance company executive, was born in Shanghai, China to a British father and a Chinese mother. Her mother Christa Nowotny, born in 1933 in Austria, is of Austrian and Czech descent and worked as a manager for a communications company. Alexandra has two sisters Nicola Baird and Martina Bent.

Alexandra received her primary and secondary education in Hong Kong at Quarry Bay School, Glenealy School and Island School.  She studied business at universities in Austria, Japan, and the United Kingdom. From 1990 – 1995, Alexandra was employed by GT Management (Asia) Ltd. in Hong Kong.

Alexandra met Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, while he was working in Hong Kong. Their engagement, which surprised both families, was announced in May 1995. To marry Joachim, Alexandra had to give up her career, renounce her British citizenship, and change her religion from Anglican to Evangelical Lutheran. On November 18, 1995, the couple was married at the Frederiksborg Palace Chapel in Hillerød, Denmark. Upon her marriage, Alexandra was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

 

Alexandra and Prince Joachim had two sons:

Queen Margrethe II decided that as of January 1, 2023, the children of Prince Joachim would no longer hold the style and title of His/Her Prince/Princess. Instead, they will hold the title Count/Countess of Monpezat, with the style of His/Her Excellency. This slimming down is in keeping with recent changes in other royal families and will allow Prince Joachim’s children to pursue more independent lives and careers. The Monpezat titles come from the Queen’s late husband, Prince Henrik, who was Count of Monpezat. In 2008, Queen Margrethe granted the title to her sons and their descendants as well.

 

Alexandra adjusted well to living in Denmark. Her fluency in German helped her to learn Danish quickly. She became involved in a number of worthwhile organizations including the Children’s Red Cross, the Danish Society for the Blind, UNICEF, and Mother Help, single mothers’ advocacy group. She also served as a UNICEF ambassador when she traveled to Thailand to visit HIV/AIDS patients.

In 2004, rumors began to circulate that Joachim and Alexandra’s marriage had problems. Their separation and their intention to divorce was announced on September 16, 2004, and their divorce was final on April 8, 2005. The Danish parliament decided to provide Alexandra with an income from the civil list for life regardless of her marriage situation. Alexandra retained her title Princess of Denmark, with the lower style of Her Highness until her remarriage in 2007. In addition, Queen Margrethe II had granted her the personal title of Countess of Frederiksborg with the style of Excellency, and Alexandra is now known as Her Excellency Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg.

On March 3, 2007, Alexandra married Martin Jørgensen (born March 2, 1978), a photographer 14 years younger than her. The couple divorced in 2015. Alexandra had joint custody of her two sons with her former husband Prince Joachim who also remarried. Joachim and Alexandra have maintained close ties and are often seen together with their sons.  Alexandra attends events involving the Danish Royal Family such as the 40th Jubilee of Queen Margrethe II which she attended with her former husband Martin Jørgensen as seen in the photo below.

 

On June 23, 2017, Alexandra announced that she would renounce her yearly allowance of 2.1m kroner (US $330,000) in July 2020, coinciding with the 18th birthday of her younger son Felix.

In October 2017, it was announced that Alexandra had joined the Kelley School of Business, the business school of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, in the position of the Poling Chair of Business and Government for the 2017-2018 academic year.  The press release from Indiana University stated  that “Recipients of the Poling Chair are given the charge to stimulate discussion in the areas of leadership, the critical interactions between private business and government in matters of public policy, enterprise competitiveness, and economic growth.”

Embed from Getty Images 

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.

Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Richard Casimir Karl August Robert Konstantin) was born on October 29, 1934, in Giessen, Germany. He was the eldest of the five children of Gustav Albrecht, 5th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Margareta Fouché d’Otrante.  Richard’s father served in the German Army during World War II and in 1944 he went missing during a mission in the then Soviet Union, but he was not declared legally dead until 1969. Richard’s mother Margareta was born in Elghammar, Sweden and the family went back to her native country where they lived with Margareta’s father Charles Louis Fouché, 4th Duke of Otranto at Elghammar Castle.

Richard had four younger siblings:

  • Princess Madeleine of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1936), married Otto, Count zu Solms-Laubach, had children
  • Prince Robin of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1938), married  (1) Birgitta af Klercker, had one son and one daughter, divorced  (2)  Marie-Christine Heftler-Louiche, had one daughter
  • Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1940) married Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, had two daughters and two sons, divorced
  • Princess Pia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1942)

Richard was educated at boarding schools in Viggbyholm, Sweden and Sigtuna, Sweden. He then studied forestry at Munich University and obtained a degree in forestry at the University of Göttingen.  Richard then joined the Wittgenstein Berleburgische Rentkammer, based at the family home Berleburg Castle, which manages the family’s 30,000 acres of forest and about 150 plots at home and abroad, as well as its corporate investments.

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was originally a county (its ruler was a Count) located in the present district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, Germany in the present state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1792, Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was raised to a principality and its ruler was then a Prince (Fürst in German). In 1806, Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was mediatized into the Grand Duchy of Hesse and then was annexed by Prussia in 1816. In 1919, Germany stopped recognizing the various titles of the nobility and royalty. In Germany today former hereditary titles are allowed only as part of the surname.

At the wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1966, Richard met his future wife Princess Benedikte of Denmark, the daughter of King Frederik IX of Denmark. The couple married at the Fredensborg Palace Church in Fredensborg, Denmark on February 3, 1968.

Richard and Benedikte had one son and two daughters. Because their three children were not raised in Denmark, they are not in the line of succession to the Danish throne. However, they are styled as Highnesses in Denmark and Serene Highnesses elsewhere. Richard’s daughter Nathalie competed for Denmark in the Equestrian Team and Individual Dressage in the 2008/Bejing and 2012/London Summer Olympics. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nathalie won a Bronze Medal in Team Dressage.

 

Richard was active in many conservation programs including a project to reintroduce European bison on his 30,000-acre estate. See NPR: German Prince Plans To Put Bison Back In The Wild.

Prince Richard died at his home, Berleburg Castle, in Bad Berleburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on March 13, 2017, at the age of 82. He was buried at the Forest Cemetery Sengelsberg in Berleburg, Germany.

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.

Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Ingrid of Sweden was born on March 28, 1910, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. At the time of her birth her parents, the future King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught, were the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden. Ingrid’s mother was the daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and therefore a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Ingrid was the only daughter and the third of her parents’ five children.

Ingrid had four brothers:

The infant princess was christened Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louise Margareta on May 5, 1910, at the Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace of Stockholm. Her godparents were:

In 1920, when Ingrid’s mother was eight months pregnant with her sixth child, she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection developed which killed Crown Princess Margaret, at the age of 38, and her unborn child on May 1, 1920. Ten-year-old Ingrid and four brothers ranging in age from three to fourteen years old were left motherless. In 1923, Ingrid’s father married Lady Louise Mountbatten, daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg (later Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple remained childless and became King and Queen of Sweden in 1950.

Ingrid was well educated. She studied history, art history, and political science, and learned several languages. Long stays in Paris and Rome enhanced her knowledge of art and culture. Along with her father, stepmother, and brother Prince Bertil, Ingrid took a five-month journey through the Middle East in 1934-1935.

On March 15, 1935, Ingrid became engaged to Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, her third cousin. The couple was married at Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) in Stockholm, Sweden on May 24, 1935.

Frederik and Ingrid ride through the streets after their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Ingrid and Frederik had three daughters:

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid lived at Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Ingrid quickly learned Danish and came especially to love Jutland, where Gråsten Palace became their summer home. During World War II, Ingrid took a very critical attitude towards Nazism. The popularity of the Danish royal family increased because they remained in Denmark despite the German occupation and stayed visible to the Danish people. Unaccompanied by a groom, Ingrid’s father-in-law King Christian X took a daily ride on his horse through Copenhagen. Ingrid was often seen riding her bicycle or pushing her eldest daughter Margrethe in her carriage through the streets of Copenhagen.

 

On April 20, 1947, King Christian X died and Ingrid’s husband acceded to the throne as King Frederik IX. Queen Ingrid reformed some outdated practices at court and created a more relaxed atmosphere. She was interested in gardening and art, and, after researching the original appearance of Gråsten Palace, she oversaw the renovations there.

 

King Frederik IX died on January 14, 1972, and his eldest daughter became Queen Margrethe II, the first female monarch of Denmark since Queen Margrethe I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375–1412 during the Kalmar Union.  That same year Ingrid was appointed Regent, the representative of her daughter when she was absent from Denmark. Since the Constitution of 1871, only the Crown Prince had been allowed to act as Regent in the absence of the Monarch. Ingrid had long been a patron of many social organizations, positions which she eventually left to her middle daughter Princess Benedikte as the years passed.

Above photo: Queen Ingrid kissing the bride at the 1999 wedding of her granddaughter Princess Alexia of Greece

On November 7, 2000, at Fredensborg Palace, Queen Ingrid died at the age of 90, surrounded by her three daughters and her ten grandchildren. She was buried beside her husband outside of Roskilde Cathedral.

Grave 1 Frederik IX of Denmark

Site of the graves of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid outside Roskilde Cathedral; Credit – Susan Flantzer

Grave 2 Frederik IX of Denmark

Grave of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid; Credit – Susan Flantzer

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty