Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland

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Prince Carl
Duke of Västergötland
200px
Born (1861-02-27)27 February 1861
Palace of the Hereditary Prince, Stockholm, Sweden
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Hovslagaregatan, Stockholm, Sweden
Spouse Princess Ingeborg of Denmark
Issue Margaretha, Princess Axel of Denmark
Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway
Astrid, Queen of the Belgians
Prince Carl Bernadotte
Full name
Oscar Carl Wilhelm
House Bernadotte
Father Oscar II of Sweden
Mother Sophia of Nassau

Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Västergötland (27 February 1861 in Stockholm – 24 October 1951 in Stockholm), was a Swedish prince. Through his daughters, for whom he arranged excellent dynastic marriages, he is an ancestor of several European royals today, including the monarchs of Norway, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Early life

Carl was the third son of King Oscar II of Sweden-Norway by his wife, Sophia of Nassau. He was known as "the Blue Prince" (Blå Prinsen) because he often wore the blue-coloured uniform of the Life Regiment, to which he belonged in a ceremonial manner.[1]

Marriage and children

In May 1897, Prince Carl was engaged to Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, the second daughter of King Frederick VIII of Denmark. Ingeborg's mother, Louise of Sweden, was a first cousin of Prince Carl. Nevertheless, in 1947, on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary, Carl admitted that their marriage had been completely arranged by their respective fathers, and Ingeborg herself added : "I married a complete stranger!".

The couple were married on 27 August 1897 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen and spent their wedding trip (honeymoon) in Germany. The marriage, arranged by their fathers and completely conventional in every way, was entirely harmonious. The couple were blessed with four children:

  1. Margaretha (1899–1977), who married Prince Axel of Denmark
  2. Martha (1901–1954), wife of Crown Prince Olav of Norway and mother of Harald V of Norway
  3. Astrid (1905–1935), wife of Leopold III of Belgium and thus Queen of the Belgians
  4. Prince Carl Bernadotte (1911-2003), known as Carl Jr. He renounced his position to marry a divorced woman, and was later given the title of Prince Bernadotte in the peerage of Belgium by his brother-in-law.

Growing up in a conventional and harmonious family, and inculcated with traditional family values in their childhood, Carl's children grew up to be happy and constructive adults, healthy in mind and body. All three daughters, being acquiescent to their parents' wishes, made dynastic marriages as desired and promoted by them, and became the matriarchs of their own successful families. Consequently, as many as four of the couple's grandchildren were to sit upon the thrones of Europe.

Candidate to the Norwegian throne

In 1905, during the political struggle in which Norway obtained its independence from Sweden, Prince Carl was seriously considered as a candidate for the Norwegian crown. It was thought that electing a Swedish prince as king was a less radical way for Norway to secede from the union, and hence a more peaceful approach. Carl was chosen because his eldest brother would inherit the Swedish throne, and his second brother had renounced his royal status to make an unsuitable marriage. However, Carl's father King Oscar II of Sweden did not approve of the proposal, as he saw the whole "riot" which precipitated the Norwegian crisis as a conspiracy and a betrayal against his rights as King of Norway, and he did not want any of his sons to be involved with people who he considered his enemies. Therefore, Prince Carl never became King of Norway. Instead, a Danish prince, Haakon VII, was elected after some diplomatic turbulence. As history turned out however, Prince Carl's daughter, Princess Märtha, married Haakon VII's son, the later King Olav V. The present King Harald V of Norway is hence a grandchild of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland.

In 1904, Prince Carl was appointed a Knight of the Norwegian Lion by Oscar II.

Legacy

Prince Carl has the distinction of being the grandfather of three reigning European monarchs: King Harald V of Norway (son of his daughter, Princess Märtha), the late King Baudouin of the Belgians and his brother, King Albert II of the Belgians (sons of his daughter, Princess Astrid of Sweden). He is also the great-grandfather of King Philippe of the Belgians and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

Titles, styles and arms

  • 1861-1905: HRH Prince Carl, The Duke of Västergötland, Prince of Sweden and Norway
  • 1905-1951: HRH Prince Carl, The Duke of Västergötland, Prince of Sweden
175px
Arms as Prince of Sweden and Norway,
Duke of Västergötland 1861 to 1905
127px
Arms as Prince of Sweden
and Duke of Västergötland after 1907

Ancestry

Family of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland

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16. Jean Henri Bernadotte
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Charles XIV John of Sweden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Jeanne de Saint Vincent
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Oscar I of Sweden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. François Clary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Désirée Clary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Françoise Rose Somis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Oscar II of Sweden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Eugène de Beauharnais
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Josephine of Leuchtenberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Princess Augusta of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23. Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24. Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25. Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. William, Duke of Nassau
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26. Wilhelm Georg, Burgrave of Kirchberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Burgravine Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27. Princess Isabella Auguste of Reuss
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Sofia of Nassau
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28. Frederick I of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. Prince Paul of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29. Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Princess Pauline of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30. Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Princess Katharina Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31. Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
 
 
 
 
 
 

References

  • Bomann-Larsen, Tor: Folket - Haakon & Maud II (2004; in Norwegian)
Styles of
Prince Carl of Sweden
Reference style His Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Royal Highness
Alternative style Sir
Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland
Born: 27 February 1861 Died: 24 October 1951
Swedish royalty
New title Duke of Västergötland
1861 - 1951
Vacant
Title next held by
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

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