Ingrid of Sweden

Ingrid of Sweden (Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louise Margareta; 28 March 1910 – 7 November 2000) was a Swedish princess and the queen consort of King Frederik IX of Denmark.

Background

She was born in Stockholm the third child of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught. She also was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Ingrid's mother died in 1920 while carrying her sixth child. Her father married Lady Louise Mountbatten three years later. Louise was a second cousin of Ingrid's. There were no children of this second marriage, only a stillborn daughter. Ingrid was raised to a sense of duty and seriousness. She had a difficult time after her father remarried.

In 1928, Ingrid met the Prince of Wales and was seen by some as a possible wife for the heir-apparent to the British throne, who was her second cousin. Her mother, Margaret of Connaught, and the then-Prince of Wales' father, King George V, were first cousins, both being grandchildren of Queen Victoria.^[1] However, no engagement took place.^[2]

Her wedding to the Crown Prince of Denmark, was one of the greatest media events of the day in Sweden in 1935, and was given so much attention from the media that the media was criticised for it. Ingrid also appeared on the radio in 1935, where she read a poem, something which was also given much attention.

Family

Princess Ingrid married Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark and Iceland, in Stockholm on 24 May 1935. They were related in several ways. In descent from Oscar I of Sweden, they were third cousins. In descent from Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden, they were third cousins. In descent from Paul I of Russia, Frederick was a fourth cousin of Ingrid's mother. She became the Queen of Denmark upon her husband's accession to the throne on 20 April 1947. The couple had three children:

• Princess Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid (born 1940), later Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who married French Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who was created Prince Henrik of Denmark, in 1967.
• Princess Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid (born 1944), who married Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in 1968.
• Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid (born 1946), who married King Constantine II of the Hellenes (later deposed) in 1964.

In Denmark

Ingrid was well educated and interested in sports, especially horse-riding, skiing and tennis. She also got her driver's license early.

As a Crown Princess, she was the Official Patron of the Girl Guides (1936), after having taken, and passed, the same tests all applicants were given. In 1940, before the occupation, she was the leader of the Danske Kvinders Beredskab (The Danish Women's war-effort society).^[3] During the German occupation of Denmark in World War II, Ingrid, with her personal courage and integrity, influenced the Danish Royal House and its conduct in relation to the occupation forces, and won great popularity as a symbol of silent resistance and public patriotic moral. She showed solidarity toward the Danish population, and could often be seen on her bicycle or with her baby cart on the streets of Copenhagen during the war. Her open defiance of the occupation forces made her grandfather, King Gustav of Sweden, worry about the risks, and in 1941, he sent a demand to her to be more discreet "for the sake of the dynasty" and its safety, but she reacted with anger and refused to obey, and she had the support of her spouse, who shared her views. One display of defiance shown by Ingrid was her positioning of the flags of Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom in the window of the nursery at Amalienborg, the royal residence in the centre of Copenhagen.

She became Queen in 1947. As such, she reformed the traditions of Danish Court life, abolished many old-fashioned customs at Court and created a more relaxed atmosphere at official receptions. She was interested in gardening and art, and renovated the Gråsten Slot according to her own historical research about the Palace's original appearance.

In 1972, Ingrid was widowed. That same year, after having sworn to respect the Danish constitution, she was appointed Rigsforstander (formal Regent) and representative of the Monarch whenever her daughter and grandson were absent, a task she performed on many occasions. This was exceptional; since the constitution of 1871, only the Crown Prince had been allowed to act as Regent in the absence of the Monarch. She was patron of a long line of social organizations, positions which, one after another, she eventually left to Princess Benedikte as years passed: Røde Kors, Ældre Sagen, Red Barnet, Løgum Klosters Refugium, and Fonden for Træer og Miljø. She also founded the organizations Kong Frederik og Dronning Ingrids fond til humanitære og kulturelle formål, Ingridfondet for South Jutland, Det kgl. Grønlandsfond, and Dronning Ingrids Romerske Fond til støtte af kulturelle og videnskabelige formål. She was described as dutiful, well-prepared and energetic. She learned Danish quickly. She was also a feminist, also felt strongly for gender equality.

After her death in Fredensborg Palace, Fredensborg, in 2000, Queen Ingrid was interred next to her husband outside Roskilde Cathedral near Copenhagen.

Ancestors

Notes

References

• http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/597/bio/648/origin/170/ (In Danish)
• Staffan Skott: Alla dessa Bernadottar (All of the Bernadottes) (1996) (In Swedish)

External links

• Royal House of Sweden
• Royal House of Denmark and Royal House of Iceland