Carl Johan Bernadotte
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Carl Johan Arthur Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, KmstkNO (31 October 1916 – 5 May 2012)[1] was the fifth and youngest child, and the fourth and youngest son, of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught.[2]
He was originally born a Prince of Sweden and was accorded with the title of Duke of Dalarna but renounced these titles to marry a commoner. He was a paternal uncle of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and a maternal uncle of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.
Marriages and children
Bernadotte lost his succession rights to the Swedish throne and renounced his titles in 1946 when he married in New York City, on 19 February a woman who was not of equal rank (i.e., not of a sovereign house), the journalist Elin Kerstin Margaretha Wijkmark (4 October 1910 – 11 September 1987), daughter of Henning Wijkmark and wife Elin Larsson.
They adopted two children:
- Monica Kristina Margaretha Bernadotte (b. 5 March 1948, adopted in 1951). Married on 16 January 1976 and divorced in 1997 Count Johan Peder Bonde af Björnö (b. 5 May 1950). They have three children.
- Christian Carl Henning Bernadotte (b. 3 December 1949, adopted in 1950). Married on 13 September 1980 Marianne Jenny (b. 31 January 1958), daughter of Jacques Jenny and wife Caroline Yvonne Venter. They have three children.
The Bernadottes lived for some time in New York, where he worked as the representative of the Anglo-Nordic Trading Company. They made friends with the film star Greta Garbo, who stayed with them in their Swedish home near Båstad.[3]
On 29 September 1988, the widowed Count married Countess Gunnila Märtha Louise Wachtmeister af Johannishus (12 May 1923 – 12 September 2016) in Copenhagen.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
- 31 October 1916 – 19 February 1946: His Royal Highness Carl Johan, Prince of Sweden, Duke of Dalarna
- 19 February 1946 – 2 July 1951: Carl Johan Bernadotte
- 2 July 1951 – 5 May 2012: Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg
When marrying morganatically on 19 February 1946 he lost his Swedish royal titles, i.e. Prince of Sweden and Duke of Dalarna. He subsequently assumed the surname Bernadotte, the name of the Swedish Royal Family.
On 2 July 1951, for himself, his wife and his marital descendants, he was admitted by Grand Duchess Charlotte (head of state at the time) into the Luxembourgois nobility with the title Count of Wisborg.[4] and in that conferral was also called Carl Johan Arthur Prince Bernadotte.[5] Counts of Wisborg are considered to be part of the Swedish unintroduced nobility.[4]
Honours
Certain Swedish decorations were awarded at birth in 1916 and renounced in 1946.
National honours
-
Sweden: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Order of the Seraphim - Revoked - Sweden: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Sword - Revoked
- Sweden: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star - Revoked and Reconferred
- Sweden: Knight of the Royal Order of Charles XIII - Revoked
- Gustav V 70th Birthday Decoration (1928)
- Gustav VI 85th Birthday Medal (1967)
- Sweden: Recipient of the 50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf[6]
Foreign honours
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Denmark: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Elephant -
Guatemala: Grand Officer of the Order of the Quetzal
He was the chairperson of Ointroducerad Adels Förening, the association of the unintroduced nobility in Sweden, from 1948 till 1963.
Arms
Carl Johan's arms as Prince of Sweden and Duke of Dalecarlia
Arms of the Counts of Wisborg[4]
Ancestry
Count Carl Johan Bernadotte descended from King Gustaf V of Sweden through his father, King Gustaf VI Adolf. He also descended from Queen Victoria's son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, through Prince Arthur's daughter, Princess Margaret of Connaught.
On 29 June 2011, he surpassed his elder brother, Sigvard (1907-2002), as the longest-lived of Queen Victoria's male descendants,[7] a record he would hold until being surpassed by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 13 December 2016. He was the last surviving great-grandchild of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, following the 2007 death of Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark. He was also the last surviving child of Gustaf VI Adolf and last surviving grandchild of Gustaf V and also the last grandchild of Arthur, Duke of Connaught, his maternal grandfather.
See also
References
- ↑ "Count Carl Johan Bernadotte". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 6 May 2012.
- ↑ "Who's who in the extended royal family". The Local. 21 May 2010.
- ↑ "Obituaries: Count Carl Johan Bernadotte". Daily Telegraph.
- 1 2 3 von Rothstein, Niclas, ed. (2009). Kalender över Ointroducerad adels förening. Årg. 22(2010) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Ointroducerad Adels Förening. p. 22. ISBN 91-633-5038-6. LIBRIS 11594515.
- ↑ Mémorial du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg No 48, Government of Luxembourg, 13 August 1951, entry dated 18 July 1951
- ↑ http://royauxsuedois.centerblog.net/m/voir-photo?u=http://royauxsuedois.r.o.pic.centerblog.net/o/hrG1Os6Gf6Y.jpg
- ↑ "Count Carl Johan Bernadotte obituary". The Independent. London. 8 May 2012.
External links
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| Carl Johan Bernadotte Born: 31 October 1916 Died: 5 May 2012 | ||
| Swedish royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vacant, last held by Prince August, Duke of Dalarna |
Duke of Dalarna 1916–1947 |
Succeeded by None |