Princess Margaretha of Sweden
| Princess Margaretha | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Axel of Denmark | |||||
 Margaretha in the year of her marriage, 1919 | |||||
| Born |
25 June 1899 Stora Parkudden, Djurgården, Stockholm, Sweden | ||||
| Died |
4 January 1977 (aged 77) Tranemosegård, Fakse, Zealand Denmark | ||||
| Spouse | Prince Axel of Denmark | ||||
| Issue |
Prince George Valdemar of Denmark Count Flemming Valdemar of Rosenborg | ||||
| |||||
| House | Bernadotte | ||||
| Father | Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland | ||||
| Mother | Princess Ingeborg of Denmark | ||||
Princess Margaretha of Sweden (Margaretha Sofia Lovisa Ingeborg; 25 June 1899 – 4 January 1977) was a member of the Swedish Royal Family and a Princess of Denmark by marriage, the eldest sister of Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway, Queen Astrid of the Belgians and Prince Carl Bernadotte.
Early life
The eldest child and daughter of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, she was born Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Norway (later just "of Sweden", due to the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905) in Stockholm.
In 1916 Margaretha's confirmation attracted enthusiastic press coverage; the event was said to mark the beginning of a new age for the Swedish royal house, which had lacked princesses for so long.
Marriage and family
On 22 May 1919, at the Storkyrkan, Stockholm, she was married to Prince Axel of Denmark, her maternal first cousin once removed. The marriage was a love match; her mother remarked that the couple were so much in love that they could not be left alone in a furnished room.[1] Her wedding was celebrated with great festivities in Stockholm.
They had two sons:
- Prince George Valdemar Karl Axel of Denmark (16 April 1920–20 September 1986) he married Anne Ferelith Fenella Bowes-Lyon on 16 September 1950.
- Prince Flemming Valdemar Carl Axel (3 March 1922–19 June 2002) he married Alice Ruth Nielson, daughter of Kai Nielson and Edith Fischer, on 24 May 1949. They have four children, ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
She was a maternal aunt of King Harald V of Norway and Kings Baudouin and Albert II of Belgium; and paternal grandaunt of King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.
Activities
Margaretha adjusted herself well in Denmark, which she had often visited on family occasions during her upbringing. She lived a private life devoted to her family on the estate Bernstorffshøj in Gentofte and generally avoided publicity, and kept in close contact with her relations abroad. She was interested in social issues in Sweden, and became the patron of several charity organisations in Denmark, and was the chairperson of Gentofte Børnevenner.
She was a leading guest at the 1947 wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.[2]
After the death of her sister, the Norwegian Crown Princess Märtha in 1954, she became a great support for her sister's children in Norway; she was the godmother of princess Märtha Louise of Norway.
Her spouse died in 1964. As a widow, she was often back in Sweden, where she would join other members of the Swedish royal house in representative duties at official ceremonies — most notably, the Nobel Prize. To her family, she was affectionately known as "Tante Ta" ("Aunt Ta").
She died in Kongsted, near Fakse, Denmark, in 1977.
Legacy
The popular Swedish layer cake princess cake was named for Margaretha and her two sisters when they were children.
Titles and arms
- 25 June 1899 – 7 June 1905: Her Royal Highness Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Norway
- 7 June 1905 – 22 May 1919: Her Royal Highness Princess Margaretha of Sweden
- 22 May 1919 – 4 January 1977: Her Royal Highness Princess Axel of Denmark
 Marital arms of Princess Margaretha |
 Arms as displayed in Riddarholmen Church |
Ancestry
| Styles of Princess Margaretha of Denmark | |
|---|---|
| Reference style | Her Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
References
- ↑ Staffan Skott: Alla dessa Bernadottar (All these Bernadottes) (1996) (in Swedish)
- ↑ "A Royal Wedding, 20 November 1947". Royal Collection. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
- "Margaretha". Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon (in Swedish). Retrieved 2014-03-06.
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*also a princess of Greece by marriage ^also a Danish princess by birth **title lost due to divorce and subsequent remarriage | ||