Prince Carl Duke of Västergötland Born (1861-02-27)27 February 1861 Palace of the Hereditary Prince, Stockholm, Sweden Died 24 October 1951(1951-10-24) (aged 90) 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

Swedish Royalty House of Bernadotte Charles XIV John Children Oscar I Oscar I Children Charles XV Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland Oscar II Princess Eugenie Prince August, Duke of Dalarna Charles XV Children Lovisa, Queen of Denmark Prince Carl Oscar, Duke of Södermanland Oscar II Children Gustaf V Prince Oscar, Duke of Gotland Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke Grandchildren Margaretha, Princess Axel of Denmark Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway Astrid, Queen of Belgium Prince Carl, Duke of Östergötland Gustaf V Children Gustaf VI Adolf Prince Vilhelm, Duke of Södermanland Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland Grandchildren Prince Lennart, Duke of Småland Gustaf VI Adolf Children Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland Ingrid, Queen of Denmark Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland Prince Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna Grandchildren Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler Birgitta, Princess Johann Georg of Hohenzollern Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf Children Crown Princess Victoria, Duchess of Västergötland Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland Grandchildren Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland Prince Nicolas, Duke of Ångermanland

Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Västergötland (Stockholm, 27 February 1861 – Stockholm, 24 October 1951), was the third son of King Oscar II of Sweden-Norway and Sophia of Nassau. He was known as "the Blue Prince" (Blå Prinsen) because of the colour of the uniform of the Life Regiment.^[1]

Life[edit]

Marriage[edit]

In May 1897, Prince Carl was engaged to Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. They married on 27 August 1897 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen and spent their wedding trip in Germany. Princess Ingeborg was the second daughter of King Frederick VIII of Denmark and Louise of Sweden.

They had four children:

1. Princess Margaretha of Sweden (1899–1977).
2. Princess Märtha of Sweden, later Crown Princess of Norway (1901–1954).
3. Princess Astrid of Sweden, later Queen of the Belgians (1905–1935).
4. Prince Carl Bernadotte, known as Carl Jr., later Prince Bernadotte, a Belgian title (1911–2003).

In 1947, on the occasion of their wedding anniversary, Carl admitted that their marriage had been completely arranged by their respective fathers, and Ingeborg herself added : "I married a complete stranger!".

Candidate to the Norwegian throne[edit]

Prince Carl was once considered a candidate to the Norwegian crown during Norway's fight for independence from Sweden in 1905. To elect a prince from Sweden was considered to be a less radical way out of the union, and hence a more peaceful approach. However, King Oscar II of Sweden never approved on this, as he saw the whole "riot" as a betrayal against his rights as King of Norway. Hence, Prince Carl never became King of Norway in 1905. 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[edit]

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.

Arms[edit]

Arms as Prince of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Västergötland 1861 to 1905

Arms as Prince of Sweden and Duke of Västergötland after 1907

Ancestry[edit]

References[edit]

• Bomann-Larsen, Tor: Folket - Haakon & Maud II (2004; in Norwegian)