Carl Johan Arthur, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, (31 October 1916 – 5 May 2012) was the fourth son and fifth and youngest child of King

Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf A ...

and his first wife,

Princess Margaret of Connaught Princess Margaret of Connaught (Margaret Victoria Charlotte Augusta Norah; 15 January 1882 – 1 May 1920) was Crown Princess of Sweden as the first wife of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf. She was the elder daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of C ...

. Bernadotte was born a Prince of Sweden and granted the title of Duke of Dalarna but renounced these titles to marry a commoner. He was the uncle of two reigning monarchs,

Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly ...

of Denmark and

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. Having reigned since 1973, he is the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history. Carl Gustaf was born during the reign of his paternal great-grandfather, K ...

of Sweden, as well as one queen consort,

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece Anne-Marie (; born Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid of Denmark, 30 August 1946) is a Danish royal family, Danish princess who was Queen of Greece as the consort of Constantine II of Greece, King Constantine II from their marriage on 18 Sept ...

. He was also the last surviving great-grandchild of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and her husband,

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

Early life

Bernadotte was born on 31 October 1916 on

Stockholm Palace Stockholm Palace, or the Royal Palace, ( or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Palace is in Stadsholm ...

as the youngest surviving child of

Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf A ...

and

. He graduated from Lundsbergs School in 1935 and enlisted in the Swedish army where he achieved the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

before leaving the service in 1948. Near the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Bernadotte was allegedly considered for the Hungarian throne although nothing came of it.

Marriages and children

Bernadotte lost his succession rights to the Swedish throne and renounced his titles in 1946 when he married the journalist Elin ''Kerstin'' Margaretha Wijkmark (4 October 1910 – 11 September 1987), daughter of Henning Wijkmark and wife Elin

Larsson Larsson () is a Swedish language, Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Lars". There are various spellings. Notable people with the surname include: Academics *Hans Larsson (1862–1944) was a Swedish Professor of Philosophy at Lund Universit ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on 19 February. As his unconstitutional marriage to Wijkmark - ''enskild mans dotter'' (daughter of a common man) - could not be approved by the Swedish government, Bernadotte knew he was giving up his Swedish titles and succession rights. They adopted two children: * ''Monica'' Kristina Margaretha Bernadotte (born 5 March 1948, adopted in 1951), who married Count Johan Peder Bonde af Björnö (born 5 May 1950) on 16 January 1976. They had three children and were divorced in 1997. * ''Christian'' Carl Henning Bernadotte (born 3 December 1949, adopted in 1950), who married Marianne Jenny (born 31 January 1958, daughter of Jacques Jenny and Caroline Yvonne Venter) on 13 September 1980. They have three children. The Bernadottes lived for some time in

, where he worked as the representative of the Anglo-Nordic Trading Company. They made friends with the film star

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

, who stayed with them in their Swedish home near

Båstad Båstad () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden, with approximately 5,000 permanent residents. It is however one of Sweden's most typical summer resorts. The population is presumably mor ...

. On 29 September 1988, the widowed Bernadotte married his childhood friend, the Swedish noblewoman Countess Gunnila Märtha Louise Wachtmeister of Johannishus (12 May 1923 – 12 September 2016), in the Swedish Gustaf's Church in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark. After the ceremony, his sister, Queen Ingrid, hosted a wedding banquet for the couple at

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace (; ) is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum ( Danish, ''Esrum Sø'') in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. It is the Danish royal family’s spring and autumn residence, and is o ...

. Upon marrying Wachtmeister, Bernadotte became the stepfather of her two surviving children from her previous marriage. Bernadotte was a regular guest at Danish and Swedish royal engagements up until his death. In 2009, he and his wife were among the guests at

Count Henrik of Monpezat Count Henrik of Monpezat (born Prince Henrik of Denmark; 4 May 2009) is a member of the Danish royal family. He is the third and youngest son of Prince Joachim and the only son of his second wife, Princess Marie. He is a grandson of Queen Marg ...

's christening at Møgeltønder Church. It was since speculated that the grandson of his niece, Queen

, received the name Carl in his honour.

Death

Carl Johan Bernadotte died on 5 May 2012 at

Ängelholm Ängelholm is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Ängelholm Municipality in Skåne, Scania, Sweden with 42,131 inhabitants in 2017. History The city was founded in 1516 as Engelholm by King Christian II of Denmark, who moved the se ...

Hospital in Skåne. His funeral took place at Båstad Church on 14 May 2012 and was attended among others by the Swedish royal family as well as his nieces, Queen

of Denmark,

Princess Benedikte of Denmark Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid o ...

and

. On 15 May, a service of thanksgiving was held at the

Royal Chapel A royal chapel is a chapel associated with a monarch, a royal court, or in a royal palace. A royal chapel may also be a body of clergy or musicians serving at a royal court or employed by a monarch. Commonwealth countries Both the United Kin ...

of Stockholm Palace, after which Bernadotte was buried at Royal Cemetery in

Hagaparken Hagaparken ("Haga Park"), or simply Haga in Solna Municipality just north of Stockholm, Sweden, is a vast and popular nature area, with large lawns, woods and gardens. Description Hagaparken is located along the western shoreline of Brunnsvike ...

Titles, styles, honours and arms

*31 October 1916 – 19 February 1946: ''

His Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style (manner of address), style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Kings and their female Queen consort, consorts, as well as queens regnant, are usually styled ''Maje ...

'' Prince Carl Johan of Sweden, Duke of Dalarna *19 February 1946 – 2 July 1951: Carl Johan Bernadotte *2 July 1951 – 5 May 2012: Carl Johan Arthur, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg When marrying on 19 February 1946 he lost his Swedish royal titles, i.e. ''

Prince of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parl ...

'' 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 Charlotte (''Charlotte Adelgonde Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine''; 23 January 1896 – 9 July 1985) was List of monarchs of Luxembourg, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964. Her reign is the long ...

(

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

at the time) into the Luxembourgois nobility with the title

Count of Wisborg The Count of Wisborg (, , ) is a title of nobility granted by the list of monarchs of Luxembourg, Monarch of Luxembourg to some male-members of the Swedish royal family, including their spouses and descendants. Since 1892, the title has been born ...

and in that conferral was also made ''Carl Johan Arthur

Prince Bernadotte Prince Bernadotte is a title that has been used by several members of the House of Bernadotte. It is most commonly known as a title granted to men who were formerly titled as princes of Sweden before losing their royal titles when they married unequ ...

''.

Honours

Certain Swedish decorations were awarded at birth in 1916 and renounced in 1946.

National honours

: Knight with Collar of the

Royal Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; '' Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Ord ...

– Revoked * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

: Commander Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Order of the Sword – Revoked * : Commander Grand Cross with Collar of the

Royal Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order o ...

– Revoked and Reconferred (10 April 1952) * SWE_Order_of_Charles_XIII_BAR

: Knight of the

Royal Order of Charles XIII The Royal Order of Charles XIII () is a Swedish order of merit, founded by King Charles XIII in 1811. Membership The Lord and Master of the Order is the King of Sweden, currently King Carl XVI Gustaf. Membership of the order can only be conferre ...

– Revoked * Seraphimerorden_ribbon

: King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1928) * Seraphimerorden_ribbon

: King Gustaf VI Adolf's Commemorative Medal (1967) * Seraphimerorden_ribbon

: King Carl XVI Gustaf's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1996)

Foreign honours

: Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

* : Grand Officer of the

Order of the Quetzal The Order of the Quetzal () is Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the so ...

Arms

File:Coat of arms of Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna.svg, Carl Johan's arms as Prince of Sweden and Duke of Dalecarlia Armoiries de Lennart Bernadotte comte de Wisborg.svg, Arms of the Counts of Wisborg Arms of Prince Bernadotte 1951 Luxembourg.jpg, Arms as described by the Government of Luxembourg for Princes and Princesses Bernadotte in 1951

Ancestry

On 29 June 2011, he surpassed his elder brother,

Sigvard Sigvard may refer to: *Sigvard Bernadotte (1907–2002), Swedish industrial designer *Sigvard Eklund (1911–2000), director of the International Atomic Energy Agency security council *Sigvard Ericsson (1930–2019), former speed skater *Sigvard H ...

(1907–2002), as the longest-lived of Queen Victoria's male descendants, a record he would hold until being surpassed by

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

on 13 December 2016. He was the last surviving great-grandchild of

of the United Kingdom, the last surviving child of Gustaf VI Adolf, and the last surviving grandchild of

Gustaf V Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxe ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernadotte, Carl Johan 1916 births 2012 deaths Carl Johan 1916 Carl Johan 1916 Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Charles XIII Grand Officers of the Order of the Quetzal Royalty from Stockholm Swedish people of British descent Carl Johan Disinherited European royalty Burials at Kungliga begravningsplatsen Carl Johan Sons of kings