Prince Harald of Denmark (''Harald Christian Frederik''; 8 October 1876 – 30 March 1949) was a member of the
Danish Royal Family
The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...
. He was the third son and fourth child of
Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife,
Lovisa of Sweden
Louise Josephine Eugenie of Sweden ( sv, Lovisa Josefina Eugenia; 31 October 1851 – 20 March 1926) was Queen of Denmark from 1906 until 1912 as the spouse of King Frederick VIII.
Born into the House of Bernadotte, Louise was the only survi ...
, and thus brother to
Christian X of Denmark
Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, in the form of a personal union rathe ...
and
Haakon VII of Norway.
The prince served in the
Royal Danish Army
The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...
for most of his life, and reached the rank of
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
.
Early life
Prince Harald was born on 8 October 1876 at his parents' country residence, the
Charlottenlund Palace
Charlottenlund Palace ( da, Charlottenlund Slot) is a former royal summer residence in Charlottenlund, some north of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The palace was named after Princess Charlotte Amalie, who was responsible for the construction of th ...
in
Gentofte Municipality
Gentofte Kommune is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in the Capital Region of Denmark (''Region Hovedstaden'') on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark. It covers an area of , and has a total population ...
north of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, during the reign of his paternal grandfather,
King Christian IX
Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.
A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein ...
.
He was the fourth child and third son of
Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and his wife
Louise of Sweden
Louise Josephine Eugenie of Sweden ( sv, Lovisa Josefina Eugenia; 31 October 1851 – 20 March 1926) was Queen of Denmark from 1906 until 1912 as the spouse of King Frederick VIII.
Born into the House of Bernadotte, Louise was the only surviv ...
.
His father was the eldest son of
King Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.
A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein ...
and
Louise of Hesse-Kassel
da, Louise Wilhelmine Frederikke Caroline Auguste Julie
, succession = Queen consort of Denmark
, image = Louise of Hesse-Kassel.jpg
, reign = 15 November 1863 – 29 September 1898
, spouse =
, issue =
, house = ...
, and his mother was the only daughter of
King Charles XV of Sweden and Norway and
Louise of the Netherlands
Louise of the Netherlands (Wilhelmina Frederika Alexandrine Anna Louise; 5 August 1828 – 30 March 1871) was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 8 July 1859 until her death in 1871 as the wife of King Charles XV & IV.
Youth
Princess Louise was bor ...
. He was baptised with the names ''Harald Christian Frederik'', and was known as Prince Harald.
Prince Harald was raised with his siblings in the royal household in Copenhagen, and grew up between his parents' city residence, the
Frederick VIII's Palace, an 18th-century
palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
which forms part of the
Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Queen Magrethe ll lives here in winter and autumn. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors arou ...
complex in central
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, and their country residence, the
Charlottenlund Palace
Charlottenlund Palace ( da, Charlottenlund Slot) is a former royal summer residence in Charlottenlund, some north of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The palace was named after Princess Charlotte Amalie, who was responsible for the construction of th ...
, located by the coastline of the
Øresund
Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width ...
strait north of the city. At the age of 17, Prince Harald entered a military career as was customary for princes at the time. He later served with the
Guard Hussar Regiment.
Marriage
At the age of 33, on 28 April 1909 at
Glücksburg Castle
Glücksburg Castle ( German: Schloss Glücksburg, Danish: ''Lyksborg Slot'') is one of the most significant Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The castle was the headquarters of the ducal lines of the house of Glücksburg and temporarily serv ...
in Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Harald married his
second cousin
Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...
Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
, daughter of
Frederick Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and
.
After their marriage, Prince Harald and Princess Helena lived at the
Jægersborghus country house
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
north of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
which Prince Harald had purchased in 1907.
Here their five children were born between 1910 and 1923.
Later life
Like other members of the Danish royal family, his economic situation was influenced by the
failure of
Den Danske Landmandsbank
Danske Bank A/S is a Danish multinational banking and financial services corporation. Headquartered in Copenhagen, it is the largest bank in Denmark and a major retail bank in the northern European region with over 5 million retail customers. ...
in 1923. Until 1935, however, he and his family were able to stay at Jægersborghus but then moved to a villa in the northern part of Copenhagen.
At the age of 50, Prince Harald retired from active service with the rank of
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
. In 1933, however, his brother
King Christian X
Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, in the form of a personal union rath ...
appointed him
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Princess Helena became very unpopular because of her sympathy for the
German occupation of Denmark
At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December ...
and the
Nazi party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
. Because of this, she was reportedly not on speaking terms with her sons.
After the war, Princess Helena was not brought to trial, being a member of the royal family who did not wish any publicity on the matter, but was exiled from Denmark 30 May 1945 and placed under house arrest at the
Glücksburg Castle
Glücksburg Castle ( German: Schloss Glücksburg, Danish: ''Lyksborg Slot'') is one of the most significant Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The castle was the headquarters of the ducal lines of the house of Glücksburg and temporarily serv ...
in Germany. She was allowed to return to Denmark in 1947, when Prince Harald fell gravely ill. She stayed with her spouse until his death two years later.
Prince Harald died on 30 March 1949 in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. He was buried at
Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral ( da, Roskilde Domkirke), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark.
The cathedral is the most importan ...
. Princess Helena survived her husband by 13 years and died on 30 June 1962.
Honours
National decorations
* RE –
Knight of the Elephant
The Order of the Elephant ( da, Elefantordenen) is a 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 ...
, ''28 July 1894''
* DM –
Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
, ''28 July 1894''
* SK –
Grand Cross of the Dannebrog, ''8 October 1917''
* GbET – Commemorative Medal for the Golden Wedding of King Christian IX and Queen Louise
* MM 8 April 1918 – King Christian IX Centenary Medal
Foreign decorations
* :
Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Leopold
* :
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
*
German Imperial and Royal Family:
**
Knight of the Black Eagle
**
Grand Cross of the Red Eagle
**
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...
:
Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore
** :
Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown
*
Greek Royal Family
The Greek royal family (Greek: Ελληνική Βασιλική Οικογένεια) is a branch of the Danish royal family, itself a branch of the House of Glücksburg, that reigned in Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. It ...
:
Grand Cross of the Redeemer
* :
**
Grand Cross of St. Olav, with Collar, ''22 June 1906''
** Commemorative Medal for the Coronation of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud
* :
**
Knight of the Seraphim, ''27 August 1897''
** Knight of the
Order of Charles XIII
The Royal Order of Charles XIII ( sv, Kungliga Carl XIII:s orden) 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 o ...
, ''1927''
* :
Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao
* : GCVO –
Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, ''11 October 1901''
Issue
Harald and Helena had five children:
Ancestry
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harald of Denmark, Prince
1876 births
1949 deaths
Burials at Roskilde Cathedral
House of Glücksburg (Denmark)
Danish princes
Sons of kings
Danish Freemasons
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog
Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog
Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
Knights of the Order of Charles XIII
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order