Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland (Carl Wilhelm Ludvig; 17 June 1884 – 5 June 1965) was a Swedish and Norwegian prince. He authored many books (primarily in Swedish) as ''Prins Wilhelm''.

Personal life

Wilhelm was born at

Tullgarn Palace Tullgarn Palace ( sv, Tullgarns slott) is a royal summer palace in the province of Södermanland, south of Stockholm, Sweden. Built in the 1720s, the palace offers a mixture of rococo, Gustavian and Victorian styles. The interior design is rega ...

, the second son of King

Gustaf V of Sweden 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 Luxem ...

and his wife

Victoria of Baden Sophie Marie Victoria of Baden (german: Sophie Marie Viktoria; 7 August 1862 – 4 April 1930) was Queen of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until her death in 1930 as the wife of King Gustaf V. She was politically active in a conservative fashion dur ...

Marriage and divorce

On 3 May 1908, in

Tsarskoye Selo Tsarskoye Selo ( rus, Ца́рское Село́, p=ˈtsarskəɪ sʲɪˈlo, a=Ru_Tsarskoye_Selo.ogg, "Tsar's Village") was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the cen ...

, Wilhelm married Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, a daughter of

Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia (russian: Павел Александрович; 3 October 1860 – 28 January 1919) was the sixth son and youngest child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia by his first wife, Empress Maria Alexandrov ...

by his first wife

Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark ( el, Αλεξάνδρα); – ), later known as Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia (russian: Алекса́ндра Гео́ргиевна), was a member of the Greek royal family and of the ...

. The bride was a cousin of the reigning Russian tsar,

Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

. The couple had one son:

Lennart Lennart or Lennarth is a Germanic variant of the name Leonard, most common in Scandinavia and German-speaking countries as a surname or masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Camilla Lennarth (born 1988), Swedish go ...

(1909–2004). The marriage was unhappy. Their son, Lennart, later wrote an autobiography in which he revealed several details of the Swedish royal family. The autobiography tells of how Maria, like her aunt and namesake Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, felt that she had married beneath herself in marrying a younger son of the King of Sweden, and this caused problems of ego between the couple. Maria insisted that the servants address her by her correct style ''Your Imperial and Royal Highness,'' to the chagrin of her husband, who was merely a ''Royal Highness.'' When apprised of the matter, Wilhelm's father King Gustav V had no choice but to acquiesce with his daughter-in-law's wish, which was perfectly valid in law, and ordered that the imperial style be used invariably for Maria. Maria sought a divorce because of what she described as the horror she then felt toward the Swedish royal family, due to their unlimited support of their official physician,

Axel Munthe Axel Martin Fredrik Munthe (31 October 1857 – 11 February 1949) was a Swedish-born medical doctor and psychiatrist, best known as the author of ''The Story of San Michele'', an autobiographical account of his life and work. He spoke several la ...

, who had accosted her sexually. The divorce was granted in 1914, and Maria returned to Russia.

Later life

Wilhelm had a relationship, which was not publicly known, with Jeanne de Tramcourt which lasted from around 1914 (starting date unknown) until Jeanne's death in 1952. They lived together for more than 30 years on the estate Stenhammar near Flen. This was at a time when cohabitation was very unusual and not officially allowed to occur among royalty. Jeanne de Tramcourt was therefore called his "hostess" at Stenhammar. On 2 January 1952 she died in a car accident in a snowstorm near Stjärnhov in Södermanland, when they were on their way to Stenhammar after visiting Wilhelm's son Lennart. Wilhelm was driving when the accident took place. After this tragedy, he is said never to have recovered.

Career and interests

Wilhelm was a noted photographer and the author of several books written in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Prins Wilhelm. In keeping with protocol demanded of royalty in modern democracies, Wilhelm kept studiously away from politics. One of his rare forays into the political sphere happened during the

Second World War 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 ...

, following the murder of the Danish playwright and Lutheran pastor

Kaj Munk Kaj Harald Leininger Munk (commonly called Kaj Munk) (13 January 1898 – 4 January 1944) was a Danish playwright and Lutheranism, Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural engagement and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Denmark of World ...

on 4 January 1944. It was alleged, perhaps correctly, that the occupying German forces (specifically the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

) were behind the murder, and the Danish resistance newspaper '' De frie Danske'' carried condemnatory reactions from numerous influential Scandinavians. Wilhelm was one of those who condemned the murder.

Death

Wilhelm suffered from

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

caused by several years of

chain smoking Chain smoking is the practice of smoking several cigarettes in succession, sometimes using the ember of a finished cigarette to light the next. The term chain smoker often also refers to a person who smokes relatively constantly, though not ne ...

and died in his sleep, from a heart attack, in

Flen Flen (local pronunciation ''Flén'') is a locality and the seat of Flen Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 6,229 inhabitants in 2010. Flen evolved as a railway junction and got the title of a city in 1949. Since 1971 it is the seat of ...

, just 12 days before his 81st birthday.

Honours and awards

He received the following orders and decorations: National honours * Knight and Commander of the Seraphim, ''17 June 1884'' * 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 of ...

, ''17 June 1884'' * Commander Grand Cross of the Sword, ''17 June 1884'' * Commander Grand Cross of the Polar Star, ''17 June 1884'' * Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

, ''16 June 1948'' * King Oscar II and Queen Sofia's Golden Wedding Medal * King Oscar II's Jubilee Commemorative Medal * Crown Prince Gustaf V and Crown Princess Silver Wedding Medal * King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1928) * King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) Foreign honours

Arms

File:Coat of arms of Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland (1884-1907).svg, Wilhelm's coat of arms as prince of Sweden and Norway, Duke of

Södermanland Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanla ...

1884 to 1905 File:Coat of arms of Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland (1907).svg, Wilhelm's coat of arms as prince of Sweden, Duke of

after 1907

Ancestors

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilhelm, Prince of Sweden and Norway, Duke Of Sodermanland Wilhelm, Prince of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Södermanland Wilhelm, Prince of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Södermanland Wilhelm, Prince of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Södermanland Wilhelm 1884 Knights of the Order of Charles XIII Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Grand Crosses of the Order of Vasa Knights of the Order of the Norwegian Lion Recipients of the King Haakon VII Freedom Cross Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Dukes of Södermanland Sons of kings Swedish Navy rear admirals Swedish Army major generals