Sigrid Sparre (''Sigrid Maria Josefina Ingeborg Richissa Eufemia Ulfhild''; 1 September 1825, in Nygård – 17 November 1910, in Stockholm) was a Swedish

lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

and noblewoman, known for her relationship with

Charles XV of Sweden Charles XV also Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''); Swedish: ''Karl XV'' and Norwegian: ''Karl IV'' (3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden (''Charles XV'') and Norway, there often referred to accurately as Charles IV, from 1859 until his ...

. Sigrid Sparre was the daughter of

General-major 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 ...

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

Sixten David Sparre and Sofia Amalia Eleonora Lewenhaupt, and the cousin of governor

Knut Sparre Knut (Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used w ...

. She was the ''

hovfröken A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in Royal Household, royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditi ...

'' (

maid of honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Traditi ...

) of queen Josephine of Sweden in 1844–1850 and became known for her love affair with Crown Prince Charles. The queen gave her Catholic confessor,

Jacob Lorentz Studach Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...

, the task to provide evidence of the affair by catching the couple together. This was achieved on

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 ...

in 1850, after which Sparre lost her position and was forced to leave court, despite the protests of Charles. This forced separation from Sparre caused severe and lasting damage in the relationship between Charles and his mother, as well as cementing an antipathy against Catholicism in Charles. Charles described Sigrid as his only "true love" and also composed a poem dedicated to her. He later commented to the brother of Sigrid Sparre: "Your sister has been my only love - if she had become mine, I would have been a different person." In 1852, Sigrid Sparre married the nobleman commander

Fredrik Thure Cederström Fredrik is a masculine Germanic given name derived from the German name '' Friedrich'' or Friederich, from the Old High German ''fridu'' meaning "peace" and ''rîhhi'' meaning "ruler" or "power". It is the common form of Frederick in Norway, Finla ...

(1808–1886). She had three sons, and became known for her philanthropic efforts during the tenure of her spouse as commander of Karlskrona (1858–68).Hvar 8 dag / Årg. 12 (1910/1911)
/ref> Charles married Princess Louise of the Netherlands in 1850, courted the noblewomen Stani Eketrä and Aurore Palin and had a relationship with first

Laura Bergnéhr Laura Bergnéhr (died 1852) was a Swedish actress. She is known as the mistress of king Charles XV of Sweden. Laura Bergnéhr was the daughter of lieutenant Lars August Bergnéhr and the courtesan Lovisa Spångberg (her mother later married the no ...

and then with a relative of Sigrid,

Josephine Sparre ''Josephine'' Sophie Anette Charlotte Sparre af Söfdeborg (28 July 1829, Dyrendal, Norway – 17 August 1892), called ''Jossan'' or ''Schossan'', was a Swedish noble, lady-in-waiting and a royal mistress to King Charles XV of Sweden. Life Josephi ...

References

Svenskt biografiskt lexikon ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' () is a Swedish biographical dictionary, started in 1917. The first volume, covering names ''Abelin'' to ''Anjou'', was published in 1918. As of 2017, names from A to S are covered. Volumes # ABELIN – ANJOU (1 ...

*Lars Elgklou: Bernadotte. Historien - eller historier - om en familj., Askild & Kärnekull Förlag AB, Stockholm 1978. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparre, Sigrid 1825 births 1910 deaths Swedish nobility Swedish ladies-in-waiting Mistresses of Charles XV