Sonja Anita Maria Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg ( Haunz; 7 May 1944 – 21 October 2008) was the second wife of Count

Lennart Bernadotte Lennart, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (born Prince Lennart, Duke of Småland; 8 May 1909 – 21 December 2004) was a Swedish-German landscaper, filmmaker, photographer and was a grandson of King Gustaf V of Sweden. He was also the eldest gr ...

, son of Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and grandson of King

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 Luxem ...

. Vilhelm was Gustaf's second son.

Biography

She managed the

Mainau Mainau also referred to as Mav(e)no(w), Maienowe (in 1242), Maienow (in 1357), Maienau, Mainowe (in 1394) and Mainaw (in 1580) is an island in Lake Constance (on the Southern shore of the Überlinger See near the city of Konstanz, Baden-Wür ...

estate on

Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...

in southern Germany which her late husband purchased in 1951 from his father. The Mainau estate serves as Lake Constance's main tourist attraction, featuring elaborate floral gardens, a butterfly house, and attractive views of the lake. Bernadotte became the Count's second wife in 1972. After the death of the Count in 2004, Sonja Bernadotte became head of the foundation that organizes

Nobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings are annual scientific conferences held in Lindau, Bavaria, Germany, since 1951. Their aim is to bring together Nobel laureates and young scientists to foster scientific exchange between different generations, ...

, a scientific conference held yearly in

Lindau Lindau (german: Lindau (Bodensee), ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Ge ...

, inviting Nobel prize winners interact with young researchers from all over the world.

Marriage and family

In 1969, Sonja met her future husband Count Lennart Bernadotte of Wisborg whilst she was working as his personal assistant. Lennart was thirty-five years older than Sonja, to the very day—their birthdays were only one day apart. Lennart was married and the father of four adult children. He divorced his wife of almost forty years, with whom his relations had been uneven for some years, in order to marry Sonja. The wedding of Count Lennart and Countess Sonja took place on 29 April 1972. The couple had five children together: * ''Countess'' Bettina Bernadotte of Wisborg; born 12 March 1974 in Scherzingen, Switzerland. On 29 October 2004, she married Philipp Haug and they have three children. * ''Count'' Björn Bernadotte of Wisborg; born on 13 June 1975 in Scherzingen, Switzerland. * ''Countess'' Catharina Bernadotte of Wisborg; born on 11 April 1977 in Scherzingen, Switzerland. On 30 January 2007, Countess Catharina married Romauld Ruffing in a civil ceremony and religiously on 7 July 2007. * ''Count'' Christian Bernadotte of Wisborg; born on 24 May 1979 in Scherzingen, Switzerland. * ''Countess'' Diana Bernadotte of Wisborg; born on 18 April 1982 in Scherzingen, Switzerland. On 27 September 2003, she married Bernd Grawe and they have one daughter. They divorced in 2007. On 13 January 2017, she married Stefan Dedek. According to her husband's memoirs Sonja Bernadotte would not allow anyone to address them as a prince or princess.

Death

Sonja Bernadotte died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...

, Germany, aged 64.Death of Sonja Bernadotte
royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com. Accessed 25 April 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernadotte, Sonja 1944 births 2008 deaths Sonja Deaths from cancer in Germany Deaths from breast cancer Veitch Memorial Medal recipients Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg