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 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 ...

. He was born a Prince of Sweden and granted the title of Duke of Dalarna but renounced these titles to marry a commoner. He was a paternal uncle of King

Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...

and a maternal uncle of Queen

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

and

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece Anne-Marie, ( el, Άννα-Μαρία ; born 30 August 1946) is a Greek and Danish royal who was the last Queen of Greece from 1964 to 1973 as the wife of King Constantine II. The Greek monarchy was abolished with the 1974 Greek Republic R ...

. 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 her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

and her husband Prince Albert.

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 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

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). Married on 16 January 1976 Count Johan Peder Bonde af Björnö (born 5 May 1950). They have three children and were divorced in 1997. * Christian Carl Henning Bernadotte (born 3 December 1949, adopted in 1950). Married on 13 September 1980 Marianne Jenny (born 31 January 1958), daughter of Jacques Jenny and wife Caroline Yvonne Venter. 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. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

, who stayed with them in their Swedish home near Båstad. On 29 September 1988, the widowed Bernadotte married Countess Gunnila Märtha Louise (Wachtmeister af Johannishus) Bussler (12 May 1923 – 12 September 2016) 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 ...

and also became the stepfather of her two surviving children from her previous marriage.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

*31 October 1916 – 19 February 1946: '' His Royal Highness'' 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'' and '' Duke of Dalarna''. He subsequently assumed the surname '' Bernadotte'', the name of the

Swedish Royal Family The Swedish royal family ( sv, Svenska kungafamiljen) since 1818 has consisted of members of the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. Today those who are recognized by the government are entitled to royal ti ...

. 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) reigned as Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964. She acceded to the throne on 14 January 1919 foll ...

(

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

at the time) into the Luxembourgois nobility with the title

Count of Wisborg Count of Wisborg (french: Comte de Wisborg; ; german: Graf von Wisborg) is a title granted by the monarchs of Luxembourg to some men formerly titled as princes of Sweden and their descendants. Since 1892, the title has been borne by the male-lin ...

. 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 ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...

– Revoked * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

: Commander Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Order of the Sword – Revoked * Order_of_the_Polar_Star_-_Ribbon_bar,_pre_1975

: Commander Grand Cross with Collar of the

Royal Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of ...

– Revoked and Reconferred (10 April 1952) * SWE_Order_of_Charles_XIII_BAR

: Knight of the Royal Order of Charles XIII – 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 * Order_of_the_Quetzal_-_Grand_Officer_(Guatemala)_-_ribbon_bar

: Grand Officer of the

Order of the Quetzal The Order of the Quetzal (Spanish: Orden del Quetzal) is Guatemala’s highest honor. History and award conditions Established in 1936, it is bestowed by the Government of Guatemala Politics of Guatemala takes place in a framework of a p ...

Arms

File:Armoiries de Carl Johan duc de Dalécarlie.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 (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 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

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.

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 People from Stockholm Swedish people of British descent

Carl Johan sv, Karl Johan Baptist Julius , spouse = , issue = Oscar I of Sweden , house = Bernadotte , father = Henri Bernadotte , mother = Jeanne de Saint-Jean , birth_date = , birth_place = Pau, ...

Disinherited European royalty Burials at Kungliga begravningsplatsen

Sons of kings