Princess Ebba Bernadotte (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Ebba Henrietta Munck af Fulkila; 24 October 1858 – 16 October 1946), was a Swedish noble,

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 a titular princess, the spouse of

Prince Oscar Bernadotte Prince Oscar Carl August Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (15 November 1859 – 4 October 1953) was a Swedish religious activist, the second son of King Oscar II of Sweden and his consort, Sofia of Nassau. Born as a Prince of Sweden and Norway, h ...

Life

She was the daughter of

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

-born noble

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Carl Jacob and Baroness Henrica Cederström. She was a lady-in-waiting of the Crown Princess,

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 ...

, who in 1885 visited her brother-in-law in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, where he was to undergo a medical examination for a heart difficulty.

Marriage

Ebba and Oscar visited the Norwegian

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

church during their stay in Amsterdam and fell in love: Ebba was religious and influenced Oscar in this regard. When Oscar told his family that he wished to marry Ebba, they were

scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

ized and he was forced to take a two-year consideration period, and Ebba was dismissed as a lady-in-waiting. In 1887, Oscar told his family that he had not changed his mind, and the Royal House gave its consent to the marriage on condition that Oscar's brothers signed a document promising that they should never enter a similar marriage, which they did. On January 21, 1888, a

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

was arranged at the

Royal Palace of Stockholm Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Pala ...

, where Ebba and Oscar were allowed to dance with each other, and on 29 January 1888, the engagement was formally announced. The match was regarded as a great sorrow within the royal house, but it received a lot of sympathy from the public. It was said that a bridge had been placed between the people and the Royal House: "The Munck bridge", and the fact that Oscar had to give up his royal title made people say that the King no longer had four sons but only three, as one of them "married and had to quit". When the couple left Stockholm, a large crowd had gathered on the train station to see them off and show their support. Luxembourg Grand Ducal letters patent 1892

Luxembourg Grand Ducal letters patent 1892

Ebba and Oscar were married 15 March 1888 in Saint Stephens Church in

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by the vicar Gustaf Beskow, who was close to the Queen, Sofia of Nassau, in the presence of Oscar's mother, Queen Sophia, two of his brothers,

Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Västergötland (27 February 1861 – 24 October 1951) was a Swedish prince. Through his daughters, for whom he arranged excellent dynastic marriages, he is an ancestor of several members of European ro ...

and

Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke Prince Eugen Napoleon Nicolaus of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Närke (1 August 1865 – 17 August 1947) was a Swedish painter, art collector, and patron of artists. Background Prince Eugen was born at Drottningholm Palace as the fourth and ...

, and his cousin, the Danish Crown princess,

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 ...

, as well as Ebba's mother and brother. In Sweden she was given the unclarified title of "Princess Bernadotte" instead of the royal "Princess of Sweden".

Later life

After her marriage, Ebba Bernadotte devoted her life to Christian charity. The couple lived a simple life in Stockholm away from the royal court and was regarded with great sympathy due to the circumstances of their marriage. Their relationship was described as happy, and they devoted themselves to their common interests in religion and Christian influenced social work. Ebba Bernadotte was a member of a number of different Christian charitable organisations: in 1894, she became a member of the ''Lapska missionens vänner'' ('Friends of the

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Mission'), in 1897-1912 she was a board member of the ''Kristliga föreningens av unga kvinnor'' ('Christian Society For Young Women') and in 1900, she became chairperson of ''Bokpåsemissionen för sjömän'' (' Bookbag-Mission For Sailors'), which had its meetings in her home.

Life

Marriage

Later life

References

Further reading