Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (Erik Gustav Ludvig Albert; 20 April 1889 – 20 September 1918) was a Swedish and Norwegian prince. He was the third and youngest son of King Gustav V of Sweden and Victoria of Baden and was known to be disabled.

Life

Prince Erik had

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

and mild

intellectual disability Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom), and formerly mental retardation (in the United States), Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010).Archive is a generalized neurodevelopmental ...

. His exact condition has not been published, but he may have had an injury at birth or been affected by his mother's strong pre-natal medication for pneumonia. He had pangs of severe anxiety, and Victoria called him "my much loved child of grief". He was described as handsome and physically healthy. His mental disability was not noticeable in brief conversation, but would become apparent if he was engaged at length. Because of his condition, he was seldom seen in public and led a quiet life away from the public eye, similar to the life of

Prince John of the United Kingdom Prince John (John Charles Francis; 12 July 1905 – 18 January 1919) was the fifth son and youngest of the six children of King George V and Mary of Teck, Queen Mary. At the time of his birth, his father was heir apparent to John's grandfa ...

. Because he was a member of the royal family, he was present in official royal photographs, but he had no official tasks. During 1907 to 1909, a residence was built for him away from the public eye in

Djursholm Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursho ...

, a relatively new garden community north of Stockholm. However, he never moved in, and settled instead on the Balingsholm manor in

Huddinge Municipality Huddinge Municipality () is a municipality in Stockholm County, east central Sweden. Its seat is located in Huddinge (), which is a part of Stockholm urban area. The municipality is, with its approximately 110,000 inhabitants, the second most pop ...

south of Stockholm. Erik was cared for by many members of the same staff who were responsible for him and his brothers when they were children: the governess Louise Rinman, referred to by the siblings as Vass, was responsible for the upbringing of him and his siblings when they were little, and in the case of Erik, she continued to be so until his death. Every two weeks he was allowed a trip to the capital, during which he sometimes could be seen visiting the opera; these were the only times he was seen in public except for official photographs.

Death

In 1917, he complained about having to live in such isolation, and it was decided that he should have a new residence closer to Stockholm. However, he died the next year of the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

at Drottningholm Palace. His parents were not present when he died which, according to official memoirs, caused his father great sorrow in later years. His mother, who herself had poor health and spent parts of the year in Italy, was abroad at the time. Reportedly his brothers felt sorry for him. His intended residence on Germaniavägen in Djursholm has been in private ownership since the 1960s and today (2011) is the private residence of South Africa's ambassador to Sweden.

Honours and arms

Honours

* Sweden-Norway: ** Knight and Commander of the Seraphim, ''20 April 1889'' ** Knight of the

Order of Charles XIII The Royal Order of Charles XIII () is a Swedish order (honour), order of merit, founded by King Charles XIII of Sweden, Charles XIII in 1811. Membership The Lord and Master of the Order is the Monarch, King of Sweden, currently King Carl XVI Gust ...

, ''20 April 1889'' ** Commander Grand Cross of the Sword, ''20 April 1889'' ** Commander Grand Cross of the Polar Star, ''20 April 1889'' ** Grand Cross of St. Olav, with Collar, ''20 April 1889'' ** Knight of the Norwegian Lion, ''21 January 1904'' * : Knight of the Elephant, ''20 November 1912'' * :

Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

* : ** Knight of the Black Eagle ** Grand Cross of the Red Eagle ** : Knight of the House Order of Fidelity

Arms

File:Armoiries du Prince Erik de Suède.svg, Prince Erik's coat of arms File:Royal Monogram of Prince Erik of Sweden.svg, Prince Erik's monogram

Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erik, Duke of Vastmanland, Prince 1889 births 1918 deaths Eric 1889 Norwegian princes House of Bernadotte Dukes of provinces of Sweden Royalty and nobility with epilepsy Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic Infectious disease deaths in Sweden Burials at Riddarholmen Church Swedish royalty and nobility with disabilities Swedish people of French descent Swedish Lutherans Royalty from Stockholm 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 Knights of the Order of the Norwegian Lion Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Sons of kings