Carl Gustaf Oscar Fredrik Christian, Prince Bernadotte (10 January 1911 – 27 June 2003), originally Prince Carl,

Duke of Östergötland Duchies in Sweden have been allotted since the 13th century to powerful Swedes, almost always to princes of Sweden (only in some of the dynasties) and wives of the latter. From the beginning these duchies were often centers of regional power, whe ...

, was the youngest child and only son of Prince Carl of Sweden and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark and eventually a prince of the Belgian nobility. To distinguish himself from his father, he was widely known as ''Carl Junior.'' He was the brother of

Princess Margaretha of Sweden Princess Margaretha of Sweden (Margaretha Sofia Lovisa Ingeborg; 25 June 1899 – 4 January 1977) was a member of the Swedish Royal Family by birth and the Danish Royal Family by marriage. She was the elder sister of Crown Princess Märtha of No ...

Queen Astrid of Belgium Astrid of Sweden (17 November 1905 – 29 August 1935) was the Queen of the Belgians and the first wife of King Leopold III. Originally a princess of Sweden of the House of Bernadotte, Astrid became the Duchess of Brabant after her marriage ...

and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway.

Marriage and loss of status

When Prince Carl married Countess Elsa von Rosen (1904–1991), on 6 July 1937 at Kvillinge, Sweden, he had to relinquish his succession rights and his royal titles. She was the daughter of one Count von Rosen and ex-wife of another

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

von Rosen. Bernadotte's brother-in-law, King Leopold III of the Belgians, conferred upon him the title of

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 ...

in the Belgian nobility on the same date, with the right to a

comital Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

title for his male-line descendants. They had one daughter, called Countess Madeleine Bernadotte (born Stockholm, 8 October 1938), and were divorced in 1951. Through his daughter he was grandfather of Belgian actress

Astrid Whettnall Astrid Jadot (née Ullens de Schooten Whettnall, known as Astrid Whettnall; born 17 March 1971) is a Belgian stage and film actress. She studied at the Kleine Academy in Brussels and began working in theatre. Her film credits include ''Capital'' ...

. He married secondly Ann Margareta Larsson (1921–1975) at

Danderyd Danderyd Municipality (''Danderyds kommun''; ) is a municipality north of Stockholm in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It is one of the smallest municipalities of Sweden, but the most affluent. Its seat is located in Djursholm and it is ...

, Sweden, on 1 November 1954. They divorced in 1961 without issue. His third and final marriage took place at the Embassy of Sweden in Rabat,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, on 8 June 1978, when he married Kristine Rivelsrud. Bernadotte died at the age of 92 on 27 June 2003 in Málaga,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He was the last surviving grandchild of

Oscar II of Sweden Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norwe ...

and the last surviving great-grandchild of

Oscar I of Sweden Oscar I (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; 4 July 1799 – 8 July 1859) was King of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. The only child of King Charles XIV John, Oscar i ...

. His widow,

Princess Kristine Bernadotte Princess Kristine Bernadotte, born Kristine Rivelsrud, (22 April 1932 – 4 November 2014) was a Norway, Norwegian-born Prince Bernadotte, princess of Belgian nobility. She was the third wife and widow of Prince Carl Bernadotte, a former Royal fami ...

, died at their home at Villa Capricornio in Benalmadena, Spain, on 4 November 2014 at the age of 82, without issue.

The Huseby scandal

Carl Bernadotte was at the centre of the Huseby scandal that occurred in the late 1950s in Sweden amidst a great deal of publicity. Bernadotte and other suspects had gained the trust of

Florence Stephens Florence Elisabet Stephens (5 October 1881 – 2 April 1979) was a wealthy Swedish landowner, known as ''Fröken på Huseby'' ("the Lady of Huseby") for her estate at Huseby. She was the main figure in the Huseby Affair ( sv, Husebyskandalen, "Hu ...

, a wealthy elderly heiress of a large estate near

Växjö Växjö ( ) is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 70,489 inhabitants (2019) out of a municipal population of 95,995 (2021). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of Kronoberg County ...

in southern Sweden. A complex set of criminal transactions led to the ruin of Stephens and brought Bernadotte and the others to court. Bernadotte was acquitted, in spite of his full confession – it was considered that he had no criminal intent. Bernadotte left Sweden shortly after the trial and spent the rest of his life in Spain.

Honours and arms

Honours

* : ** Knight and Commander 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 ...

, ''10 January 1911'' ** Knight of the Royal

Order of Charles XIII The Royal Order of Charles XIII ( sv, Kungliga Carl XIII:s orden) is a Swedish order of merit, founded by King Charles XIII in 1811. Membership The Lord and Master of the Order is the King of Sweden, currently King Carl XVI Gustaf. Membership o ...

, ''10 January 1911'' ** * : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold * : Knight of the Order of the Elephant, ''5 December 1933'' * : Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun * : Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian

Order of Saint Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav I ...

, with Collar, ''19 March 1929''

Arms

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernadotte, Carl 1911 births 2003 deaths Carl 1911 Carl, Prince Bernadotte Carl, Prince Bernadotte Carl, Prince Bernadotte Carl Disinherited European royalty Swedish unintroduced nobility Swedish Lutherans People from Stockholm Dukes of Östergötland Knights of the Order of Charles XIII Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun