Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Princess Birgitta of Sweden - a life

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The death of Princess Birgitta of Sweden leaves three of the Haga princesses - the elder sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf still living: Margaretha (1934), Desiree (1937 and Christina (1943).  Princess Birgitta was the only sister to retain her HRH and title of Princess of Sweden as she married equally.   

None of the sisters had succession rights. Salic law—males only—governed Swedish succession until January 1980, when Parliament approved a new succession law, allowing the eldest child of the sovereign to succeed. The new law applied solely to the descendants of King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Princess Birgitta Ingeborg Alice was born "early in the morning" at Haga Palace on January 19, 1937.   Mother and her infant daughter were said to be "doing well.   Her birth was announced with a forty-two-gun salute in Stockholm.

She was the second of five children of Hereditary Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.   Her two middle names honored two beloved family members: Princess Ingeborg of Denmark who married Prince Carl of Sweden, King Gustav VI Adolf's uncle, and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, Princess Sibylla's paternal aunt. Princess Alice was also the first cousin of Birgitta's paternal grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught.

Her baptism took place on March 15, 1937. Her godparents were Countess Estelle Bernadotte af Wisborg, former King Ferdinand of Bulgaria,  Princess Ingeborg of Sweden,  Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, Princess Helena Victoria, Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke, and Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Countess Estelle Bernadotte was the American-born wife of Count Folke Bernadotte,  Princess Helena Victoria was a first cousin of Birgitta's paternal grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, Prince Eugen was the younger brother of King Gustaf V and Prince Hubertus was Sibylla's brother.

June 7, 1937


She was only four months old when she flew for the first time, traveling with her family to Berlin to visit her maternal grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha In June 1937.

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Birgitta and her sisters spent their childhood in Haga Palace, located in Haga Park. There, they were surrounded by animals, including ducks, geese, and a pony, Eva, a gift from their father. Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla moved into the property shortly after their wedding in 1932.  The palace's last resident Princess Therese died in 1914.  She was the widow of Prince August, the youngest son of King Oscar I.

Renovations were made to the palace before the Hereditary Prince and Princess moved in.  All five of their children were born in the Haga Palace.

Summer vacation was divided between three royal residences.  The first week was always spent at Solfiero, followed by a trip to Falsterbo, on Sweden's west coast, where the princesses enjoyed swimming in the Baltic Sea.  The final two weeks of their summer break were at Solliden on Oland with their great-grandfather, King Gustaf V. 

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Although she was only a child during World War II, Birgitta remembered rations, including butter, and dark curtains for the palace windows.  She said her father told her he did not want "for our family to have any special privileges.   He was concerned that others were "forced to give up so much."

Birgitta was ten years old when her father was killed in a plane crash. On January 26, 1947,  Gustaf Adolf and two friends were returning to Stockholm after a hunting trip in the Netherlands, where he also visited Princess Juliana and her husband, Prince Bernhard.   The KLM flight had made a random stop at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen.  The plane was improperly serviced after landing.  This led to the fatal accident that killed the Hereditary Prince and 21 others, including the crew.

https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/337060

Nine months earlier Princess Sibylla had given birth to a son, Carl Gustaf, who was third in line to the Swedish throne after his father and grandfather.  Now, he was the heir presumptive to the Swedish throne.

In a 2015 interview with Aftonbladet, the princess discussed her childhood at Haga Palace.  "Then we were a family.  That was when my dad was still alive.  He died when I had just celebrated my tenth birthday."   

The young princess found it difficult to grieve as the family was not allowed to talk about Gustaf Adolf's death.  "My mother absolutely didn't want to talk about Dad.  It wasn't quite right.  I miss Dad more and more every day."

 On October 29, 1950, King Gustav V died, and Birgitta's grandfather succeeded as King Gustav VI Adolf.   Her little brother was now the Crown Prince.

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The princess and her sisters were educated at the palace until their teens.  Brigitta was 14 when she was sent to the Franska Skolan (French school) in Stockholm.  All four sisters were born in the Haga Palace and were known as the "Hagasessorna" -- the Haga Princesses.

Birgitta and her siblings had a close and loving relationship with their nanny, Ingrid Björnberg, known as "Nennie."   The "beloved nanny" described Birgitta as "outgoing and sporty."

She finished secondary education at Chateaux d'Oex, a Swiss girls' school.  She admitted years later that she preferred sports to education.

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Princess Sibylla, accompanied by her two eldest daughters, Margaretha and Birgitta, sailed to Tilbury on the Swedish Lloyd ship, Patricia, arriving on June 10, 1954.   The three princesses stayed at Kensington Palace with Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, and her husband, the Earl of Athlone.  Although this was a private visit, the Times reported they attended the Richmond Horse show, as Lord was the president.

In 1957, Princess Birgitta was profiled in the Los Angeles Times. The headline Royal Tumbler referred to her gymnastic skills.  She did "somersaults and handstands with the grace of a princess.  Birgitta was working on her qualifications to be a gymnastics instructor.  The Los Angeles Times noted she was interested in many sports, but "can also cook, dance, draw and speak several languages."    She was also the only person of her rank who wore a "dress she designed herself" at the Nobel Prize banquet.  

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The princess had taken a dressmaking course at the "fashionable Marthaskolan sewing school."  

The princess trained at the Central Institute of Gymnastics between 1956-1958.  She quickly found a job as a teacher at Brom's school, where she worked for one year.  During her brief teaching career, she was addressed as Instructor, and not as a Princess.  Her pupils' parents "found her a good teacher, easily accessible for discussion of every day problems."

The princess also enjoyed fencing, but contrary to what several non-Swedish writers have written, Birgitta was not a member of the 1964 Swedish Olympic team.  Nor was she asked to be on the team.  Two Swedish women competed in foil.  In 1964, she had been married for three years and living in Munich with her husband and two young children.    

However, Birgitta did win a fencing title.  On December 29, 1959, she "beat 12 other club members" to become the "female champion of the Stockholm Fencing Club.    According to the UPI article, this was "her first try" for the championship.  On December 11, 1960,  she won a "national championship in fencing."  This detail was included in the Associated Press report about her engagement to Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern.

There were also "rumors that various European princes  hope to interrupt her (teaching) career." The 20-year-old Princess admitted she has "no marriage plans."

One month later, the Swedish court denied press reports of a romance between Birgitta and Swedish hockey player Sven "Tumba" Johansson.    The Lord High Chamberlain Baron Carl-Reinhold von Essen told the press that the report was "preposterous."   Tumba's fiancee, Britta Strahle, also responded, stating the rumors were "Monumental trash."

[Sven, who legally changed his surname to Tumba in 1965, and his wife, Mona, were lifelong friends of the late Princess Birgitta.  They shared a passion for golf.  He did not marry Britta Strahle.]

In May 1957, the Washington Post published a feature article on European princesses, including Birgitta and her three sisters.  The paper repeated the rumors about Birgitta and Johansson.  He responded:  "You must ask the Princess.  You can just say we are good friends."

Birgitta was fond of several authors, including William Faulkner, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Erskine Caldwell.

Another profile of the Haga princesses was published in the Christian Science Monitor in March 1958.  Birgitta was described as "practical, outgoing, and loves sports."    The following month,  Birgitta and her younger sister, Désirée, were among 12 unmarried princesses who were invited by King Baudouin of the Belgians to a "great state ball," where the king's subjects hoped "he would lose his heart and win a queen."

King Gustav VI Adolf was keen to introduce his unmarried granddaughters to other European royals.  On March 12, 1960, he hosted a ball for Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, and Désirée.  The guest list of 250 people "caused talk of matching making in Stockholm." 

 The names on the list included Crown Prince Constantine of the Hellenes, 19, Crown Prince Harald of Norway, 23, former King Simeon of Bulgaria, 22, and 24-year-old, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.  Six German princes -- Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Birgitta's uncle), Prince Ludwig of Baden,  Prince Maximilian of Bavaria, Prince Karl of Hesse, Prince Kraft of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Count Hans Veit of Toerring-Jettenbach were also on the list.

Eight other eligible princesses joined the three Swedish princesses: Sophie and Irene of Greece, Margrethe of Denmark, Beatrix and Irene of the Netherlands, Princess Astrid of Norway, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Although the press did not know it at the time of the ball,  Princess Birgitta had already met her future husband. In the fall of 1959,  She moved to Munich to study German (her mother's first language).  She met HSH Prince Johann "Hansi" Georg of Hohenzollern at a cocktail party. 

In November 1960, Princess Birgitta and Princess Désiree spent ten days in the United States.   They were accompanied by the Court Chamberlain, Count Lewenhaupt.  The whirlwind visit included Philadelphia, Wilmington, Delaware, Chicago, and New York City.

The trip was sponsored by the American-Scandinavian Foundation, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The princesses arrived in New York City on the evening of November 7, one day before the Presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.  During their first day in New York, they had a morning walk in Central Park,  watched the Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall, and went to the top of the Empire State Building to view the "lights of the city."

They also visited a polling place in New York City, where the Commissioner of the Department of Commerce and Public Events demonstrated "the workings of a sample voting machines."  Both princesses agreed that the voting machine was "wonderful."  The princesses, as members of the Swedish Royal Family, "do not vote at home."

During her first day in New York,  Princess Birgitta, 23, wore a "beaver coat over a blue woolen ensemble."

In the evening,  Birgitta and Désirée were guests at a private dinner at the Swedish Consul General's home where they watched the election returns.

They were the guests of honor at the "Tribute to Sweden Ball," held in the Grand Ballroom in the Plaza Hotel. The ball benefited the newly opened International Cultural Center in Jerusalem.

In Chicago, the princesses attended an "old-fashioned tea dance on November 12 in the Sheraton-Blackstone Hotel's Crystal Ballroom.  An aide to Mayor Richard Daley told the Chicago Tribune: "We expect some help from the State Department Office of Protocol and the Swedish Embassy in Washington to determine how young men may meet and dance with the princesses."

During their time in Chicago, Birgitta, and Désirée met "plenty of young people".  They had lunch at the University of Chicago and attended Northwestern's homecoming game with Michigan State University.   They attended Immanuel Lutheran Church, the oldest Swedish Lutheran Church in Chicago,  and "were entertained by Chicagoans of Swedish descent at North Park College, a Lutheran school before flying back to New York City.  

The two princesses sat in the second pew as the collection plate was being passed. Their lady-in-waiting, Dagmar Nyblaeus, realized they did not have American cash with them.  She sat in the pew behind the two princesses and handed them a few dollars, which they put on the plate.  Birgitta and Désirée present the pastor, C.J. Curtis with a book on the Church of Sweden.

The princesses, however, did not indulge in shopping on Michigan Avenue.   According to the Swedish Royal Family "live on a budget."  The Chicago Tribune reported that the Swedish royals live "frugally on funds provided by the state.   The princesses were raised  to "be conscious of a need for economic living."  

As princesses did not have succession rights, Birgitta and her sisters were never expected to be full-time working royals. In the early 1960s, many assumed that it would be more difficult for the Haga princesses to marry other royals.

In New York,  the princesses went "museum hopping, from the Guggenheim to the Metropolitan Museum.  They also held their first press conference, which Désirée described afterward, as "difficult and so many people."

The two princesses acknowledged they liked "everything" about their time in the United States.  In Chicago, they were introduced to former President Harry S. Truman.  They found him to be "a very charming man," but their conversation with him was "about nothing special."

The two princesses admitted they "shopped a little."  Not for clothes, Birgitta admitted, but for record albums.  "Rock 'n' roll, cha-cha-cha and everything," she said.

Of course, they were asked about American men.  Diplomatically, the sisters acknowledged liking American men.  Birgitta added: "Everyone is so different, so you can't say why."

One reporter asked if the princesses enjoyed the Guggenheim.  

"It's very modern, but I like it," Birgitta responded.  Her younger sister thought the museum was "amusing."

The two princesses had separate engagements during their final day in New York.  Birgitta spent the morning visiting physical education classes at Hunter College before rejoining Désirée for an "afternoon visit to the Swedish Home for the Aged on Staten Island."

https://www.silive.com/entertainment/2021/12/another-beautiful-building-lost-swedish-home-for-the-aged-then-and-now.html

The princess flew back to Stockholm on November 17.  Count Lewenhaupt told the press that the princesses had been "very touched" during the reception they received.

Birgitta harbored a secret during her visit to the USA.  In September she said yes to Hansi's marriage proposal.

 The meeting at the cocktail party with Hansi developed into a romance and a marriage proposal from Hansi. In Munich, the couple spent a lot of time together. "The two had much fun together at Munich's Fasching (Carnival)They attended the Carnival, but nobody thought that anything serious would develop," a Hohenzollern spokesman told the Associated Press.

Hansi was invited to an elk hunt in Sweden.  This was "the first time he was introduced to the Swedish royal family," said the Hohenzollern spokesman. 

A family friend added: "The prince is working on his doctor's thesis and is to take his degree soon.  He specializes in archaeology.   That is actually his chief hobby.  The others are hunting and driving."

He proposed in September 1960, but the official announcement had to wait until after Princess  Birgitta's official visit to the United States. 

In the 2015 Aftonbladet interview, Birgitta spoke about meeting Johan George for the first time.  "My future husband was supposed to pick me and my friend up with a car. I sat in the back.  I fell in love at once."

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On December 15, 1960, the Swedish court announced Birgitta's engagement with  Hansi. She was the first of the Haga prri Birgitta was the first of the four sisters to become engaged.

 Prince Johann Georg was the sixth of seven children of Prince Friedrich of Hohenzollern and Princess Margarete of Saxony, the daughter of the last King of Saxony, King Friedrich August.

At the time of the engagement, Johann Georg was a student of arts and archaeology at the University of Munich where he was completing his doctoral thesis in art history. 

Religion played a role in where their civil and religious ceremonies took place.  King Gustav VI Adolf wanted his granddaughter to be married in the Lutheran church, which was vetoed by Roman Catholic officials.  The compromise would allow for a civil ceremony in Stockholm and a religious wedding in Sigmaringen.  

Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann Georg's civil marriage on May 25, 1961, was held in the Royal Palace's Hall of State.  The mayor of Stockholm officiated at the ceremony.  The couple's religious wedding - a Roman Catholic ceremony- occurred in Munich on May 30th.   Religious weddings are not legal in Germany, thus, the need for a civil wedding.

More than 750 guests attended the civil marriage.   According to the Times correspondent in Stockholm, the Princess, "an instructor of gymnastics and  champion fencer", looked "radiant in a dress of ivory-colored duchesse and a veil of tulle."  Her bouquet included a sprig of myrtle from the tree that her grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught brought to Sweden following her marriage in 1905 to the future King Gustav VI.  Her wedding gown was made by the Marthaskolan school.

Wedding rings were not exchanged during the civil ceremony.

The only two British guests were Sir Alexander and Lady Patricia Ramsay, the younger sister of the bride's grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, who died in 1920.

The two groomsmen were Birgitta's 15-year-old brother, then Crown Prince Carl Gustaf, and their first cousin, Count Michael Bernadotte af Wisborg, son of former Prince Sigvard of Sweden.  Her bridesmaids were her sister, Princess Christina, and her first cousin, Princess Benedikte of Denmark.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds drove through central Stockholm "in brilliant sunshine and were greeted by large and enthusiastic crowds."

King Gustav VI and Queen Louise hosted a luncheon in the palace for 270 guests.  One of the wedding presents received by Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann Georg was a complete kitchen for their new home.  The gift was from the Djurgarden Sports Club to "Member 2001" -- Princess Birgitta.   The equipment for the couple's new home in Munich will be one of the "most modern available."

The day after their civil marriage, Prince Johann Georg returned to Germany. He nearly forgot to kiss his bride as he headed up the stairs to the plane.  He was "halfway up the steps to the cabin door," when he realized he had not said goodbye to Birgitta, who was standing on the tarmac.  Prince Johann Georg  "dashed back and gave Princess Birgitta a hug and a kiss."    

As the couple were not "yet married in the eyes of the Catholic Church," they spent the previous night in separate rooms at the palace.

The night before the couple's wedding, a dinner and dance was held at Schloss Sigmaringen, the family seat for the Hohenzollern princely family.

King Gustaf VI Adolf did not attend his granddaughter's religious wedding in Sigmaringen.  The official reason given by the court was based on protocol as the king had yet to make a state visit to Germany.  Sources "close to the Swedish court," said the "possible objections from the Catholic Church," might have been the reason for the king's decision. 

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A procession of 130 guests walked on a red carpet from the castle to St. Johann church, "with cheering spectators."   Prince Johann Georg walked to the church with his mother, Princess Margarete.   The bride was escorted by her uncle, Prince Bertil of Sweden, and her father-in-law, Prince Friedrich.  She was dressed in the same gown she wore for the civil ceremony, with one difference.  The veil was held in place by the "Hohenzollern bridal crown of diamonds in a clover-shaped silver setting."

Prince Karl Friedrich, the present Prince of Hohenzollern, was nine years old when he carried Princess Birgitta's train.  "It was the first big wedding that I was able to experience.  We boys were dressed in Hohenzollern colors. The girls wore the Swedish colors of blue and yellow," Karl Friedrich told the Schwäbische Zeitung.  

The Prince is the eldest son of the late Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern, elder brother of Prince Johann Georg.

Father Benedikt Reetz, the priest who conducted the service, warned the couple "that though the Stockholm wedding allows them to separate, today's wedding bonds which only God can break."

After the wedding, the bride and groom rode in an open coach through Sigmaringen to the castle for the reception.



After their honeymoon, the couple moved into a bungalow home in the Grünewald area in Munich. They spent part of their honeymoon at a villa in France, where a freelance photographer snapped the couple sunbathing.  The photograph was sold to a British newspaper, the Daily Express. A Labour MP, Woodrow Wyatt complained that the photo, taken five weeks after the wedding, was "vulgar, in bad taste, served no public good and constituted an unwarrantable intrusion into the privacy of those concerned," reported The Times on September 29, 1961.

The photo, "obviously taken with a long-distance lens," showed Princess Birgitta, "scantily attired, lying face down on the balcony of a private villa."  Her husband was "tripped to the waist."  The photo caption stated Johann Georg was applying suntan lotion to his wife's back.

The Daily Express' editor, Edward Pickering, said the photograph was not taken by a staff photographer He said he had "difficulty in establishing the circumstances in which it was taken."  He recognized the "borderline of taste in such matters could be narrow."  He did not believe the photo to be vulgar or in bad taste.

Britain's Press Council sided with MP Wyatt and stated that the "publication of the picture was in bad taste and an intrusion into privacy."

Birgitta's marriage provided a "relatively normal life. "To pick up a phone and just call a dentist, have money in hand, and go shopping ... I hadn't done anything.  Everything was totally new," she said during a 2022 Swedish documentary, Sessan - A Royal Saga.

 On November 25, 1961, the Swedish palace announced the princess was expecting her first child.  She gave birth to Prince Carl Christian  Friedrich Johannes Meinrad Maria Hubertus Edmund in Munich on April 5, 1962.   Two more children would follow: Princess Désirée Margarethe Victoria Louise Sibylla Katharina on November 27, 1963, and Prince Hubertus Gustav Adolf Veit Georg Meinrad Maria Alexander on June 10, 1966.  All three children were born in Munich.

Princess Birgitta agreed to raise their children Roman Catholic although she remained Lutheran.  She had applied to convert to Roman Catholicism but her petition was rejected. Church officials were not convinced she was sincere in her wish to convert.

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 By the late 1980s,  Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann Georg, now a respected art historian, drifted apart. Although they never divorced, the couple went their separate ways.  By the early 1980s, Princess Birgitta had acquired a home in Santa Ponsa in Mallorca, where Prince Johann Georg, it was understood, recognized Birgitta's need for independence. She often returned to Sweden for official events, including the baptism of her godson and nephew, Prince Carl Philip.

She felt free in Santa Ponsa.  In a 2000 German interview, the Princess said "Without the children, I would have been divorced long ago."  She added: "My husband has let me down a lot but I am now enjoying my peace in Mallorca," adding:" Hansi abandoned me and the children." 

Birgitta described her home in Santa Ponsa as paradise.

The estranged couple continued to attend official events in Sweden together.  Prince Johann Georg died on March 2, 2016 in Munich.   From 1992 to 1998 he served as Director General of the Bavarian State Picture Collection and was also a director of the Hypo-Kunsthalle of the Hypo Cultural Foundation.

Princess Birgitta suffered from heart disease, according to her longtime friend, Alexandra Charles.  She first met Birgitta in the 1970s through Marianne von Arbin Flach.   Marianne and Birgitta were third cousins, as both were great-great-granddaughters of King Oskar II.   Charles spoke to Aftonbladet: "Princess Birgitta was an incredibly strong, positive, and purposeful woman who knew what she wanted.  She was strong, brave, and positive. She also had a twinkle in her eye and a great sense of humor."

She said she spoke to Birgitta a week before she died.  "Everything was usual," she said. They discussed plans for Alexandra and her husband to return to Mallorca soon.  They had last seen Birgitta in September when they visited for one week.

"We were also planning for the 30th anniversary of the Princess Birgitta's Cup golf competition which is supposed to take place next year.

"But a few days ago she fell and broke her arm.  She was in the hospital for a few days but really should have gone home.  Her heart couldn't take it so she fell asleep early this morning."   

One of Birgitta's two sons was able to visit with her at the hospital before she died, according to Alexandra Charles.  That "feels good," she acknowledged, "but it's all very sad and tragic."


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 Another friend, theater director Vicky von der Lancken remembered the lunches they shared on the golf course.  "It is so sad that Birgitta has passed away, how sad I am.  We hung out a lot when I was down in Mallorca where I had an apartment for many years.  We had so much fun but she never managed to get me to play golf even though she tried.

"She was a positive, quick, and funny person who was brilliantly quick in her response. She really had a twinkle in her eye.  She was glorious and I really liked her.  We talked about life she thought my job was exciting and wondered what I was up to.  She thought it was fun to hear."

The princess loved her life in Santa Ponsa.  Her home was located at the Santa Ponsa Golf Club.  Luis Nigorra, the manager of the club, has known Birgitta for 20 years.  He described her as a "happy 87-year-old princess."

  She had a rich life," he said.  She loved her children, her friends, and golf and she was very fond of her grandchildren.  And she was in good health until the end.  She played golf just a few days before her passing.  You can't ask for more." 

Nigorra added: "She recently slowed down from playing 18 holes of golf to 14 holes, and preferred not to start too early in the morning like her German friends."

On December 7, Birgitta's three children,  Carl Christian, Désirée, and Hubertus attended a memorial service at the Iglesia de Santa Eulalia in Mallorca. Birgitta's closest friends were also present. The children carried a large wreath of white and yellow roses, similar to the roses in her bridal bouquet. 

The memorial service was described as "emotional."

The King described his sister as "a colorful and sincere person who will be greatly missed by me and my family."

Princess Birgitta died in a Palma de Mallorca Hospital on  December 4, 2024   She was 87 years old.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2022/01/princess-birgitta-of-sweden-turns-85.html


HRH Princess Birgitta Ingeborg Alice of Sweden was a double descendant of Queen Victoria.


Victoria - Arthur - Margaret - Gustaf Adolf - Birgitta

Victoria - Leopold - Carl Eduard - Sibylla - Birgitta


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Speech of Her Majesty Margareta Custodian of the Romanian Crown at the Royal Evening for the Diplomatic Corps

 

                                            ©Daniel Angelescu, Casa Majestății Sale (all photos)
    


Throne Hall, Royal Palace, Bucharest, 

Tuesday, December 10, 2024


Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

My husband and I are delighted to welcome you to the Royal Palace.  This is a place which, in one shape or another, has been the centre of Romanian national life for well over a century of our nation’s modern existence. 

The tradition of the yearly reception of the Diplomatic Corps goes back to the days of King Carol I in the 19th century and was revived by the late King Michael, my beloved father, after the fall of the communist dictatorship. My husband and I particularly appreciate your attendance; I know that – how shall I put it diplomatically? – you have had some other preoccupations over the past few days!

We are gathered here this evening to mark the end of 2024, a year with more than its fair share of tragedies. In Europe, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has continued unabated, with more missiles, gliding bombs and other barbaric weapons being rained upon our neighbours. 

I am proud that my country remained steadfast in its support for Ukraine and increased its military and humanitarian assistance. Romania remains determined to contribute more than its fair share to our collective security. And I am encouraged by the latest steps the European Union took to enhance our foreign and military policy coordination. 




Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is not the role of the Romanian Crown to comment on political matters. Nevertheless, it has always been the mission of the Crown to protect and promote our national interests. In this spirit, I would like to make a few observations about the current controversies affecting my country.

You hardly need me to remind you that what we have witnessed in Romania during the latest electoral cycle is not unique. Elections in many countries over the past few years have been dominated by heated disputes about procedures, doubts about the accuracy of the results, large swings of voters away from established political parties and, currently, a global wave of voting against incumbent administrations. In this respect, Romania is hardly an anomaly; on the contrary, it just confirms a pattern among democracies.

There are, however, three troubling elements that require our urgent attention.

The first is the tendency of some of our public figures to cast doubts on the benefits Romania derives from its membership in the EU and NATO. Of course, questions such as how these two organisations function and how they could operate better are legitimate political discussion topics. Yet what I find bizarre is the idea that, somehow, Romania can pick and choose how much or how little it gets involved in such institutions or the argument put by some people that Romania may even do better being outside these institutions altogether.




Let me be very clear on this. At no point in its modern existence has Romania enjoyed a higher level of security and better conditions for economic prosperity than it does now as a full member of both the EU and NATO. Anyone who argues that we could somehow do better by becoming the so called “difficult child” inside either NATO or the EU simply does not understand how these organisations work. And any politician who suggests that Romania could somehow prosper outside these institutions is merely condemning our nation to poverty and servitude. 

During the 1990s, and after, I spent many years accompanying my father from one Western capital to another to persuade governments and public opinion that Romania belonged to the Western family of nations and deserved to be treated as an equal partner. We succeeded even though, for a long time, success did not look very likely. We should not allow the enormous achievement of Romania’s integration to be denigrated or endangered. I hope we can continue to uphold a national consensus on this point.

The second troubling development is growing evidence of foreign interference in our electoral process. Again, this is a broader phenomenon, not only confined to Romania. I welcome the European Union’s initiatives to tighten the regulations on social media platforms during electoral periods. We – all governments of democratic countries – must get better at preventing such destabilisation measures well before they occur. What we suffered in Romania over the recent few months is what our Moldovan brothers and sisters were subjected to for years, so we could have learnt from them and been more rapid and efficient in our responses. 



I must also point out that one of the most significant destabilisation operations conducted by foreign agents in Europe aims to discredit the very process of elections by sowing doubts about our democratic procedures. So, it is crucial that our electoral processes are as transparent as possible and that we refute untruths the moment they are invented. We should not ignore those who offer simplistic solutions wrapped in ludicrous conspiracy theories; we should challenge them head-on.

Finally, I hope our public authorities see this current cycle of elections for what it is: a cri de coeur, a passionate cry from the heart of voters who feel ignored and neglected by our current political system. Yes, our national aggregate economic development has been fast. But it has also been very uneven. We have a Rolls Royce showroom in Bucharest, but poverty in our countryside. We have well-paid professionals who travel the world. And half-empty villages where pensioners can barely afford their daily food. We invest in wireless technologies. However, we have the lowest spending on healthcare in the EU.

Let us treat the latest elections as a wake-up call. All countries whose economies grow fast generate inequalities. The task now is to reduce such disparities by investing more in social services and developing specific social and economic inclusion policies. This means that all of us should spend less time in our Bucharest offices, isolated from the daily lives of our people.  And it also means that we must engage differently with our large diaspora. It is no longer sufficient just to offer them free consular services and forget about them until we come asking for their votes a week or so before elections.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I do not wish to leave you with the impression that I am pessimistic about our nation – quite the contrary. Our country remains strong. Its institutions are questioned, but they are functioning. Our economy remains attractive to investors. Our country will remain true to its alliances. And our people will fully – and finally – benefit from the Schengen arrangements.

I also look forward with confidence to Romania’s cooperation with the new United States administration. We have just signed a procurement contract for new fighter jets, one of the biggest-ever procurement orders. And we anticipate successfully completing the visa-free agreement with the United States.

For me, a most heartening moments of this year was to see how much Romanians were affected and were willing to offer assistance when the Republic of Moldova was facing severe political strains early in the year and the subsequent will of Moldova to provide moral support when we recently encountered electoral tensions. Similar challenges affected both countries equally. Genuine bonds are tested in crises, and our bonds across the River Prut remain truest.

I wish to conclude by thanking you for your work in Romania. It is fashionable to claim that embassies and diplomats are no longer required in this digital age and that everything can be done remotely and online. You serve as proof that there is no substitute for human contact, for being here and knowing our country.

Romania remains strong and determined to be even stronger as a partner and friend to your nation.

Thank you.



A message from Harper and Fleur about Holiday shopping





Harper would like a few words with you

Fleur is a great thinker.  She knows using Amazon is easy & there are so many things you can purchase on Amazon

                            


Dear Mommy's readers,

It is Holiday shopping time, and we know many of our mom's readers use Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk to purchase books and everything else under the sun .. yes, even cat food and cat toys!!!




You know you want to shop on Amazon or Amazon.co.uk





Our mom does not earn money from Royal Musings and Royal Book News except for Amazon purchases when you click on a book link and purchase the book or use that link to shop on Amazon or Amazon.co.uk - and Google's Adsense program/

Mom loves writing blog articles because she knows - and I as well -- that Royal Musings and Royal Book News reach people interested in royal history, past and present.


At the end of this post, you will find links to two books: the US and the UK.  You do not have to buy these books.  Just click on the links, and then use the search box for what you want to purchase -- it can be anything from books to curtains and everything in between.  

Mom earns a tiny percentage for each item you purchase.  It takes many purchases to earn enough to get an Amazon gift card.   Amazon.co.uk's threshold is £25.00 -- it takes about three years for Mom to earn enough pennies for a UK Amazon gift card. 

There are no extra costs to you when you make purchases from links.

Please, please unblock adblockers for Royal Musings and Royal Book News.   Ad income helps with vacations!!



Harper says it is straightforward to use the links and boxes




You can access Amazon on a computer, your phone, or your tablet

Our mom loves Amazon gift cards so she can buy more books. Or cat treats!  



Mom loves vanilla lattes and we love Temptations Lickable Spoons!!!!


You love to shop on Amazon?  Awesome. Me, too!

Ready to start dreaming 




Unlike other blogs, Mom has not set up a paywall or opened a Patreon account that would make you pay to read an article.

Thank you so much,

Love,
 Harper and Fleur 


PS   You can shop all year round with Amazon.

This cat bed is not available on Amazon.   Mom bought it at Buckingham Palace more than 10 years ago!






Just Click on one of the Amazon links to access the website ... and then you can shop to your heart's content ... and I will earn a few pennies toward an Amazon gift card!!!  





 

Monday, December 9, 2024

Princess Birgitta's funeral & burial


@Royal Palace



King Carl XVI Gustaf's office released details about Princess Birgitta's funeral and burial.

HRH Princess Birgitta's funeral service and burial will take place on Sunday 15 December 2024.

Princess Birgitta is taken to her final resting place on the third Sunday of Advent.

Funeral service and burial

The funeral service takes place in Drottningholm's castle church.  The subsequent burial takes place on the Royal burial ground in Hagaparken.

In accordance with Princess Birgitta's wish, the ceremonies take place in the circle of family and special invitees.

Flags at half staff 

HM the King has decided that the flags on Drottningholm Castle and Haga Castle must be moved at half-staff  during the day of the funeral.  After the burial, the flags are raised at the top.

Seraphim ring

Princess Birgitta was appointed a member and commander by the King. Order of the Maj. on March 22, 1952. As a member of the Royal The Order of Seraphim honors Princess Birgitta with a seraphim ring in Riddarholm Church on the day of the funeral. The church bell rings at 12.00-13.00. Riddarholm church is open to the public 10.00-13.00.

Condolence lists

For those who wish to offer their condolences on the occasion of Princess Birgitta's passing, lists are available in the Rikssalen at Kungl. The castle (entrance via the southern castle vault) at 10.00–13.00 and in Riddarholm church at 10.00-13.00 on the day of the funeral.

Cemetery open

The Royal  burial site in Hagaparken is open on Monday, December 16 from 11.00–14.00 for those who wish to visit Princess Birgitta's grave.

Princess "Manni" celebrates a centenary + 5 birthday



Embed from Getty Images 


 HSH Marianne, Fürstin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn celebrates her 105th birthday.  According to a press release from her eldest son, the Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, the princess is in "good health."  She celebrated her birthday "surrounded by her family in her Munich apartment."   She is known to her family and friends as "Manni."

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Marianne was born Baroness Maria Anna Mayr von Melnhof on December 9, 1919, in Salzburg, Austria, the eldest of nine children of Baron Friedrich Mayr von Melnhof (1892-1956) and Countess Maria-Anna von Meran (1897-1983).   Baron Friedrich and Countess Maria-Anna were married in Graz on February 1, 1919.


The announcement of Marianne's birth in the December 13, 1919 issue of the Wiener Salonblatt.

The young Baroness and her younger siblings grew up in Schloss Glanegg, which remains in the Mayr von Melnof family.  In the Schlosskapelle she married HSH Prince Ludwig Stanislaus Heinrich Aloysius of Say-Wittgenstein-Sayn (1915-1962) on March 12, 1942.  He was the eldest child of HSH Prince Ludwig Heinrich Gustav Alexander of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and Baroness Walburga von Friesen.  In 1958, Ludwig succeeded his uncle Prince Stanislas as Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.


The newly married Prince and Princess Ludwig of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.  Ludwig's two younger brothers, Princes Heinrich (1916-1944) and Alexander (1925-1945).  Both princes were killed in action during the Second World War.


Princess Marianne is a descendant of Empress Maria Theresia through her mother, Countess Maria-Anna von Meran.

Maria Theresa  - Leopold II - Archduke Johannes (whose marriage to Anna Plochl was morganatic) -- Baron Franz von Brandhofen, Count von Meran -  Count Johann von Meran - Countess Maria-Anna von Meran - Baroness Marianne Mayr von Melnhof (HSH Marianne, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.)

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 The Princess, a doyenne of society,  was a noted photographer who studied at the Blocherer Art School in Munich.

https://westwoodgallery.com/exhibitions/102-princess-marianne-sayn-wittgenstein-sayn-photographs-from-the-the-sayn-wittgenstein/

Marianne was known as Mamarazza, a name bestowed by Princess Caroline of Monaco: "Manni, you are a real Mamarazza."

Prince Ludwig died in an accident in January 1962 and was succeeded by his 21-year-old son, Prince Alexander.  The couple had five children (Princess Yvonne (1942), Prince Alexander (1943), Princess Elisabeth, Baroness Schuler von Senden (1948), Princess Maria Teresa, Countess von Kageneck (1951) and Prince Peter (1954).   

Princess Marianne has 66 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.  The most recent great-grandchild, Princess Anunciata of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, was born on December 1, the third child of Prince Casimir and Princess Alana of Sayn-Wittgenstein. 



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Friday, December 6, 2024

The Princess of Wales - Carol Service at Westminster Abbey





Embed from Getty Images

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The Princess of Wales' annual Christmas Carol service - Together at Christmas - was held tonight at Westminster Abbey.  ITV will broadcast the program on Christmas Eve.  

Catherine was joined by The Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Beatrice with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and his  Christopher Woolf Mapelli Mozzi, Mrs. Zara Tindall, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, George Gilman, Lyla Gilman, the Duke of Kent, Lady Helen Taylor, the Earl of St. Andrews, Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent,  Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor with their daughters, Maud and Isabella,  Lady Gabriella Kingston, Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto and their son, Samuel Chatto.

George Gilman is the husband of Lady Rose Windsor, and Lyla is their daughter.