HRH Princess Margaretha Désirée Victoria of Sweden was born on October 31, 1934, the first of five children of HRH Hereditary Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and HH Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Margaretha's parents were great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. She was born in the Haga Palace in Haga Park in Stockholm.
Margaretha and her three younger sisters, Princesses Birgitta (1937), Princess Désirée (1938), and Princess Christina (1943) do not have succession rights to the Swedish throne. They were born when the succession was limited to males. This is called Salic law.
In 1980, Parliament promulgated a new succession law based on absolute primogeniture. This means the succession of the eldest child, not the eldest son. The new law applied to King Carl XVI Gustaf and his descendants. The law was not retroactive. The King's four older sisters and their descendants are not in line to the Swedish throne.
The Princess had a relationship with Robin Douglas-Home (1922-1968), a jazz pianist, and a member of the British aristocracy. He was the son of the Hon. Henry Douglas-Home, younger son of Charles Douglas-Home 13th Earl of Home, and Lady Margaret Spencer. Robin's uncle, Alec Douglas Home, became Britain's Prime Minister in 1963. He was a first cousin of John, 8th Earl of Spencer, father of the present Earl
Their relationship and possible marriage were front-page news in Sweden and in England. According to Margaretha's nanny, Ingrid Björnberg's memoirs, the princess was reluctant to pursue a relationship that could lead to marriage.
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Margaretha with her parents, Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf |
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Margaretha and Birgitta
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Margaretha, Birgitta and Desiree |
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Princess Margaretha with her grandmother, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
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the Hereditary Princess with Princess Margaretha and Princess Birgitta |
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Sibylla with her four daughters: Margaretha, Birgitta, Desiree and Christina |
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Margaretha and Cark Gustav in 1946 |
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Four sisters |
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Margaretha and John Amber's engagement photo |
The couple met at a dinner in London in 1963. Amber was a businessman. He was the managing director of Atlas Air Express.
The couple were married on June 3, 1964, at the Gärdslösa Church on Öland, near the Royal Family's summer home, Solliden. She eschewed family tiaras in favor of the church's bridal crown. As she married a commoner, Margaretha lost her HRH and was styled as Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler.
Princess Margaretha and John Ambler with their three children, Sibylla (1965), Edward (1966), and James (1969) lived in Chippinghurst Manor in Oxfordshire for many years, until financial issues forced then to move into a small home. The couple separated in 1994 but never divorced. John Ambler died in 2008.
She has six grandchildren, Baroness Madeleine von Dincklage Baron Sebastian von Dincklage (from Sibylla's marriage to Baron Cornelius von Dincklage, Sienna and India Ambler (Edward and Helen) and Lily and Oscar Ambler (James and Ursula.)
The Princess has lived in Chipping Norton for more than 30 years. She often visits Sweden and remains close to her younger brother.
James and his wife, Ursula co-founded Moor Consulting, based in Cornwall.
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