Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland

Prince Bertil Duke of Halland Spouse Lillian May Davies Full name Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén House House of Bernadotte Father Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden Mother Princess Margaret of Connaught Born 28 February 1912(1912-02-28) Stockholm Palace, Stockholm, Sweden Died 5 January 1997(1997-01-05) (aged 84) Villa Solbacken, Djurgården, Sweden

Swedish Royalty House of Bernadotte Charles XIV John Children    Oscar I Oscar I Children    Charles XV    Gustaf, Duke of Upland    Oscar II    Princess Eugenie    August, Duke of Dalarna Charles XV Children    Lovisa, Queen of Denmark    Carl Oscar, Duke of Södermanland Oscar II Children    Gustaf V    Oscar, Duke of Gotland    Eugén, Duke of Närke    Carl, Duke of Västergötland Grandchildren    Princess Margaretha    Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway    Astrid, Queen of Belgium    Carl, Duke of Östergötland Gustaf V Children    Gustaf VI Adolf    Vilhelm, Duke of Södermanland    Erik, Duke of Västmanland Gustaf VI Adolf Children    Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten    Sigvard, Duke of Uppland    Ingrid, Queen of Denmark    Bertil, Duke of Halland    Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna Grandchildren    Princess Margaretha    Princess Birgitta    Princess Désirée    Princess Christina    Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf Children    Crown Princess Victoria    Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland    Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland

Prince Bertil of Sweden (Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén, 28 February 1912 – 5 January 1997), Duke of Halland, was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught.

The prince was born at Stockholm. He was granted a very old dukedom, that was carried already in the Middle Ages by various Danish and Swedish royal relatives, such as Benedict, Duke of Halland. After his eldest brother Prince Gustaf Adolf died in 1947, leaving a less than one-year-old son in the line of succession, and because his next elder brother had already given up his place in the succession (owing to an unacceptable marriage), it seemed likely that he (Bertil) could one day become regent.

Prince Bertil (right), with his grandfather, King Gustaf V (left), and his father, then Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf (center).

For this reason, Prince Bertil chose not to marry Welsh commoner Lilian Davies, as that would have deprived him of his place in the succession, so the couple simply lived together discreetly. Their common base was a home in Sainte-Maxime Southern France. The arrangement was well known by all and intended to keep the lineage until the heir-apparent to the throne (Carl XVI Gustaf) was old enough. The then Mrs Davies was a known part of the Royal Family from their private perspective but not officially. However, his father lived long enough for the prince's nephew Prince Carl Gustaf to come of age.

After the death of King Gustaf VI Adolf (in 1973), and after himself having married, the new King approved the couple's marriage, which took place in Drottningholm on 7 December 1976. Still first in line to the throne (until the birth of Crown Prince Carl Philip in 1979), Prince Bertil continued to act as the King's deputy. His widow is known as HRH Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland. The prince was a brother of the late Queen Ingrid of Denmark (née Princess Ingrid of Sweden), mother of the current Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

When the Act of Succession was changed in 1980, rights to the throne was restricted to Carl XVI Gustaf and his descendants; however, a special addendum was made for Prince Bertil's case, so that he became third (and, after the birth of Princess Madeleine in 1982, fourth) in line to the throne.

Prince Bertil was a very popular person domestically. He was fond of cars and Volvo asked him to open the Volvo Halifax Assembly plant in 1963 in Nova Scotia, Canada. He was a keen supporter and practitioner of various sports, notably tennis and boules, and was also a member of the fine-dining society, La Chaine des Rotisseurs. He died in Stockholm.

Ancestry

16. Oscar I of Sweden

8. Oscar II of Sweden

17. Josephine of Leuchtenberg

4. Gustaf V of Sweden

18. Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau

9. Sofia of Nassau

19. Princess Pauline of Württemberg

2. Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden

20. Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden

10. Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden

21. Princess Sophie of Sweden

5. Victoria of Baden

22. William I, German Emperor

11. Princess Louise of Prussia

23. Augusta of Saxe-Weimar

1. Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland

24. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

12. Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

25. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

6. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

26. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

13. Victoria of the United Kingdom

27. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

3. Princess Margaret of Connaught

28. Prince Charles of Prussia

14. Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia

29. Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

7. Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia

30. Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau

15. Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt

31. Princess Frederica Wilhelmina of Prussia

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Arms

On his creation as Duke of Halland, Prince Bertil was granted use of a coat of arms based on the Arms of Dominion of Sweden, with the arms of Halland in the third quarter.

See also

• Swedish Royal Family
• Line of succession to the Swedish throne

External links

• Royal House of Sweden
• Generations of GM Wiki Official Website: Restoring HRH Prince Bertil of Sweden's Corvette

Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland House of Bernadotte Born: 28 February 1912 Died: 5 January 1997
Swedish royalty
Preceded by Benedict, Duke of Halland	Duke of Halland	Vacant
Preceded by Prince Carl Gustaf, Duke of Jämtland	Heir to the Swedish throne as heir presumptive 1973–1979	Succeeded by Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland