Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland

Prince Wilhelm Duke of Södermanland Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and Norway Spouse Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia Issue Prince Lennart, Duke of Småland Full name Carl Wilhelm Ludvig Father Gustav V Mother Victoria of Baden Born (1884-06-17)17 June 1884 Tullgarn Palace, Trosa, Sweden Died 5 June 1965(1965-06-05) (aged 80) Stenhammer Castle, 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 Grandchildren    Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland

Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and Norway, Carl Wilhelm Ludvig (Tullgarn Palace, 17 June 1884 - Stockholm, 5 June 1965), Duke of Södermanland, was the second son of King Gustav V of Sweden and his Queen consort Victoria of Baden and authored a large number of books (primarily in Swedish) as Prins Wilhelm.

Marriage and children

On 3 May 1908, in Tsarskoye Selo Wilhelm married Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. She was a daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Greece.

Wilhelm and Maria had only one son Prince Lennart, Duke of Småland and later Count Bernadotte af Wisborg (1909–2004).

In his autobiography, Lennart tells of how his grandfather, the King, insisted that the servants call Maria by her correct style Your Imperial and Royal Highness, to some dismay of her husband, who was merely a Royal Highness. The marriage was unhappy. Maria later told people that her husband was a homosexual, though that is not known to be true. The couple divorced in 1914.

Wilhelm had a relationship, which was not publicly known, with Jeanne de Tramcourt from that year until 1952. They lived together for more than 30 years on the estate Stenhammar near Flen. This was at a time when cohabitation was very unusual and not officially allowed to occur among royalty. Jeanne Tramcourt was therefore called his "hostess" at Stenhammar. On January 2, 1952, she died in a car accident in a snowstorm near Stjärnhov in Södermanland, when they were on their way to Stenhammar after visiting Wilhelm's son Lennart. Wilhelm was driving when the accident took place. After this tragedy, he is said never to have recovered.

As Prins Wilhelm he was a noted photographer and the authour of several books.

Honours and awards

• Knight, Order of the Seraphim
• Grand Cross, Order of the Sword
• Knight, Order of Charles XIII

In 1904 Prince Wilhelm was appointed a Knight of the Norwegian Lion by King Oscar II. The order was never abolished, but discontinued after Norway became independent in 1905.

Foreign

• Grand Cross, Order of the Netherlands Lion - July 1901 - during a visit to the Netherlands
• Knight Grand Cross, Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) - June 1905 - on the occasion of his visit to the UK for the wedding of his brother Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden to Princess Margaret of Connaught

• Grand Cross with Collar, Order of St Olav
• Knight, Order of the Elephant

Ancestry

16. Charles XIV John of Sweden

8. Oscar I of Sweden

17. Désirée Clary

4. Oscar II of Sweden

18. Eugène de Beauharnais

9. Josephine of Leuchtenberg

19. Princess Augusta of Bavaria

2. Gustav V of Sweden

20. Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg

10. William, Duke of Nassau

21. Burgravine Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg

5. Sofia of Nassau

22. Prince Paul of Württemberg

11. Princess Pauline of Württemberg

23. Princess Katharina Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen

1. Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland

24. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden

12. Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden

25. Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg

6. Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden

26. Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden

13. Sophie of Sweden

27. Frederica of Baden

3. Victoria of Baden

28. Frederick William III of Prussia

14. William I, German Emperor

29. Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

7. Princess Louise of Prussia

30. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

15. Augusta of Saxe-Weimar

31. Maria Pavlovna of Russia

External links

From Paul Theroff's An Online Gotha:

• Royal House of Sweden and Royal House of Norway
• Imperial House of Russia

Literature

Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland House of Bernadotte Born: 17 June 1884 Died: 5 June 1965
Swedish royalty
Preceded by Prince Carl Oscar, Duke of Södermanland	Duke of Södermanland	Succeeded by Vacant