Princess Margaret of Connaught
| Princess Margaret of Connaught | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Princess of Sweden; Duchess of Scania | |||||
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| Born | 15 January 1882 Windsor Castle, Berkshire | ||||
| Died | 1 May 1920 (aged 38) Stockholm | ||||
| Spouse | Gustaf Adolf, Crown Prince of Sweden | ||||
| Issue | Prince Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland Ingrid, Queen of Denmark Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland Count Carl Johan, Bernadotte af Wisborg | ||||
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| House | House of Bernadotte House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
| Father | Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn | ||||
| Mother | Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia | ||||
Princess Margaret of Connaught (Margaret Victoria Charlotte Augusta Norah; later Crown Princess of Sweden; 15 January 1882 – 1 May 1920) was the daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria, and his wife, Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia. A Princess of the United Kingdom, she was nicknamed Daisy and in Sweden was known as Margareta.[1]
Early life
The Princess was born at Bagshot Park and baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 11 March 1882 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archibald Tait, and her godparents were: Queen Victoria (her paternal grandmother); Wilhelm I, German Emperor (her maternal great-granduncle, who was represented by the German Ambassador Count Münster); the German Crown Princess (her paternal aunt, who was represented by her own sister Princess Christian); Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia (her maternal grandparents, for whom her paternal uncle the Duke of Edinburgh and aunt Princess Beatrice stood proxy) and the Prince of Wales (her paternal uncle).[2] She was confirmed in the same chapel in March 1898, aged 16. Confirmation traditionally marked the end of childhood, after which a girl would 'come out' and be considered for marriage. Prior to her marriage, she was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret of Connaught.
Marriage
When Princess Margaret of Connaught was 23 and her younger sister Princess Patricia of Connaught was 18, both girls were among the most beautiful and eligible princesses in Europe. Their uncle, King Edward VII, wanted his nieces to marry a European king or crown prince. In January 1905, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught visited Portugal where they were received by Carlos of Portugal and Amélie of Orléans, whose sons Luís Filipe, Duke of Braganza, and Prince Manuel entertained the young British princesses. The Portuguese expected one of the Connaught princesses would become the future Queen of Portugal. Then the Connaughts visited Spain, where Patricia was expected to be King Alfonso XIII's future wife (later, Alfonso married another granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg). But neither of these expectations would become true; Margaret and Patricia had other destinies.
The Connaughts continued their trip to Egypt and Sudan. In Cairo they met Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, the future Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, grandson of the Swedish King Oscar II. Gustaf and Margaret fell in love at first sight. Prince Gustaf proposed at a dinner held by Lord Cromer at the British Consulate in Egypt, and was accepted. Margaret had certainly fallen completely in love with Gustaf. Her parents were very happy with the match even though the Prince was ten months younger than his bride. Prince Gustaf was short of sight and used spectacles; he was "tall, dark, well informed, fond of music, an excellent shot and a good dancer". Gustaf and Margaret married on 15 June 1905 in St. George's Chapel, at Windsor Castle.
She became the first wife of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and his Duchess of Scania on 15 June 1905. When Gustaf Adolf's father Gustav V acceeded to the throne as King in 1907, the couple became Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden (styled Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Sweden).
Princess Margaret is the grandmother of the current King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, as well as of her namesake, the current Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, and of the former Queen of Greece, Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark.
World War I
During World War I the princess created a sewing society in Sweden to support the Red Cross. When paraffin supplies ran low she organized a candle collection and in November 1917 she instituted a scheme to train girls to work on the land. She also acted as a point of contact for relatives divided by the war. With her help, private letters were passed on and requests to trace men missing in action. She was also tireless in her work on behalf of prisoners.
Death
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On 1 May 1920, Princess Margaret died suddenly in Stockholm. The official announcement said infection set in following a mastoid operation. At the time, she was eight months pregnant and expecting her sixth child.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 15 January 1882 – 15 June 1905: Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret of Connaught
- 15 June 1905 – 8 December 1907: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Scania
- 8 December 1907 – 1 May 1920: Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Sweden
Honours
VA: Member Second Class of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert
CI: Companion of the Order of the Star of India
DJStJ: Dame of Justice of St John
Arms
Upon her marriage in 1905, Princess Margaret ceased to use the arms of the United Kingdom, with an inescutcheon of Saxony, the whole differenced by a label argent of five points, the first and fifth bearing fleurs-de-lys azure, the second and fourth shamrocks vert, and the central point a cross gules. In 1917, the inescutcheon was dropped by royal warrant from George V.[3] Instead she used the arms of a Princess of Sweden and Duchess of Scania.
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten | 22 April 1906 | 26 January 1947 | Father of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. |
| Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland | 7 June 1907 | 4 February 2002 | Later Count Sigvard Bernadotte af Wisborg. |
| Princess Ingrid | 28 March 1910 | 7 November 2000 | Later Queen of Denmark; mother of the present Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and ex Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. |
| Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland | 28 February 1912 | 5 January 1997 | Married Lilian Davies; no issue. |
| Prince Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna | 31 October 1916 | Later Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg, married twice, had adopted issue. He is the last living great-grandchild of Queen Victoria & Albert, Prince Consort |
Ancestry
References
- ^ Från blomstergården (From the Flower Garden) a book by Margareta kronprinsessa av Sverige published by Norstedts in 1917
- ^ Yvonne's Royalty Home Page — Royal Christenings
- ^ Heraldica – British Royalty Cadency
External links
- British princesses
- Ladies of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert
- Companions of the Order of the Star of India
- Dames of Justice of the Order of St John
- 1882 births
- 1920 deaths
- House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- Swedish princesses
- People from Bagshot
- People from Windsor, Berkshire
- Burials at the Royal Burial Ground, Stockholm
- Crown Princesses of Sweden