Sweden: Princess Désirée has passed away

The Swedish Royal court has issued the following statement concerning the death of Princess Désirée, sister of King Carl Gustaf.

21 January 2026

Princess Désirée has passed away

HM The King’s sister Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld, passed away peacefully in her home at Koberg in Västergötland on Wednesday, 21 January 2026, surrounded by her family. The Princess was 87 years old.

On the occasion of the death of Princess Désirée, the following statement is made by HM The King:

With great sadness, I have today received the news that my sister, Princess Désirée, has passed away.

Many warm family memories were created in the home of the Silfverschiöld family in Västergötland – a place in Sweden that came to mean a great deal to my sister.

Together with my family, I send my condolences to Princess Désirée’s children and their families.

Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld, was the widow of Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld (1934–2017) and lived at Koberg Castle in Västergötland. The Princess leaves behind her three children and their families.

Flags at half mast

HM The King has ordered the flags at Drottningholm Palace and Haga Palace to be flown at half mast on 21 January.

Funeral arrangements

Information regarding Princess Désirée’s funeral will be provided at a later date.

Désirée Elisabeth Sibylla was born at Haga outside Stockholm on 2 June 1938 as the third daughter of Prince Gustaf Adolf (1906–1947) and Princess Sibylla (1908–1972). She married Baron Nils August Otto Carl Niklas Silfverschiold (b. Koberg, Sweden 31 May 1934–d. 11 April 2017), son of Baron Carl-Otto Nils Henning Silverschiöld by his first wife Elsa Madelaine Bennich, in Stockholm on 5 June 1964. The couple had 3 children.

Niclas Silfverschiold (*) is buried with other family members at Lagmansered Cemetery not far from Koberg in Trollhättan municipality.

(*) The baron went by the name Niclas with a "c" even if he legally was named Niklas with a "k".

Sweden: Council of State to take place on Monday 10 February 2025

The Council of State, in which the name and ducal title of the nwborn daughter of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia will be announced, will take place on Monday 10 February 2025 at 11:15 a.m.

At 12:15 the same day there will be a Te Deum in the Royal Palace Church to mark the birth of the princess. At noon a salute of 21 shots will also be fired to mark the birth from the salute stations at Skeppsholmen in Stockholm, Boden, Härnösand, Karlskrona and Gothenburg. 

Sweden: Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia have become parents to their fourth child

The Swedish Royal Court announced today the birth of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's fourth child, a girl:

7 February 2025

TRH Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia welcome their fourth child – a daughter

Today, Friday 7th February at 1.10 p.m., HRH Princess Sofia gave birth to a daughter at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm.

The baby weighs 3645 grams and is 49 centimetres long.

Prince Carl Philip was present at Danderyd Hospital throughout the birth.

The pregnancy was announced in September 2024. The couple has three boys - Prince Alexander, b. 2016, Prince Gabriel, b. 2017 and Prince Julian, b. 2021. The new princes, who is no. 8 in the line of succession to the Swedish throne, is King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia's 9th grandchild.

The updated line of succesion:

1. HRH Crown Princess Victoria (b. 1977)
2. HRH Princess Estelle (b. 2012)
3. HRH Prince Oscar (b. 2016)
4. HRH Prince Carl Philip (b. 1979)
5. Prince Alexander (b. 2016)
6. Prince Gabriel (b. 2017)
7. Prince Julian (b. 2021)
8. Princess NN (b. 2025)
9. HRH Princess Madeleine (b. 1982)
10. Princess Leonore (b. 2014)
11. Prince Nicolas (b. 2015)
12. Princess Adrienne (b. 2018)

Due to the king's decision in 2019 to "downsize" the Swedish Royal Family, the princess is not a member of the Royal House, but "only" of the Royal Family. The name and ducal title will be announced by the King in a Council of State. The date of the council has not been announced yet.

 

It is difficult to guess what the name of the newborn princess could be. As always I hope for  a traditional royal name, or at least a traditional Swedish name, but I suppose we can expect something more modern.

The Swedish Tax Agency, which has taken over the name statistics from Statistics Sweden, has, by the way, just recently published the list of the most popular Swedish names given to girls and boys born in 2024. The top ten list of names for girls born in 2024 is as follows:

1. Alma
2. Alice
3. Olivia
4. Elsa
5. Vera
6. Saga
7. Selma
8. Astrid
9. Ella
10. Signe

It would be nice with a Princess Alice, a Princess Elsa or a Princess Astrid, don't you think?

Sweden: Funeral service for Princess Birgitta to take place on Sunday 15 December 2024

The Swedish Royal Court announced yesterday that the funeral service for Princess Birgitta, who died on 4 December 2024, 87 years old, will take place on Sunday 15 December 2024 at Drottningholm Palace Church. Afterwards she will be laid at rest at Kungliga begravningsplatsen (The Royal Cemetery) at Haga. In accordance with Princess Birgitta's own wishes, the ceremonies will be a private affair where only family and others who have got an invitation will be present.

On the funeral day flags will be fly at half staff at the Royal Palace, Drottningholm Palace and Haga Palace until after the princess has been buried.

Sweden: Princess Sofia is pregnant

The Swedish Royal Court announced today that Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are expecting their fourth child and that the due date is some time in February 2025.

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are expecting a child

Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are delighted to announce that The Princess is expecting their fourth child.

Princess Sofia is feeling well, and the birth is expected to take place in February 2025. During the autumn, no changes in the public schedule of Princess Sofia are planned.

The princely couple has three boys – Prince Alexander, b. 2016, Prince Gabriel, b. 2017 and Prince Julian, b. 2021. The future prince or princess will become 8th in the line of succession to the Swedish throne, and will become the king and queen's 9th grandchild. He or she will become a member of the Swedish Royal Family only and not of the Royal House, following the changes made in October 2019.

Royalty Digest Quarterly no. 3, 2023

The third issue of Royalty Digest Quarterly in 2023 was published some time last fall and should of course have been commented on a long time ago. There are two reasons for this lag – the first is that I focused so much on various genealogy projects last fall that I didn't blog much at all. The other is that I misplaced my copy of RDQ before I got the chance to read it. It was rediscovered in a bag I normally don't use around Christmas time. And so far this month I have written so much about the events in Denmark besides commenting on other periodicals. I now realize that I haven't commented on issue no. 2 from last year either. No, I haven't lost that copy, but I think the train has passed for commenting on it. Anyway, no. 3 has been read and it's on time to write a few words. 

Contents:

• Marlene A. Eilers Koenig: The Wedding of Gusty and Louise, pp. 1–10.
• Ted Rosvall: The Landgraves of Hessen-Homburg, pp. 11–20.
• Susan Symons: The Princesses of Hessen-Homburg, pp. 23–30.
• Elizabeth Jane Timms: Imperial Governess. Miss Throckmorton and Marie Valerie, pp. 31–41.
• Ove Mogensen: Tombs, Grave and Monuments in Romania, pp. 42–48.
• Ted Rosvall: A Double Jubilee in Sweden, pp. 49–55.
• Ted Rosvall: Royal Bustards, p. 56.
• Stephen Bunford: George III's illegitimate grandchildren, pp. 57–61.
• Coryne Hall: Little-Known ROYALS. Princess Zorka of Montenegro, pp. 62–63.
• The World Wide Web of Royalty, p. 64.

In other words plenty of articles worth reading. First one out is Marlene Koenig's article on the wedding of the then Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden to Lady Louise Mountbatten in 1923. Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf, eldest son of King Gustaf V and Queen Victoria, née Princess of Baden, had earlier been married to Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, who died in 1920, only 38 years old. Margaret was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Connaught and the Duchess of Connaught, nee Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia. Lady Louise Mountbatten was born in 1889 as Princess of Battenberg, the second daughter of Prince Louise of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Battenberg, née Princess of Hesse and by Rhine. As is well known, Prince Louis relinquished his his title Prince of Battenberg and style of Serene Highness in July 1917 and anglicised his family name to Mountbatten. In November 1917 Louis was created Marquess of Milford Haven. His eldest daughter Alice, mother of Prince Philip, was already married at the time, so only the three younger children stopped using their princely titles and assumed courtesy titles as children of a British Marquess. I make a point of this because it meant that Louise was not a princess in 1923, and the Swedish Act of Succession at the time said that a a Prince would lose his rights if he married «a private man's daughter», i.e. was not a royal or equal. Lady Louise would thus come into this category, but the matter was «solved» when the British prime minister at the time confirmed that she was a member of the British Royal Family and was included in the list of precedence at the court. Obviously the understanding ot the article in the Act of Succession was stretched a bit for the marriage to go ahead without consequences. But married they were, and upon Gustaf Adolf's succession in 1950 as King Gustaf VI Adolf, Crown Prince Louise became Queen of Sweden. She died in 1965, 75 years old.

Ted Rosvall then tells the story of the Landgraves of Hesse-Homburg (or Hesse-Homburg if you like), perhaps one of the less known houses of Hesse. The last Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg was Ferdinand (1783–1866), second youngest son of Landgrave Friedrich V (1748–1820) and Landgravine Karoline, née Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt (1746–1821). His elder brothers Friedrich, Ludwig, Philipp and Gustav had also been Landgraves, but none of them left a male heir to carry on the line. Besides the short presentation the article includes 35 illustrations of family members, palaces/castles and even a map.Thankfully Rosvall has also provided a «select family tree», which is useful when reading Susan Symon's article The Princesses of Hessen-Homburg. The said princesses were the five sisters of the above-mentioned landgraves who survived childhood. All in all Friedrich V and Karoline had 15 children (An Online Gotha lists 13 of them). Symons, whos known for her book series about German palaces and castles, gives a good outline of the princesses and their marriages and offspring.

Elizabeth Jane Timms's article Imperial Governess. Miss Throckmorton and Marie Valarie is based on among others the Throckmorton papers (correspondence etc.) kept in the Warwickshire County Record Office and the court archives in Vienna. Miss Mary Throckmorton (1832–1919) was a daughter of Sir Robert George Throckmorton, 8th Baronet and his wife, Elizabeth Acton, daughter of Sir John Francis Edward Acton, Baronet of Aldenham. Miss Throckmorton served as Governess to Archduchess Marie Valerie (1868–1924), youngest child of Emperor Franz Joseph (1830–1916) and Empress Elisabeth, née Duchess in Bavaria (1837–1898), from 1869 to 1874. In this first (of two) articles on the Imperial Governess we follow the lives of Marie Valerie and her former governess through the correspondence they kept. As I have written on so many occasions, I love these articles where you read about royalty through people who were employed at a court. The article is well written and well researched. And thankfully, as already mentioned, there is a second article on the relationship between the Archduchess and her former governess.

Ove Mogensen has traveled all over the world to visit and take photographs of tombs, graves and monuments of the many royal and princely houses and have written numerousn articles about these visits in RDQ. This time we learn about the graves of various members of the Romanian royal family in and outside Romania. This sort of articles is another – and good – way to learn more about royal history. And as always well illustrated

The editor of Royalty Digest Quarterly, Ted Rosvall, has contributed to several articles in this issue. In A Double Jubilee in Sweden, we learn both about the 500th anniversary of Gustav Vasa's succession to the Swedish throne and Carl XVI Gustaf's 50th anniversary as King of Sweden. The author also gives us a short presentation of the monarchs between 1523 and 2003. In his Royal Bustards series, Rosvall then tells the story of the Swedish singer Carl-Erik Olivebring (1919–2002), who might have been the illegitimate son of King Gustaf VI Adolf (also mentioned above). Her mother was a lady-in-waiting at the Royal Court in Stockholm, Judith Cecilia Serafia Andersson (1877–1924). The official records say that his father was a farmer named Lars Ersson, b. 1844. Other than the connection to the court, there is nothing that backs up the claim, other than that the singer had an «uncanny resemblance to some of the king's sons, especially Prince Sigvard and Prince Bertil». Oh well. 

Stephen Bunford follows up with a good discussion about and outline of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland's illegitimate grandchildren.

I have earlier questioned some of che choices for the series Little-Known ROYALS written by Coryne Hall, but of course it will depend how much knowledge you have about the present and former monarchies. Princess Zorka of Montenegro (1865–1890) was the eldest daughter and child of Prince Nikola, later King Nikola of Montenegro (1841–1860–1921) and Princess, latger Queen, Milena, née Vukotic (1847–1923). She married Prince Peter Karadjordjevic (1844–1921), who became King of Serbia in 1903, but by then Zorka had been dead for 13 years. I am not sure if she had been better known if she had lived longer and become Queen. One could say that the kingdom of Serbia is better known than the smaller neighbour kingdom of  Montenegro, but again it all depends on your knowledge. I think she fits the category, and anyway, Coryne Hall tells her story well.

The genealogical news included in the The World Wide Web of Royalty column are from events in July, August and September 2023, so they are a bit old now, but such records of events can be useful nevertheless. This time the readers are given news from the Imperial, royal and princely houses of Austria, Bavaria, Bourbon-Parme, Denmark (Rosenborg), France-Orléans, Schleswig-Holstgein and Württemberg.

If you are not already a subscriber to Royalty Digest Quarterly, please consider it! Information about the magazine can be found at its editor's website Royalbooks.se. See earlier presentations of RDQ here. See also its Facebook page.

Sweden: King Carl Gustaf to undergo heart surgery

The Swedish Royal Court announced today that King Carl Gustaf is to undergo a planned heart surgery on Monday 20 February 2023:

14 February 2023

HM The King to undergo planned surgical procedure

On the advice of his physician, HM The King will undergo a planned surgical procedure on Monday 20 February 2023. The procedure will be performed using laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery in the heart area.

The procedure will be followed by a period of rest. The King’s planned official engagements between 20 February and 3 March will therefore be postponed until later this spring.

The King is in good health and until 20 February will carry out his official engagements as planned.

King Carl Gustaf, who will be 77 years old in April, will later this year celebrate his 50th anniversary as king.

Royalty Digest Quarterly no. 1, 2022

I received my copy of the lastest issue of Royalty Digest Quarterly – no. 1, 2022 – about a month ago. I have been involved in several genealogy projects since then, so my blog was put on hold for a while. I am almost always involved in various genealogy projects, so I guess it is a bad excuse, but I am enjoying my genealogy research so much ...

Anyway ... The editor Ted Rosvall usually stays away from politics in his Editor's Corner, but this time he has made an exception. He has chosen to comment on the ongoing war in Ukraine and ends by writing: «Royalty Digest Quarterly stands behind the Ukrainian people and their brave leaders in their struggle for a free and independent Ukraine». So do I! Most members of «the European Royal Family» have shown sympathy with Ukraine in various ways since the Russian invasion in February. It cannot have been easy for Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, whose family ruled the Russian Empire, which included what is nbow the Russian Federation and Ukraine, for several hundred years, but I think she made her views on the war clear in her statement of 24 February. 

There are two church-related articles in this issue. Edward W. Hanson shows in his article Royal Priests, Monks and Nuns that quite a few royals, especially members of Catholic families, have taken holy vows throughout the years. The author Edward Hanson is an historian as well as a priest in the Church of England, so I can well understand that he is interested in this topic. Jonathan Iglesias Sancho and Blanca Briones Conzáles on the other hand has written an interesting piece on the relationship between the Romanovs and the Vatican.

The front page gives an illustration of King Gustaf V and Queen Victoria of Sweden, which means that the first issue of 2022 contains the second part of The Bernadottes of Sweden - A Family Album, written by the editor himself. The number of illustrations – 133 in all, if I have managed to count correctly – must be a new record in this series of family albums. In addition there is one page with a genealogical table showing the descendants of King Gustaf V.

Next one out is Michael L. Nash' enjoyable article "Collecting all the Sunshine .....". The First Modern Royal Family, which describes the wedding between Princess Mary (the Princess Royal) and Henry Lascelles (then Viscount Lascelles, later the 6th Earl of Harewood, in 1922.

Then Eric Lowe continues his series Elegant Royals – Some favorites from my collection, before Ove Mogensens tells the story of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in his article series Tombs, Graves and Monuments in Thuringia (part. VI).

Prince Eugen of Sweden (1865–1947) was a well-known artist in Scandinavia and also a well-liked member of the royal family. But perhaps not so well-known outside Sweden, Norway and perhaps also Denmark. He is the topic of Coryne Hall's Little-Known Royals. I really enjoyed my visit to Prince Eugen's Waldemarsudde in Sweden when I visited it back in 2006. I can really recommend it.

Prince Eugen's house and grave at Waldemarsudde. © 2006 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.

The World Wide Web of Royalty this time brings news of the Imperial, Royal or Princely houses of Austria, Austria-Este, Luxembourg, Prussia, and Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Information about Royalty Digest Quarterly can be found at its editor's website Royalbooks.se. See earlier presentations of RDQ here. See also its Facebook page.

Sweden: Prince Julian Herbert Folke, Duke of Halland

The Marshal of the Realm announced earlier today that the King in the Council of State held at the Royal Palace in Stockholm had announced the name and ducal title of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's third son, who was born on Friday 26 March:

Prince Julian Herbert Folke, Duke of Halland

The call name will be Julian. I was not too surprised that Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia didn't land on a more traditional royal name. When you get so far down in the line of succession you obviously have more freedom. Personally I think the name goes well Julian with Alexander and Gabriel. It is not among the most popular names in Sweden. Julian was no. 77 in the list of male names chosen for babies born in 2020, down from no. 74 in 2019. Folke was no. 83, while Herbert was not in the top 100 list at all.

All in all, as of 31 December 2020 there are 4444 men who have the name Julian in Sweden, while 3060 of them have Julian as their call name, i.e. the name in daily use. Julian is also a female name - in 2020 there were 22 of them, while 17 had Julian as their call name. And there are 6 people who has Julian as their surname. What about Herbert and Folke? The numbers are 5484 (623) named Herbert and 17388 (3809) named Folke with the call name in parentesis.

The genealogist and author Ted Rosvall has in a message in the Facebook group Royalty Digest Quarterly pointed out that Herbert is the second name of Princess Sofia's maternal grandfather Janne Herbert Ribbe Rotman (1934–1996), so that could be an explanation for the name. See my previous blog article on Princess Sofia's ancestry for more details. 

The third name Folke is easier to explain, as it is the third name of Prince Julian's grandfather King Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus. The king was named after the diplomat Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (1895–1948).

Prince Carl Philip's great uncle Prince Bertil (1912–1997) was Duke of Halland, and as Prince Carl Philip and his family are now residing in Prince Bertil's old home at Djurgården in Stockholm, Halland is a good choice.

Prince Julian was the first member of the family to be born after the King in 2019 decided to «downsize» the Swedish Royal House, meaning that Prince Julian is not a member of the Swedish Royal House, only a member of the Royal Family. 

The now 2-days-old prince was born as no. 7 in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. The complete line is now as follows:

1. HRH Crown Princess Victoria (b. 1977)
2. HRH Princess Estelle (b. 2012)
3. HRH Prince Oscar (b. 2016)
4. HRH Prince Carl Philip (b. 1979)
5. Prince Alexander (b. 2016)
6. Prince Gabriel (b. 2017)
7. Prince Julian (b. 2021)
8. HRH Princess Madeleine (b. 1982)
9. Princess Leonore (b. 2014)
10. Prince Nicolas (b. 2015)
11. Princess Adrienne (b. 2018)

A royal birth in Sweden ... and a birth in England too!

The Marshal of the Realm announced on Friday 26 March 2021 the birth of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden's third child, a boy:

The Office of The Marshal of the Realm is delighted to announce that Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia gave birth to a healthy boy on Friday the 26th March 2021 at 11.19 a.m. at Danderyd Hospital.

Both mother and child are in good health.

Fredrik Wersäll

Marshal of the Realm

The pregnancy was announced on 11 December 2020. The little prince, who is the 8th grandchild of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, entered the world as no. 7 in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's other  childen are Prince Alexander, born in 2016, and Prince Gabriel, born in 2017. The royal birth was marked by a salute with 21 shots at noon today.

The King's decision in 2019 to «downsize» the Swedish Royal House means that the newborn boy will not be styled Royal Highness. A Council of State will be held at The Royal Palace in Stockholm on Sunday 28 March 2021 in which the name and ducal title will be revealed. One the same day there will also be a church service – a Te Deum – in connection with Princess Sofia's delivery.

Zara Tindall, wife of Mike Tindall and daughter of the Princess Royal (Princess Anne of the United Kingdom), gave birth to her third child, a boy, on Sunday 21 March 2021. The boy arrived so quickly that he was deliveded at home on the bathroom floor. The Tindall family's home is at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, England. The boy, who is no. 22 in the line of succession to the British throne, has received the name Lucas Philip Tindall. The second name Philip was obviously chosen in honour of Mike's father and Zara's grandfather. Zara and Mike Tindall's other children are Mia, born in 2014, and Lena, born in 2018. The baby is Princesse Anne's fifth grandchild and Queen Elizabeth's 10th great-grandchild.

I had intended to write about the birth in England earlier, but I am just too busy at work these days due to the pandemic. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to follow up with a blog article after the Council of State in Sweden. 

Pregnancy news in Sweden and the United Kingdom

The Swedish Royal Court announced on Friday 11 December 2020 that Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are expecting their third child in late March or early April 2021:

Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are delighted to announce that The Princess is expecting their third child.

"We are happy and excited, and are looking forward to welcoming our third child – a sibling for Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel, and a new addition to our family," say Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia.

Princess Sofia is feeling well, and the birth is expected to take place at the end of March or the beginning of April 2021.

The future royal baby will be the 8th grandchild of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. He or she will at birth become no. 7 in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia already have two boys – Prince Alexander, born in 2016, and Prince Gabriel, born in 2017.

In the extended British Royal Family there will also be an addition next year. Mike Tindall, husband of Zara Tindall, née Phillips, the daughter of Princess Anne (The Princess Royal) and Mark Phillips, has recently told that they are expecting their third child. The couple has two daughters – Mia, born in 2014, and Lena, born in 2018. The baby will become Princesse Anne's fifth grandchild and Queen Elizabeth's 9th great-grandchild. The baby will enter the world as no. 21 in the line of succession to the British throne.

Royalty Digest Quarterly no 2, 2020

The latest issue of Royalty Digest Quarterly – no. 2, 2020 – has arrived, and as usual it provides plenty of quality reading. The cover is in green colour this time (what about yellow next, Mr. Editor!), and the photo is of King Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886–1941) together with his 6 surviving childen; Jaime, Maria Christina, Gonzalo, Alfonso, Beatriz and Juan. The latter was of course the father of King Juan Carlos and grandfather of the current king, Felipe VI.

Royal jewels is the topic of the first article of the present issue. The Leuchtenberg Jewels in Sweden is written by the Brazilian-born Claudia Thomé Witte, who appeared on Norwegian TV 12 days ago in a documentary on the royal jewels of Sweden. While royal jewels (tiaras etc.) are not exactly «my thing», there is no doubt that they represent important royal family history, and I admire experts like Ms. Witte who posess such a detailed knowledge. My daughter, who will turn 10 years old next month, took a great interest in the documentary, and even hushed me down when I dared to start talking. Who would have guessed that she would be interested in royal history ... It was a good article as well, although I miss a list of sources at the end.

Empress Elizabeth of Austria, Duchess in Bavaria (1837–1898), nicknamed «Sisi», still draws great interest, and there are no limits to how many different aspects of her life one can write about. In the article Imperial Bride in Vienna Elizabeth Jane Timm studies the wedding between Sisi and Emperor Franz Joseph in great deatail, including the whereabouts of her wedding dress.

The photo cover revals that the main article of this issue is the second part of The Royal House of Spain – A Family Album. A House Divided - the descendants of Carlos IV by Charlotte Zeepvat. The introduction takes the readers from King Fernando VII to King Felipe VI, and we are as usual treated by a large number of illustrations – 99 in all – the last is of King Felipe VI and his eldest daughter Leonor, Princess of Asturias. In addition there are four pages with genealogical tables.

The historian Datiu Salvia Ocaña, who resides in Barcelona, Spain, then completes the third and last part of his series The Six Stunning Infantas. The unexpexted fortune of the daughters of exiled King Miguel I of Portugal. The third part also includes notes, which also cover part I and II.

Who is the next one out in the series Little-Known Royals? Coryne Hall has this time written about Princess Maria of Italy (1914-2001), the youngest daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy and his wife Queen Elena, née Princess of Montenegro. Princess Maria married in 1939 Prince Luigi (Louis) of Bourbon-Parma (1899–1967), the 22nd (!) child of Duke Roberto I and his 2nd wife Duchess Maria Antonia, née Princess of Portugal. They had four children. None of them made «dynastic marriages» and their children don't appear to have any titles according to An Online Gotha, but here I could be wrong. I am not talking about legal titles, of course, only titles by «a genealogical-historical definition».

And finally the column The World Wide Web of Royalty, bringing genealogical news from the European Imperial, Royal and Princely families. This time we get news from Bourbon-Parme, Greece (Brandram), Hesse, Luxembourg, Russia (Kulikovskaya), Stolberg-Roßla, Sweden (Nilert), Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Information about Royalty Digest Quarterly can be found at its editor's website Royalbooks.se. See earlier presentations of RDQ here. See also its Facebook page.

Håby Church and Cemetery, Munkedal, Sweden

I made a stop at Håby Church and Cemetery in Munkedal in Västra Götaland county in Sweden on my way home from Svenska Släktforskardagarna (the Swedish Genealogy Convention) in Borås in August 2019. I have passed the church several times before, but it is not always easy to make stops/detours like this, especially when you have other people in the car who might not share your interest in cemeteries and genealogy or think that is more important to reach the planned destination as soon as possible. But this time I was driving on my own and could do whatever I wanted! I still got back in time to spend some quality time with my daughter before she had to go to bed.

Håby Church (kyrka) is situated in the Foss parish in the diocese of Göteborg (Gothenburg). The present church building was finished in 1731, but there has been a church at the same spot since the 12th century. Some changes have been made under renovation work, among others in 1939. You can find more details on Wikipedia (Swedish version), which includes a photo of the interior (the altar).

Grave of riksdagsman (Member of Parliament) Johannes Andersson of Knarrevik (1821–1898). The Wikipedia article (in Swedish) has a portrait of him.

Smith family grave.

Grave of Hans J. Bryngelsson (1837–1919) and his nearest family.

Family grave of Olof Engelbrektsson and in front 3 Hallin graves.

All 12 photos: © 2019 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.

It was a sunny day when I made the stop. A bit too sunny, perhaps, because it made it impossible to take photos of all angles of the church. It was well worth stopping by, though.

Ingrid Bergman's grave, Norra begravningsplatsen, Solna, Sweden

Ingrid Bergman, the Swedish actress, was born in Stockholm on 29 August 1915 as the daughter of the artist Justus Bergman (1871–1929) and Friedel Adler (1884–1918). Ingrid died in London on her 67th birthday in 1982. In other words, today it is 36 years since she passed away.

Following cremation, the urn with parts of her ashes was interred in the grave of her parents and two other family members at Norra begravningsplatsen («The Northern Cemetery») in Solna outside Stockholm, Sweden. The remaining ashes were scattered in the sea at Danholmen outside Fjällbacka in Western Sweden.

Both photos: © 2017 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.  

 

I will return with a longer article about my visit to Norra begravningsplatsen later on.

 

Ingrid Bergman was definitely one of the most famous Swedish-born women. It is worth mentioning in this regard that the book(-let) Svenska kvinnor. Pionjärer och förebilder («Swedish women. Pioneers and role models»), which will be released in connection with the Swedish Genealogy Convention 2018 in Växjö coming Saturday, includes a short biography of Bergman and her ancestry (three generations).

 

The booklet, which is written by Ted Rosvall and Mikael Hoffsten and published by The Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies, also includes a short biography and ancestry table of 30 other Swedish women. The booklet will be sold at the genealogy convention and in the online bookshop Rötterbokhandeln.

Royal June Summary

June 2018 is history. It has been a month full of royal events – among others a christening, a birth and several deaths. Normally I would have written blog articles about most of these events, if not all, but I just didn't find the time. What follows is a short summary of the most important events as I see them.

8 June: The christening of Princess Adrienne of Sweden, daughter of Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill, took place at Drottningholm Palace Chapel in the presence of King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Oscar, Prince Carl Philip. Princess Sofia, Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler, Princess Birgitta, Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld, Baroness Christina Louise De Geer and Baron Hans De Geer, Hélène Silfverschiöld and Fredrik Dieterle, Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson and Tord Magnuson, Gustaf Magnuson and Vicky Magnuson, Dagmar von Arbin, Marianne Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg, Bertil Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg and Jill Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg.

Princess Estelle was named in the guest list that was released, but had apparently got sick and was therefore absent.

From the Queen's family: Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath, Walther L. Sommerlath and Ingrid Sommerlath, Patrick Sommerlath, Leopold Lundén Sommerlath, Anaïs Sommerlath, Chloé Sommerlath and Maline Sommerlath. From the O'Neill family: Eva Maria O'Neill, Annalisa O'Neill, Karen O'Neill, Tatjana d'Abo and Henry d'Abo, Anouska d'Abo, Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun and Countess Milana Abensperg und Traun

From Germany HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a first cousin of the king. In addition representatives of the official Sweden, court and staff as well as friends of Princess Madeleine and her husband were also present. Sponsors of Princess Adrienne were Anouska d'Abo, Coralie Charriol Paul, Nader Panahpour, Baron Gustav Thott, Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund andn Natalie Werner.

Archbishop Antje Jackelén officiated, assisted by Bishop and Chief Court Chaplain Johan Dalman and Court Chaplain and Rector of the Royal Court Parish Michael Bjerkhagen. Following the christening ceremony the guests were invited to a reception at Drottningholm Palace.

The arms of Princess Adrienne, Duchess of Blekinge: The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Blekinge. The inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte. In addition the badge of the Order of the Seraphim.

9 June: Prince Georg-Constantin of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach died in a riding accident near Apethorpe Palace in Northamptonshire, 41 years old. Georg-Constantin was the only son of Prince Wilhelm, a first cousin of the head of the family, Prince Michael. Georg-Constantin was survived by his parents, his wife Olivia, née Page and sister Désirée, Countess von und zu Hoensbroech. The late prince was the designated heir to the headship and his death means that the house will eventually die out in the male line.

11 June would have been Prince Henrik's 84th birthday. In his memory Queen Margrethe founded a medal which was given to members of the royal family, members of the court and staff and others who played a role in connection with Prince Henrik's illness, death and funeral. Prince Henrik's Memorial Medal is in silver and with a crown. Obverse: Queen Margrethe's profile faced right and the inscription «MARGARETA II – REGINA DANIÆ». Reverse: Prince Henrik's crowned monogram and the inscription «11.6.1934 – 13.2.2018». The medal is carried in a red cross ribbon with a wide middle stripe in white between two small stripes in gold. Go here for photos of the medal.

17 June: Prince Norodom Ranariddh of Cambodia was seriously injuried while his wife Ouk Phalla was killed in a road accident in Preah Sihanouk province's Prey Nub district in Cambodia. Former Prime Minister Prince Ranariddh (b. 1944) is the half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni (b. 1953) and son of Norodom Sihanouk (1922–2012). Ranariddh married Ouk Phalla, his second wife, in 2010. The cremation of Ouk Phalla took place on 20 June.

18 June: Zara and Mike Tindall became parents to a daughter, who was born at the Maternity Unit of the Stroud General Hospital in Glouchestershire. According to the press release, «The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips and Mike’s parents, Mr Philip and Mrs Linda Tindall, have been informed and are delighted with the news.» Zara Tindall is the daughter of HRH The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) and Mark Phillips. Zara and Mike's first daughter, Mia Grace, was born in 2014. The baby girl, who is the fourth grandchild of The Princess Royal and the seventh great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was later named Lena Elizabeth.

19 June: HH Princess Elisabeth of Denmark, the eldest daughter of Hereditary Prince Knud (1900–1976) and Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde (1912–1995), died at 6.15 p.m. after a long illness, surrounded by her closest family, 83 years old. Princess Elisabeth, who for 45 years worked for the Danish Ministry of foreign affairs, was a first cousin of Queen Margrethe of Denmark and a second cousin of King Harald of Norway. Princess Elisabeth never married, but lived with filmmaker and director Claus Hermansen (1919–1997) for many years. Her younger brothers were Prince Ingolf (later Count of Rosenborg), b. 1940, and Prince Christian (later Count of Rosenborg) (1942–2013). They grew up at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby outside Copenhagen. Princess Elisabeth moved back to the palace in 2015. It has not been explicitly stated whether she died at home or in a local hospital.

The funeral service took place at Lyngby Church, where also her christening and confirmation took place, on 25 June. Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes were present, in addition to Count Ingolf and Countess Sussie of Rosenborg and Princess Elisabeth's niceses Josephine, Camilla and Feodora af Rosenborg (daughters of the late Count Christian of Rosenborg). See photos here. The urn with the ashes of the princess will be interred at Lyngby Cemetery next to the grave of Claus Hermansen.

20 June: It was announced that the christening of Prince Louis of Cambridge will take place on Monday 9 July 2018 in The Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London. Prince Louis will be christened by The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby.

25 June: Prince Friedrich-Karl of Waldeck and Pyrmont died, 85 years old. Prince Friedrich-Karl, a grandson of the last reigning prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Friedrich (1865–1893–1918–1946), was married to Ingeborg von Biela and had 3 daughters and 8 grandchildren.

Sweden: More about the name of Princess Adrienne

I wrote the article about the name of Princess Adrienne on Tuesday evening because I didn't have the time to blog on Monday when the Council of State, in which the name was announced, took place. But I still managed to miss out on some additional information about the name, so I will have to write another blog article on the subject.

The Swedish magazine Svensk Damtidning wrote on 12 March 2018 under the headline «Svensk Damtidning avslöjar – hemligheten bakom Madeleines namnval» («Svensk Damtidning reveals – the secret behind Madeleine's name choice») that Adrienne was a name Queen Silvia had loved for many years. According to the Swedish pastor Adrienne Riddez on her Facebook wall (her message seems to have been deleted), they met eachother some time in the late 1990s and the queen had said: «Oh, is your name Adrienne, that is such a beautiful name. I should have given that to Madeleine!» And a generation later the name was given to Princess Madeleine's third child.

The head of the information department at the Royal Court in Sweden, Margareta Thorgren, seems to have confirmed the story, but also stressed that Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill had chosen the name for the simple reason that they liked it. «They chose Alice after Princess Madeleine's grandmother [«mormor» – «mother's mother»] and Josephine after Chris' grandmother [«mormor» – «mother's mother»]. But the name Adrienne stands on its own.»

The last piece of information is quite interesting. Naturally most commentators, myself included, pointed at Queen Josephine of Sweden as the source of inspiration for the name. I should of course have double-checked the ancestry of Chris O'Neill before I published my article on Tuesday night. After all, some information about his family has been published at the Nobiliana forum in the thread «Ancestors of Christopher O'Neill» (too many contributors to mention them all). Svensk Damtidning, and/or Ms. Thorgren, has messed up a bit, though. It is Chris' farmor («father's mother») who was named Josephine, not his mormor: Josephine Cesario, b. around 1896.

Sweden: HRH Princess Adrienne Josephine Alice, Duchess of Blekinge

In the Council of State held at Stockholm Palace yesterday, 12 March 2018, King Carl Gustaf informed his government that his new granddaughter, who was born 3 days earlier, had received the name Adrienne Josephine Alice and the title Duchess of Blekinge. The name in daily use would be Adrienne.

As usual the choice of name immediately became a debate topic in newspapers, TV, blogs and other social media. It was not difficult to point at Queen Josephine, née Princess of Leuchtenberg (1807–1876) as the inspiration for the second name, and to Queen Silvia's mother Alice Sommerlath, née de Toledo (1906–1997) as the inspiration for the third name. Josephine is also the fourth name of Princess Madeleine, mother of the (now relatively) newborn princess, and also appear among the names of other members of the larger Bernadotte family. Princess Adrienne's aunt Crown Princess Victoria has Alice has her third name, as has Adrienne's great-aunt Princess Birgitta. Both Josephine and Alice are rather common names in royal European history.

But what about Adrienne? Of course it was once again a name no-one had guessed. It is has no roots in Swedish royal history and is French of origin, but considering the French roots of the Bernadotte family it is in my opinion a good choice, even if it is deemed «untraditional» in the European royal circle. So where have Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill taken inspiration from? In the Facebook group Royalty Digest Quarterly, its administrator – and editor of the magazine with the same name – Ted Rosvall mentioned yesterday that «The name ADRIENNE does appear in the Bernadotte family. The soon to be 102, Dagmar von Arbin, née Bernadotte af Wisborg, has two granddaughters by that name: JANA Adrienne De GEER [Gummeson] and ADRIENNE Ebba Sophie De GEER [Heurlin]. The former has a daughter named ADRIENNE Maria Madeleine Gummesson De GEER».

I followed up, after having read a Twitter message on the subject, by mentioning that one of Queen Josephine's ancestors (and of Princess Adrienne, of course) had the name Adrienne – Adrienne Dyel de Graville. There was some initial confusion about which Josephine I was actually referring to and the number of generations, and I have to take the main responsibility for that (such things happen when you write in haste during a short break), but eventually I think the connection was well settled:

Princess Adrienne (b. 2018) --> Princess Madeleine (b. 1982) --> King Carl XVI Gustaf (b. 1946) --> Prince Gustaf Adolf (1906–1947) --> King Gustaf VI Adolf (1882–1973) --> King Gustaf V (1858–1950) --> King Oscar II (1829–1907) --> Queen Josephine, née Princess of Leuchtenberg (1807–1876) --> Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (1781–1824) --> Josephine, Empress of the French 1804–1810, née Tascher de la Pagerie (1763–1814) --> Joseph Gaspard de Tascher de la Pagerie (1735–1790) --> Marie Françoise Boureau de la Chevallerie (1709–1787) --> Marie Thérèse de Jaham (b. ca. 1686) --> Adrienne Dyel de Graville (ca. 1658–1729).

And if that is not enough, Adrienne's parents were named Adrien Dyel de Graville and Adrienne Dyel de Vaudroque. However, we should take some reservations about the eldest generations, as the tweet mentioned above based its information on the ancestry table given in the Wikipedia article about Empress Josephine, and as of today it is completely without sources.

There are also other Internet pages which either gives details about Adrienne Dyel de Graville and or mentions the connection between her and the Bernadottes, such as Geneanet.org and Généalogie et Histoire de la Caraïbe, including «G.H.C. Numéro 54 : Novembre 1993 Page 890» and «Généalogie et Historie de la Caraïbe No 115 Mai 1999» (rtf file)). The website covering French-Caribian genealogy seems to be rather serious, but unless my somewhat limited understanding of the French language has failed me, I can't find any sources stated there either.

I should add that the genealogist and author Ted Rosvall in his book Bernadotteättlingar (2010) shows on p. 114 Queen Josephine's ancestry back to Marie Françoise Boureau de la Chevallerie (1709–1787), the granddaughter of Adrienne Dyel de Graville. Chantal Cosnay is responsible for the genealogy research in France.

So, if we for the sake of the argument accepts the connection mentioned above – Adrienne of the 17th century would then be Princess Adrienne's 11 x great-grandmother, if I have not messed up the counting completely – has Princess Madeleine consulted her ancestry table in order to find a suitable name? She has most likely knows her de Geer relatives and can have taken inspiration from them. It is difficult to say for sure before she or her husband should one day in the future decide to comment on the name choice.

Adrienne is, by the way, not a very common name in Sweden, but according to Statistics Sweden there are currently (as of 31 December 2017, that is) 305 women with the name Adrienne, of whom 141 have Adrienne as their call name.

Following the birth of Princess Adrienne, the line of succession to the throne of Sweden is as follows:

1. Crown Princess Victoria (1977)
2. Princess Estelle (2012)
3. Prince Oscar (2016)
4. Prince Carl Philip (1979)
5. Prince Alexander (2016) 
6. Prince Gabriel (2017)
7. Princess Madeleine (1982)
8. Princess Leonore (2014)
9. Prince Nicolas (2015)
10. Princess Adrienne (2018)

Royal birth in Sweden: Princess Madeleine's third child

Photo: © 2017 Christopher O'Neill.

The Swedish Royal Court (The Office of The Marshal of the Realm) announced yesterday morning 9 March 2018 that Princess Madeleine and her husband Chris O'Neill earlier that day had become parents for the third time.

Announcement from HE The Marshal of the Realm

The Office of The Marshal of the Realm is delighted to announce that HRH Princess Madeleine gave birth to a healthy child on Friday 9 March 2018 at 00:41 at Danderyd Hospital.

Both mother and child are in good health.

Svante Lindqvist
Marshal of the Realm

The announcement was later followed up by a press release in which the gender of the child was revealed:

HRH Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O’Neill have had a daughter

On Friday the 9th March at 00.41, Princess Madeleine gave birth to a daughter at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm.

Weight: 3465 gram
Length: 50 cm

Mr O’Neill was present at Danderyd Hospital throughout the birth.

"We are thrilled about the new addition to our family. Leonore and Nicolas are looking very much forward to finally meeting their new little sister," says Mr O’Neill.

Salutes of 21 shots were fired at noon on the occasion of the birth . The parents returned home with their new daughter later the same day.

The newborn princess is the seventh grandchild of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia. The baby has entered the line of succession to the Swedish throne as no. 10. The name and title will be announced in a Council of State to be held on Monday 12 March at 11:15. A Te Deum to mark the birth of the princess will take place the same day at 12:15.

It is more or less impossible to predict what name Princess Madeleine and her husband has decided on. Neither Leonore or Nicolas were traditional names in Swedish royal history. But maybe the couple will surprise us with Martha or Eugenie this time?

Royal December Summary

This December month has been rather busy due to Christmas preparations and work load, and I have not been able to write about the various events as I had wanted to. Here is a summary of the events I wish to write about.

• 1 December 2017: The christening of Prince Gabriel, second son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, took place in the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm. The christening was officiated by Archbishop emeritus Anders Wejryd, assisted by Bishop and Chief Court Chaplain Johan Dalman and Court Chaplain and Rector of the Royal Court Parish Michael Bjerkhagen. Normally the christening would have been officiated by Archbishop Antje Jackelén, but she had obligations abroad. Prince Gabriel's sponsors were Princess Madeleine, Sara Hellqvist (one of Princess Sofia's sisters), Oscar Kylberg (friend and business partner of Prince Carl Philip), Carolina Pihl (friend and business partner of Princess Sofia) and Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath (cousin of Prince Carl Philip). Guests attending the christening ceremony and the reception can be viewed here.
• 5 December 2017: In the case between Prince Louis of Luxembourg, Princess Tessy of Luxembourg and The Telegraph Media Group Ltd., the England and Wales High Court ruled that details of the former royal couple's financial matters as well as details of their divorce settlement were not allowed to be published. The explanatory note to the court decision said:  «1. The Applicant Husband and the Respondent wife are engaged in financial remedy proceedings before the High Court of England and Wales. Those proceedings are ongoing. 2. The purpose of this order is to seek to protect the confidentiality of the parties' financial arrangements and their negotiations within the context of their financial remedy proceedings, pending resolution of the same by agreement or determination of the court. 3. In the circumstances, the court has ordered that the matters set out at Paragraph 6 of this order shall not be published pending the conclusion of the financial remedy proceedings between the parties.» Prince Louis and Princess Tessy, who were married in 2006 and have two sons together, broke up in the summer of 2016 and a decree nisi was granted om 17 February 2017.
• 5 December 2017: King Michael died in his residence in Arbonne, Switzerland, 96 years old. King Michael was King of Romania twice, from 1927 to 1930 and again from 1940 until his abdication was forced upon him by the communist regime in late 1947 and he was forced into exile. He earned his people's respect and popularity especially for, when he felt his position was strong enough, launched a coup d'etat against the fascist dictator Ion Antonescu and brought Romania over to the allied countries. Then king was awarded the Legion of Merit in 1946. The citation can be read here. After the communist regime fell in 1989, the was on several occasions refused entry to his homeland, but in 1997 his citizenship was restored and he was allowed to visit Romania again. King Michael was married to Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parme (1923–2016) in Athens, Greece and had 5 daughters. I had the pleasure of meeting both King Michael and Queen Anne as well as their daughter Princess Margarita and her husband Radu Duda during their visit to Oslo in 1997. A man of principles, King Michael for a long time felt loyal to the last monarchist constitition of 1923, which stipulated agnatic succession and in case of the lack of a male heir, the succession would revert to the House of Hohenzollern. However, in 2007 King Michael changed his mind and signed a document named the Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania, by which he designated his eldest daughter Princess Margareta as his heir. No-one would doubt that Princess Margarita would be his heir if Romania had restored the monarchical form of government. The question many monarchists and royal watchers ask is if the king should personally decide on the order of succession and include and exclude members as he saw fit. Normally succession questions are a state affair, not the king's personal toy. The last ten years of his life was partly shadowed by scandals within his family, and his own handling of the succession question and treatment of his grandson Nicholas de Roumanie-Medforth-Mills has received critical comments. Concerning the fundamental rules, The Telegraph in its obituary wrote that «As Romania is now a republic with a president, the document has no legal standing.» That is of course correct as of now. However, the Parliament of Romania is currently considering to pass a law giving the royal family a special status and by which the fundamental rules would be acknowledged. In her declaration to the Romanian people Princess Margarita referred to herself as «Custodian of the Crown of Romania».
• 15 December 2017: The remains of Queen Elena of Italy (1873–1952) were brought from Montpellier, France to the family mausoleum at the Sanctuary of Vicoforte in northern Italy. Two days later the remains of her husband King Vittorio Emanuele III (b1869–r1900–1946–d1947) were transferred from Egypt. Parts of the royal family had wanted the former king to be buried in the Pantheon in Rome, but this was refused by the authorities.
• 16 December 2017: The funeral service for King Michael took place in Romania. The program can be read at the official website of the royal family. The list of representatives of reigning and former reigning royal families can be read here. The courts of Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Monaco did not send any representatives. Concerning Norway, the main reason for the absence of representation, other than that there has – as far as I understand it  – been little contact between the two families over the years, was that the king was to attend the consecration of Kari Veiteberg, the new Bishop of the bishopric of Oslo at 11 a.m. on Sunday 17 December, and he would not have made it back in time for that event if he had gone to Romania. The Crown Prince could of course have attended.
• 18 December 2017: According to the newspaper Romania Insider, «Romania’s governing parties ponder referendum on constitutional monarchy».
• 24 December 2017: The King and Queen of Norway celebrated Christmas at Kongsseteren («the Royal Lodge») in Oslo together with Princess Märtha Louise, Ari Behn and their daughters, while the Crown Prince family spent Christmas at Skaugum in Asker. Ari Behn, who is on good terms with his former in-laws after his marriage to Princess Märtha Louise broke down in 2016, commented in an interview earlier this month: «I am still part of the family». In an interview with TV2, Behn said: «This will be Christmas no. 2 in my new situation. Last year the children were with me, so this will be the first Christmas with the royal family after the divorce». On 5 August 2016 the Norwegian Royal Court announced that Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn were going to divorce. The court did not reveal when the formal separation took place. According to the Norwegian marriage act section 21, «Each of the spouses may demand a divorce when they have been separated for at least one year.» This would mean that the divorce was granted some time in 2017, but the royal court has not stated exactly when the royal marriage was finally dissolved.
• 25 December 2017: King Harald, Queen Sonja, Princess Märtha Louise and her two youngest daughters attended church service at Holmenkollen Chapel. The Crown Prince family attended the Christmas service in Asker Church the day before.

Updated on Thursday 28 December 2017 at 07.50 (I had for some reason forgotten to write King Vittorio Emanuele's numeral!).

Arms of Prince Gabriel of Sweden

The National Archives of Sweden published today the arms of Prince Gabriel of Sweden, whose christening will take place on 1 December.

The arms were presented at the meeting of the Heraldic Committee of the National Archives on 24 October 2017. The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Dalarna. As previously mentioned, Prince Gabriel was also given the title of Duke of Dalarna at the Council of State held at Stockholm Palace on 4 September 2017. The inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte.The arms are then crowned by the Swedish prince crown. Prince Gabriel will receive the Order of the Seraphim in connection with the christening, which explains why the arms are encircled (in lack of the correct heraldic term) by the collar and badge of the said order. The arms are drawn by the heraldic artist Henrik Dahlström, the Swedish National Archives.

The arms of Dalarna, taken from the website of the National Archives:

Blazon: "Azure, two Dalecarlian Arrows Or in saltire point upwards pointed Argent and in chief a Crown of the first". Source: Wikipedia.

The monogram consists of the initial G and a prince crown above and is drawn by the heraldic artist Vladimir A Sagerlund.