Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prince Bertil |
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| Duke of Halland | |||||
Bertil in 1964
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| Born | 28 February 1912 Stockholm Palace, Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Died | 5 January 1997 (aged 84) Villa Solbacken, Djurgården, Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Burial | 13 January 1997 Royal Cemetery, Solna, Sweden |
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| Spouse |
Lilian Davies
(m. 1976) |
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| House | Bernadotte | ||||
| Father | Gustaf VI Adolf | ||||
| Mother | Margaret of Connaught | ||||
| Religion | Church of Sweden | ||||
Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland (Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén; 28 February 1912 – 5 January 1997), was a member of the Swedish royal family. He was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught, as well as the uncle of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. From 1973 to 1979 he was heir presumptive to his nephew King Carl XVI Gustaf and the Swedish throne.
Contents
Early life
Bertil was born 28 February 1912 at Stockholm, as the fourth of five children born to Princess Margaret of Connaught and Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. His siblings included: Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Vasterbotten, Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland, Princess Ingrid and Prince Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna.
The family lived in apartments at Stockholm Palace in Stockholm, at Ulriksdal Palace near the capital in Ulriksdal and at the summer residence: Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg in the southernmost province of Sweden, Scania.
Royal role
Bertil was granted a very old dukedom, one that was bestowed in the Middle Ages on various Danish and Swedish royal relatives, such as Benedict, Duke of Halland. After his eldest brother, Prince Gustaf Adolf, died in 1947, leaving an infant son, Prince Carl Gustaf, in the line of succession, and because his elder brother Sigvard had already given up his place in the succession (owing to a constitutionally unacceptable marriage), it seemed likely that Bertil could one day become regent. After Carl Gustaf became king, Bertil remained the next in line to the throne (until the birth of Prince Carl Philip in 1979), and continued to act as the King's deputy.
When the Act of Succession was changed in 1980, rights to the throne were restricted to Carl XVI Gustaf and his descendants; however, a special addendum was made for Bertil's case, so that he became third (and, after the birth of Princess Madeleine in 1982, fourth) in line to the throne.
Personal life
Bertil became a naval officer; and, during the Second World War, he served as Swedish naval attaché at the embassy in London.
In 1943, Bertil had met his long-term partner, Welsh commoner Lilian Craig. However, in order to preserve his place in the royal succession, Bertil and Lilian did not marry for decades. They lived together discreetly, as a fully private arrangement, from the 1940s until their marriage was announced and took place in 1976. Their common base was a home in Sainte-Maxime, in the south of France.
Since his life with Craig was not official, Prince Bertil's single status meant he was suggested as a match for, among others, Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom. After the death of Gustaf VI Adolf in 1973, the new king, Carl XVI Gustaf, married a non-royal woman and approved the marriage of Bertil and Lilian, which took place at Drottningholm Palace on 7 December 1976.
Bertil was fond of cars, owning a rare Aston Martin DB2 and a Chevrolet Corvette. Volvo asked him to open the Volvo Halifax Assembly plant in 1963 in Nova Scotia, Canada. A parking garage in Sainte-Maxime is named after him.
Prince Bertil was a keen supporter and practitioner of various sports, notably tennis and boules. In 1947, he was elected Chairman of both the Swedish Sports Confederation and Sweden's Olympic Committee. He was also a member of the fine-dining society La Chaine des Rotisseurs.
He died at his home the Villa Solbacken in Stockholm in 1997, with Princess Lilian at his side. Their grave is at the Royal Cemetery in Haga Park.
Military ranks
4 October 1934: Acting sub-lieutenant- 1936: Underlöjtnant
- 1937: Sub-lieutenant
- 13 February 1942: Lieutenant
- 1 April 1948: Lieutenant commander
- ????: Commander
- 1952: Captain
- 1956: Rear admiral
- 1956: Major general in the Army
- 1956: Major general in the Air Force
- 17 October 1969: Admiral
- 1969: General in the Army
- 1969: General in the Air Force
Honours
National Honours
Sweden:
Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (1912)
Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword (1912)
Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star (1912)
Knight of the Order of Charles XIII (1912)
Commander Grand Cross of the Order of Vasa (28 February 1952)
Recipient of the King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948)- Recipient of the King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948)
- Recipient of the King Gustaf VI Adolf's Commemorative Medal (1967)
Recipient of the Illis quorum in gold of 18th size with chain (1969)
Recipient of the H. M. The King's Medal, 12th size gold medal with diamonds worn around the neck on a chain of gold (silver-gilt) (1987)- Recipient of the King Carl XVI Gustaf's Jubilee Commemorative Medal I (1996)
Foreign honours
Argentina:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín
Belgium:
Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
Chile:
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
Grand Cross of the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins
Colombia:
Grand Cross of the Order of Boyaca
Denmark:
Knight of the Order of the Elephant
Egypt:
Grand Cross of the Order of Muhammad Ali
Estonia:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
Ethiopia:
Grand Cross of the Order of Solomon
Grand Cross of the Order of Menelik II
Finland:
Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
France:
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Germany:
Grand Cross 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Iraq:
1st Class of the Order of the Two Rivers
Iran:
2nd Class of the Order of Pahlavi
Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
Iceland:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon
Italy:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Japan:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
Mexico:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
Netherlands:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
Norway:
Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St. Olav (23 March 1953)- Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (1 March 1952)
Peru:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru
Portugal:
Grand Cross of the Order of Christ
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha:
Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order
Spain:
Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
Thailand:
Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri (21 September 1960)
United Kingdom:
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (June 1956)
United States:
Commander of the Legion of Merit (4 June 1948)
Venezuela:
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Liberator
Yugoslavia:
Order of the Yugoslav Great Star (29 March 1976)
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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
In Spanish: Bertil de Suecia para niños
