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Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland

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Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland(Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén; 28 February 1912 – 5 January 1997), was a member of theSwedish royal family.He was the third son of KingGustaf VI Adolfand his first wife,Princess Margaret of Connaught,as well as the uncle ofKing Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.From 1973 to 1979, he washeir presumptiveto his nephew Carl XVI Gustaf and theSwedish throne.

Prince Bertil
Duke of Halland
Bertil in 1974 (photo: Lennart Bergqvist)
Born(1912-02-28)28 February 1912
Stockholm Palace,Stockholm,Sweden
Died5 January 1997(1997-01-05)(aged 84)
Villa Solbacken,Djurgården,Stockholm, Sweden
Burial13 January 1997
Royal Cemetery,Solna, Sweden
Spouse
​
(m.1976)​
Names
Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén
HouseBernadotte
FatherGustaf VI Adolf
MotherMargaret of Connaught
Bertil arrives for an event at theNordic Museumabout 1950

Early life

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Bertil was born 28 February 1912 atStockholm,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 IngridandPrince Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna.

The family lived in apartments atStockholm PalaceinStockholm,atUlriksdal Palacenear the capital inUlriksdaland at the summer residence:Sofiero PalaceinHelsingborgin the southernmost province of Sweden,Scania.[1]

Royal role

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Bertil was granted a very old dukedom, one that was bestowed in theMiddle Ageson various Danish and Swedish royal relatives. 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 brotherSigvardhad already given up his place in thesuccession(owing to a constitutionally unacceptable marriage), it seemed likely that Bertil could one day becomeregent.After Carl Gustaf became king, Bertil remained the next in line to the throne (until the birth ofPrince Carl Philipin 1979), and continued to act as the King's deputy.

When theAct of Successionwas 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 ofPrincess Madeleinein 1982, fourth) in line to the throne.

Personal life

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Bertil became a naval officer; and, during theSecond World War,he served as Swedish naval attaché at theembassy in London.

In 1943, Bertil met his long-term partner,WelshcommonerLilian 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 inSainte-Maxime,in thesouth of France.[2]

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.[3]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 atDrottningholm Palaceon 7 December 1976.[citation needed]

Bertil was fond of cars, owning a rareAston Martin DB2[4]and aChevrolet Corvette.[5]Volvoasked him to open theVolvo Halifax Assemblyplant in 1963 inNova Scotia, Canada.A parking garage in Sainte-Maxime is named after him. The ex-HRH Prince Bertil of Sweden also owned a 1926Bugatti Type 35Grand Prix[6]A copy of its original Swedish registration document starting in the name of HRH Prince Bertil in 1939.

Prince Bertil was a keen supporter and practitioner of various sports, notablytennisandboules.In 1947, he was elected Chairman of both theSwedish Sports Confederationand Sweden's Olympic Committee. He was also a member of the fine-dining societyLa 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 theRoyal CemeteryinHaga Park.

Military ranks

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Honours

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National honours

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Foreign honours

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Arms

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Bertil's coat of 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.

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^"Queen Ingrid of Denmark".Daily Telegraph.8 November 2000.
  2. ^"HRH Princess Lilian of Sweden".Daily Telegraph.10 March 2013.
  3. ^"H R H The Princess Margaret".Daily Telegraph.
  4. ^"Originally the property of HRH Prince Bertil of Sweden 1952 Aston Martin DB2 Drophead Coupé".Bonhams.
  5. ^"Restoring HRH Prince Bertil of Sweden's Corvette".GM Heritage.
  6. ^"Originally the property of HRH Prince Bertil of Sweden".William I’Anson Ltd. 21 March 2024.
  7. ^abSveriges statskalender för skottåret 1964(in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1964. p. 349.
  8. ^abcHård af Segerstad, Pia, ed. (1969-10-18)."Dag för dag".Svenska Dagbladet(in Swedish). p. 13.Retrieved2 October2023.
  9. ^Nordenvall, Per (1998).Kungliga Serafimerorden: 1748-1998(in Swedish). Stockholm: Kungl. Maj:ts orden. pp. 58, 444.ISBN9163067447.SELIBR8364835.
  10. ^Sveriges statskalender för året 1955(in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 127.
  11. ^abcdefghi"Besök på ordenssalarna".phaleristica(in Swedish). 8 June 2016.Retrieved18 September2019.
  12. ^"Anfragebeantwortung"[Response to inquiries](PDF)(in German).Austrian Parliament.23 April 2012. p. 95. 10542/AB XXIV. GP.Retrieved5 September2024.
  13. ^abcdefghSveriges statskalender för skottåret 1940(in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1940. p. 5.
  14. ^abcdeSveriges statskalender för året 1950(in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1950. p. 5.
  15. ^abcSveriges statskalender för året 1955(in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 5.
  16. ^ab"Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer"[Awards of medals and medals].kongehuset.no(in Norwegian).Royal Court of Norway.Retrieved2022-02-17.
  17. ^"III. Otras disposiciones"(PDF).Boletín Oficial del Estado(in Spanish). 9 November 1979. p. 26058.Retrieved11 March2024.
  18. ^"แจ้งความสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์"(PDF).Royal Thai Government Gazette(in Thai). 28 December 1960. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 April 2015.Retrieved2019-05-08.
  19. ^"Många ordnar utdelade vid drottningbesöket"[Many orders awarded at the Queen's visit].Svenska Dagbladet(in Swedish). 9 June 1956. p. A13.Retrieved26 October2022.
  20. ^"Visit of Sweden and official dinner".Retrieved16 December2020.
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Prince Bertil
Born:28 February 1912Died:5 January 1997
Preceded by Duke of Halland
1912–1997 		Vacant
Title next held by
Prince Julian
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