Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland

Prince Bertil of Sweden ("Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén", February 28, 1912 – January 5, 1997), Duke of Halland, was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught. The prince was granted a very old dukedom, that was carried already in the Middle Ages by various Danish and Swedish royal relatives, such as Benedict, Duke of Halland. After his eldest brother Prince Gustaf Adolf died in 1947, leaving a less than one-year-old son, and because other heirs had already given up their places in the succession (owing to unacceptable marriages), it seemed likely that he could one day become regent.For this reason, Prince Bertil chose not to marry Welsh commoner Lilian Davies, as that would have deprived him of his place in the succession, so the couple simply lived together discreetly. The arrangement was well known by all and intended to keep the lineage until the heir to the throne was old enough. The then Mrs Davies was a known part of the Royal Family from their private perspective but not officially. However, his father lived long enough for the prince's nephew Prince Carl Gustaf to come of age.

After the death of King Gustaf VI Adolf (in 1973), and after himself having married, the new King approved the couple's marriage, which took place on December 7, 1976. Still first in line to the throne (until the birth of Crown Prince Carl Philip in 1979), Prince Bertil continued to act as the King's deputy. His widow now is known as HRH Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland. It should be noted that the prince was a brother of the late Queen Ingrid of Denmark ("née" Princess Ingrid of Sweden), mother of the current Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

When the Act of Succession was changed in 1980, rights to the throne was restricted to Carl XVI Gustaf and his descendants; however, a special addendum was made for Prince Bertil's case, so that he became third (and, after the birth of Princess Madeleine in 1982, fourth) in line to the throne.

Prince Bertil was a very popular person domestically. He was fond of cars and a keen supporter and practitioner of various sports, notably tennis and boules. He was a member of the fine-dining society, La Chaine des Rotisseurs.

Ancestry

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1= 1. Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland
2= 2. Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
3= 3. Princess Margaret of Connaught
4= 4. Gustaf V of Sweden
5= 5. Victoria of Baden
6= 6. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught
7= 7. Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
8= 8. Oscar II of Sweden
9= 9. Sofia of Nassau
10= 10. Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden
11= 11. Princess Louise of Prussia
12= 12. Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
13= 13. Victoria of the United Kingdom
14= 14. Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia
15= 15. Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt
16= 16. Oscar I of Sweden
17= 17. Josephine of Leuchtenberg
18= 18. Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau
19= 19. Princess Pauline of Württemberg
20= 20. Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden
21= 21. Princess Sophie of Sweden
22= 22. William I, German Emperor
23= 23. Augusta of Saxe-Weimar
24= 24. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
25= 25. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
26= 26. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
27= 27. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
28= 28. Prince Charles of Prussia
29= 29. Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar
30= 30. Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau
31= 31. Princess Friederike of Prussia

See also

*Swedish Royal Family
*Line of succession to the Swedish throne

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