Princess Sibylla of Sweden

Embed from Getty Images

Princess Sibylla of Sweden, mother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, was born on this day in 1908. The daughter of Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Albany and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Princess Sibylla was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and was a niece of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. Growing up in Germany, she lost her title of ‘Princess of the United Kingdom’ after the Titles Deprivation Act of 1917. In 1932, Princess Sibylla married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, grandson of the King of Sweden and 2nd-in-line tot he Throne. The couple had fpur daughters and one son, who later became King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Unfortunately, Prince Gustaf Adolf was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1947, and she became widowed. However, Princess Sibylla remained an active member of the Royal Family, taking over the role of ‘First Lady’ after the death of her mother-in-law, Queen Louise, in 1965. She passed away in 1972, after suffering from colon cancer, just a year before her son became King.

Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure | Connaught Diamond Tiara | Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara | Swedish Cameo Parure | Sapphire Necklace | Diamond Bracelet Bandeau | Bernadotte Emerald Parure | Pink Topaz Parure | 5-Strand Pearl Necklace | Duchess of Albany’s Sapphire Bracelet 

18

Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure

Connaught Diamond Tiara

Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara

Swedish Cameo Parure

Sapphire Necklace

Diamond Bracelet Bandeau

Bernadotte Emerald Parure

Pink Topaz Parure

5-Strand Pearl Necklace

 Duchess of Albany’s Sapphire Bracelet

2 thoughts on “Princess Sibylla of Sweden

  1. By all accounts, P. Sibylla and P. Gustaf Adolf’s marriage was a love match, though you wouldn’t know it from looking at their wedding pictures. I have yet to see one where she’s smiling! But then it was Germany in 1932 and they were surrounded by Nazis, so maybe that explains it. I wonder how she felt when her British titles were taken away in 1917. Was she old enough to be aware of it? Did it make any difference to her? Princess Sibylla is such a mystery to me. I’ve tried to find a good biography of her without much success. Do you know of one?

    1. I, too, was thinking the same thing, she never seems to smile. Even the photo with the new born, much wanted future King, shows her looking grim.

Leave a Reply