Ingrid of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Ingrid of Sweden was a Swedish princess and the queen consort
of King Frederick IX
of Denmark
.
the third child of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught
. She also was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
. Ingrid's mother died in 1920 while carrying her sixth child. Her father married Lady Louise Mountbatten three years later. Louise was a second cousin of Ingrid's. There were no children of this second marriage, only a stillborn daughter. Ingrid was raised to a sense of duty and seriousness. She had a difficult time after her father remarried.
In 1928, Ingrid met the Prince of Wales
and was seen by some as a possible wife for the heir to the British throne, who was her second cousin. Her mother, Margaret of Connaught, and the then-Prince of Wales' father, King George V, were first cousins, both being grandchildren of Queen Victoria. However, no engagement took place.
Her wedding to the Danish Crown Prince was one of the greatest media events of the day in Sweden in 1935, and was given so much attention from the media that the media was criticised for it. Ingrid also appeared on the radio in 1935, where she read a poem, something which was also given much attention.
, in Stockholm
on 24 May 1935. They were related in several ways. In descent from Oscar I of Sweden
, they were third cousins. In descent from Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden, they were third cousins. In descent from Paul I of Russia
, Frederick was a fourth cousin of Ingrid's mother. She became the Queen of Denmark upon her husband's accession to the throne on 20 April 1947. The couple had three children:
As a Crown Princess, she was the Official Patron of the Girl Guides
(1936), after having taken, and passed, the same tests all applicants were given. In 1940, before the occupation, she was the leader of the Danske Kvinders Beredskab (The Danish Women's war-effort society). During the German occupation of Denmark in World War II
, Ingrid, with her personal courage and integrity, influenced the Danish Royal House and its conduct in relation to the occupation forces, and won great popularity as a symbol of silent resistance and public patriotic moral. She showed solidarity toward the Danish population, and could often be seen on her bicycle or with her baby cart on the streets of Copenhagen during the war. Her open defiance of the occupation forces made her grandfather, King Gustav of Sweden, worry about the risks, and in 1941, he sent a demand to her to be more discreet "for the sake of the dynasty" and its safety, but she reacted with anger and refused to obey, and she had the support of her spouse, who shared her views. One display of defiance shown by Ingrid was her positioning of the flags of Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom in the window of the nursery at Amalienborg, the royal residence in the centre of Copenhagen.
She became Queen in 1947. As such, she reformed the traditions of Danish Court life, abolished many old-fashioned customs at Court and created a more relaxed atmosphere at official receptions. She was interested in gardening and art, and renovated the Gråsten Slot
according to her own historical research about the Palace's original appearance.
In 1972, Ingrid was widowed. That same year, after having sworn to respect the Danish constitution, she was appointed Rigsforstander (formal Regent) and representative of the Monarch whenever her daughter and grandson were absent, a task she performed on many occasions. This was exceptional; since the constitution of 1871, only the Crown Prince had been allowed to act as Regent in the absence of the Monarch. She was patron of a long line of social organizations, positions which, one after another, she eventually left to Princess Benedikte as years passed: Røde Kors, Ældre Sagen, Red Barnet, Løgum Klosters Refugium, and Fonden for Træer og Miljø. She also founded the organizations Kong Frederik og Dronning Ingrids fond til humanitære og kulturelle formål, Ingridfondet for South Jutland, Det kgl. Grønlandsfond, and Dronning Ingrids Romerske Fond til støtte af kulturelle og videnskabelige formål. She was described as dutiful, well-prepared and energetic. She learned Danish quickly. She was also a feminist, also felt strongly for gender equality
.
After her death in Fredensborg Palace
, Fredensborg
, in 2000, Queen Ingrid was interred next to her husband outside Roskilde Cathedral
near Copenhagen
.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of King Frederick IX
Frederick IX of Denmark
Frederick IX was King of Denmark from 20 April 1947 until his death on 14 January 1972....
of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Background
She was born in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
the third child of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
Gustaf VI Adolf - Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf - was King of Sweden from October 29, 1950 until his death. His official title was King of Sweden, of the Goths and of the Wends. He was the eldest son of King Gustaf V and his wife Victoria of Baden...
and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught
Princess Margaret of Connaught
Princess Margaret of Connaught was the daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria, and his wife, Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia...
. She also was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Ingrid's mother died in 1920 while carrying her sixth child. Her father married Lady Louise Mountbatten three years later. Louise was a second cousin of Ingrid's. There were no children of this second marriage, only a stillborn daughter. Ingrid was raised to a sense of duty and seriousness. She had a difficult time after her father remarried.
In 1928, Ingrid met the Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
and was seen by some as a possible wife for the heir to the British throne, who was her second cousin. Her mother, Margaret of Connaught, and the then-Prince of Wales' father, King George V, were first cousins, both being grandchildren of Queen Victoria. However, no engagement took place.
Her wedding to the Danish Crown Prince was one of the greatest media events of the day in Sweden in 1935, and was given so much attention from the media that the media was criticised for it. Ingrid also appeared on the radio in 1935, where she read a poem, something which was also given much attention.
Family
Princess Ingrid married Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark and IcelandFrederick IX of Denmark
Frederick IX was King of Denmark from 20 April 1947 until his death on 14 January 1972....
, in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
on 24 May 1935. They were related in several ways. In descent from Oscar I of Sweden
Oscar I of Sweden
Oscar I was King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to his death. When, in August 1810, his father Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, Oscar and his mother moved from Paris to Stockholm . Oscar's father was the first ruler of the current House of Bernadotte...
, they were third cousins. In descent from Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden, they were third cousins. In descent from Paul I of Russia
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
, Frederick was a fourth cousin of Ingrid's mother. She became the Queen of Denmark upon her husband's accession to the throne on 20 April 1947. The couple had three children:
- Princess Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur IngridMargrethe II of DenmarkMargrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
(born 1940), later Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who married French Count Henri de Laborde de MonpezatHenrik, Prince Consort of DenmarkHenrik, Prince Consort of Denmark , is the husband of the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II.-Early life:Henrik was born in Talence, Gironde, France...
, who was created Prince Henrik of Denmark, in 1967. - Princess Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg IngridPrincess Benedikte of DenmarkPrincess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, , , is the second daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden...
(born 1944), who married Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in 1968. - Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid (born 1946), who married King Constantine II of the HellenesConstantine II of Greece|align=right|Constantine II was King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973, the sixth and last monarch of the Greek Royal Family....
(later deposed) in 1964.
In Denmark
Ingrid was well educated and interested in sports, especially horse-riding, skiing and tennis. She also got her driver's license early.As a Crown Princess, she was the Official Patron of the Girl Guides
Pigespejdernes Fællesråd Danmark
Pigespejdernes Fællesråd Danmark is the national Guiding federation of Denmark. Danish Guiding started in 1910, the PFD was founded in 1923 and was among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1928...
(1936), after having taken, and passed, the same tests all applicants were given. In 1940, before the occupation, she was the leader of the Danske Kvinders Beredskab (The Danish Women's war-effort society). During the German occupation of Denmark in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Ingrid, with her personal courage and integrity, influenced the Danish Royal House and its conduct in relation to the occupation forces, and won great popularity as a symbol of silent resistance and public patriotic moral. She showed solidarity toward the Danish population, and could often be seen on her bicycle or with her baby cart on the streets of Copenhagen during the war. Her open defiance of the occupation forces made her grandfather, King Gustav of Sweden, worry about the risks, and in 1941, he sent a demand to her to be more discreet "for the sake of the dynasty" and its safety, but she reacted with anger and refused to obey, and she had the support of her spouse, who shared her views. One display of defiance shown by Ingrid was her positioning of the flags of Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom in the window of the nursery at Amalienborg, the royal residence in the centre of Copenhagen.
She became Queen in 1947. As such, she reformed the traditions of Danish Court life, abolished many old-fashioned customs at Court and created a more relaxed atmosphere at official receptions. She was interested in gardening and art, and renovated the Gråsten Slot
Gråsten Palace
Gråsten Castle is best known for being the summer residence of the Danish Royal Family. It is located in Gråsten in the Jutland region of southern Denmark. The main house has a modern, all-white facade, with Venetian doors opening onto sweeping, manicured lawns and gravel walkways...
according to her own historical research about the Palace's original appearance.
In 1972, Ingrid was widowed. That same year, after having sworn to respect the Danish constitution, she was appointed Rigsforstander (formal Regent) and representative of the Monarch whenever her daughter and grandson were absent, a task she performed on many occasions. This was exceptional; since the constitution of 1871, only the Crown Prince had been allowed to act as Regent in the absence of the Monarch. She was patron of a long line of social organizations, positions which, one after another, she eventually left to Princess Benedikte as years passed: Røde Kors, Ældre Sagen, Red Barnet, Løgum Klosters Refugium, and Fonden for Træer og Miljø. She also founded the organizations Kong Frederik og Dronning Ingrids fond til humanitære og kulturelle formål, Ingridfondet for South Jutland, Det kgl. Grønlandsfond, and Dronning Ingrids Romerske Fond til støtte af kulturelle og videnskabelige formål. She was described as dutiful, well-prepared and energetic. She learned Danish quickly. She was also a feminist, also felt strongly for gender equality
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
.
After her death in Fredensborg Palace
Fredensborg Palace
Fredensborg Palace, , is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It is the Danish Royal Family’s spring and autumn residence, and is often the site of important state visits and events in the Royal Family...
, Fredensborg
Fredensborg
Fredensborg is a railway town with a population of 8,377 located in Fredensborg Municipality, Denmark at the railroad between Hillerød and Helsingør....
, in 2000, Queen Ingrid was interred next to her husband outside Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral , in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Denmark. The first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick, it encouraged the spread of the Brick Gothic style throughout Northern Europe...
near Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.