Princess Ingeborg of Denmark
Encyclopedia
Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (Ingeborg Charlotta Carolina Frederikke Louise; Charlottenlund
, Copenhagen
, 2 August 1878 – Stockholm
, 11 March/12 March 1958) was a Danish princess and a Swedish princess consort. She was the second daughter and fifth child of King Frederick VIII of Denmark
and his queen, Louise of Sweden.
of Sweden in Copenhagen
on 27 August 1897. They had four children: Margaretha
, Märtha, Astrid
, and Carl
.
In 1947, on the occasion of their wedding anniversary, her spouse admitted that their marriage had been completely arranged by their respective fathers, and Ingeborg herself added : "I married a complete stranger!" They were engaged in May 1897 and spent their wedding trip in Germany
. The marriage was popular because she was the granddaughter of the popular king Charles XV of Sweden
, and she was a personal success in Sweden. It was said of her, that of all foreign princesses married into the Swedish royal house, she was perhaps the one best suited to be Queen consort of Sweden, and for the first ten years in Sweden, she almost was: from 1897 until 1907, Queen Sophia
seldom showed herself at public occasions and Crown Princess Victoria
spent most of her time abroad, so Princess Ingeborg thereby filled the position of first lady
at the Swedish court.
She was interested in sports, especially ice skating
, and at the automobile
exhibition of Stockholm in 1903, she and the Crown Prince, Gustav
, made a spontaneous demonstration trip in a car from Scania
. In 1908, she accompanied Prince William to his wedding with Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna in Russia.
Ingeborg created an easy atmosphere in the entertaining of her spouse's officer colleagues and was admired for her handling of the economic difficulties experienced when a bank they invested in crashed in 1922 and they had to sell their home.
Ingeborg was well liked and popular in Sweden because of her good humour, her easy-going and jolly personality and her informal way of acting. In 1905, the Norwegian government discussed making them king and queen of Norway, but the couple was relieved when this did not come about.
Princess Ingeborg has the distinction of being the grandmother of three European monarchs, King Harald V of Norway
, King Baudouin of the Belgians, King Albert II of the Belgians. And through Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium
, she is great-grandmother of a fourth one: Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Charlottenlund
Charlottenlund is a minor palace near Copenhagen in Denmark. In its original baroque form it was built between 1731 and 1733 on the foundations of a palace named Gyldenlund. The palace was named after Charlotte Amalie, the daughter of Frederick IV of Denmark and the sister of Christian VI of...
, 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...
, 2 August 1878 – 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...
, 11 March/12 March 1958) was a Danish princess and a Swedish princess consort. She was the second daughter and fifth child of King Frederick VIII of Denmark
Frederick VIII of Denmark
Frederick VIII was King of Denmark from 1906 to 1912.-Early life:Frederick was born on 3 June 1843 in the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen as Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior male line of the House of Oldenburg descended from Christian III of Denmark and who had...
and his queen, Louise of Sweden.
Marriage
She married Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of VästergötlandPrince Carl, Duke of Västergötland
Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Västergötland , was the third son of King Oscar II of Sweden-Norway and Sophia of Nassau.-History:...
of Sweden in 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...
on 27 August 1897. They had four children: Margaretha
Princess Margaretha of Sweden
Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Norway, later just of Sweden, Margaretha Sofia Lovisa Ingeborg was a Princess of Sweden by birth and Princess of Denmark by marriage...
, Märtha, Astrid
Astrid of Sweden
Astrid of Sweden was Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Leopold III.-Early life:Princess Astrid of Sweden was born in Stockholm on 17 November 1905...
, and Carl
Prince Carl, Duke of Östergötland
Carl Gustaf Oscar Fredrik Christian, Prince Bernadotte , formerly known as Prince Carl, Duke of Östergötland, was the youngest child of Prince Carl of Sweden and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. To distinguish himself from his father, he was widely known as Mulle within the family...
.
In 1947, on the occasion of their wedding anniversary, her spouse admitted that their marriage had been completely arranged by their respective fathers, and Ingeborg herself added : "I married a complete stranger!" They were engaged in May 1897 and spent their wedding trip in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The marriage was popular because she was the granddaughter of the popular king Charles XV of Sweden
Charles XV of Sweden
Charles XV & IV also Carl ; Swedish and Norwegian: Karl was King of Sweden and Norway from 1859 until his death....
, and she was a personal success in Sweden. It was said of her, that of all foreign princesses married into the Swedish royal house, she was perhaps the one best suited to be Queen consort of Sweden, and for the first ten years in Sweden, she almost was: from 1897 until 1907, Queen Sophia
Sofia of Nassau
Sophia of Nassau was Queen consort of Sweden and Norway...
seldom showed herself at public occasions and Crown Princess Victoria
Victoria of Baden
Victoria of Baden was a Queen consort of Sweden by her marriage to King Gustaf V of Sweden. She was politically active in a conservative fashion during the development of democracy and known as a pro-German during the First World War.-Birth:Princess Viktoria was born on 7 August 1862 at the castle...
spent most of her time abroad, so Princess Ingeborg thereby filled the position of first lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
at the Swedish court.
She was interested in sports, especially ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
, and at the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
exhibition of Stockholm in 1903, she and the Crown Prince, Gustav
Gustaf V of Sweden
Gustaf V was King of Sweden from 1907. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg...
, made a spontaneous demonstration trip in a car from Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
. In 1908, she accompanied Prince William to his wedding with Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna in Russia.
Family life
She lived a harmonious family life, and the family was known as "The happy family". The children were given a simple upbringing, and expected to learn household tasks: they were, for example, given a real stove in their play cottage, on which they cooked real food. She and Carl lived an informal and intimate family life with their children, and their family were generally referred to as "Prince Carl's".Ingeborg created an easy atmosphere in the entertaining of her spouse's officer colleagues and was admired for her handling of the economic difficulties experienced when a bank they invested in crashed in 1922 and they had to sell their home.
Ingeborg was well liked and popular in Sweden because of her good humour, her easy-going and jolly personality and her informal way of acting. In 1905, the Norwegian government discussed making them king and queen of Norway, but the couple was relieved when this did not come about.
Princess Ingeborg has the distinction of being the grandmother of three European monarchs, King Harald V of Norway
Harald V of Norway
Harald V is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991...
, King Baudouin of the Belgians, King Albert II of the Belgians. And through Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium
Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as spouse of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg...
, she is great-grandmother of a fourth one: Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg OIH is the head of state of Luxembourg. He is the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. His maternal grandparents were King Leopold III of Belgium and Astrid of Sweden...