Lennart Bernadotte

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Lennart Bernadotte
Prince Bernadotte
prev. Duke of Småland
Lennart Bernadotte in 1939
Born(1909-05-08)8 May 1909
Stockholm Palace, Stockholm, Sweden
Died21 December 2004(2004-12-21) (aged 95)
Schloss Mainau, Mainau, Lake Constance, Germany
Spouse
Karin Nissvandt
​
​
(m. 1932; div. 1971)​
​
​
(m. 1972)​
IssueCountess Birgitta
Countess Marie-Louise
Count Jan
Countess Cecilia
Countess Bettina
Count Björn
Countess Catharina
Count Christian
Countess Diana
Names
Gustaf Lennart Nicolaus Paul
HouseBernadotte
FatherPrince Vilhelm, Duke of Södermanland
MotherGrand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia

Lennart, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (born Prince Lennart, Duke of Småland; 8 May 1909 – 21 December 2004) was a Swedish-German landscaper, filmmaker, photographer and was a grandson of King Gustaf V of Sweden. He was also the eldest great-grandchild of King George I of Greece.

He was born at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, to Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland, and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. At birth Bernadotte was a Swedish prince and was titled Duke of Småland. In 1932, he married Karin Nissvandt, an unequal marriage, and thereafter ceased to be a Swedish dynast. Thus, he was called Mr. Bernadotte as a result. Nineteen years after he lost his Swedish royal titles, he was given titles of nobility in Luxembourg.

He published two memoirs: Käre prins, godnatt (1977) and Mainau min medelpunkt (1995).

Title[edit]

Lennart Bernadotte with his fiancée Karin Nissvandt (1911-1991) in 1932.
Bernadotte on his new yacht Stella Polaris at Gripsholm with grandson Friedrich Lennart Straehl, August, 1965

Under the Swedish Act of Succession, a prince or princess marrying without the consent of the monarch and government forfeits the right of succession for themselves and their descendants. In a new policy adopted in the case of Lennart Bernadotte, they were also forbidden to use their titles[1] and told to use the surname of Bernadotte. By his marriage on 11 March 1932 Prince Lennart consequently, as far as Swedish records were concerned, was to be called Mr. Lennart Bernadotte.

He considered himself for several decades subjected to very cruel treatment from the Royal Court of Sweden due to his first marriage, and his wife developed a worsening psychosis from it which eventually led to their divorce in 1971.[2]

Beginning in 1892, Swedish princes who lost their succession rights received noble titles conferred by other reigning monarchs. On 2 July 1951, for himself, his wife and his marital descendants, Bernadotte was admitted by Grand Duchess Charlotte (head of state at the time) into the nobility of Luxembourg as Count of Wisborg[3] and in that conferral was also called Gustaf Lennart Nicolas Paul Prince Bernadotte.[4] Counts of Wisborg are considered to be part of the Swedish unintroduced nobility.[3]

It has been reported (without accuracy) that Lennart and his cousin Sigvard Bernadotte wanted King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to restore their royal titles, which he could have done, but that he chose not to do so; no such request was actually ever made however.

Career[edit]

In 1944 Bernadotte portrayed the young Crown Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway in the historical film Prince Gustaf, Bernadotte's only screen acting role. He served as head of the Sveriges Scoutförbund (Scouting Association of Sweden) from 1948 to 1951[5][6][7]

Lennart Bernadotte concentrated his energy on his estate on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance, Germany, where he died, and on his charitable fund, the Lennart Bernadotte Stiftung. He was considered a major gardening and landscaping talent and expert and turned his island into a popular tourist attraction.

He inspired the Green Charter of Mainau, which then became the template for the International Ski Federation's Mainau Forums and Mainau Manifesto's and the sports commitment to the environment and climate change.[8]

He received the Eduard Rhein Ring of Honor from the German Eduard Rhein Foundation in 1996.[9][10]

Family[edit]

In London on 11 March 1932 Bernadotte married firstly Karin Emma Louise Nissvandt (7 July 1911 – 9 September 1991). They had four children before divorcing in December 1971: Birgitta, Marie-Louise, Jan (9 January 1941 – 1 September 2021),[11] and Cecilia.

In Mainau on 29 April 1972 Bernadotte married Sonja Anita Maria Haunz (7 May 1944 – 21 October 2008). They had five children: Bettina, Björn, Catherine, Christian, and Diana.

Bernadotte died in 2004. His remains, and four years later those of his second wife, were interred in a crypt under the palace chapel on Mainau. His first wife's remains were buried in his father's grave in Flen.

Honours and arms[edit]

Orders and decorations[edit]

Arms[edit]

Ancestry[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bramstång, Gunnar (1990). Tronrätt, bördstitel och hustillhörighet: några anteckningar. Skrifter utgivna av Juridiska föreningen i Lund, 0347-2590 ; 108 (in Swedish). Lund: Juristförl. pp. 54–55. ISBN 9154420814. SELIBR 7419851.
  2. ^ Bernadotte, Lennart (1995). Mainau, min medelpunkt: memoarer [Mainau, my center: memoirs] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. pp. 77, 338. ISBN 9100561223. SELIBR 7149428.
  3. ^ a b c Rothstein, Niclas von, ed. (2009). Kalender över Ointroducerad adels förening (in Swedish) (22nd ed.). Stockholm: Ointroducerad Adels Förening. p. 22. ISBN 978-9163350382. SELIBR 11594515.
  4. ^ Mémorial du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg No 48, Government of Luxembourg, 13 August 1951, entry dated 18 July 1951
  5. ^ "Scoutings historia i årtal". 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-01-12. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  6. ^ "Bengt Junker bleg scoutchef" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-09.
  7. ^ "Pojkscoutchefer" (PDF). Scoutmuséets hemsida. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  8. ^ "Fourth Mainau Forum set to kick off today". Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Eduard Rhein Ring of Honor Recipients". Eduard Rhein Foundation. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  10. ^ "1996 - Ring of Honor - Prof. Dr.h.c.mult. Lennart Graf Bernadotte af Wisborg". Eduard Rhein Foundation. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  11. ^ "Carl Johan Gustaf Wilhelm (Jan) Graf Bernadotte af Wisborg". Südkurier. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  12. ^ Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish). Vol. 2. Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1931. p. 6. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  13. ^ a b c d Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1969). Sveriges statskalender. 1969 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 150. SELIBR 3682754.

External links[edit]

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