View source for Princess Margaret of Connaught

{{Short description|Crown Princess of Sweden (1882&ndash;1920)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Margaret of Connaught
| title        = [[Crown Princess of Sweden]]<br/>[[Duke of Scania|Duchess of Scania]]
| image        = [[File:Crownprincessmargretofsweden.JPG|250px]]
| caption      = Princess Margaret of Sweden, 1905
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Gustaf VI Adolf|Gustaf Adolf, Crown Prince of Sweden]] (later Gustaf VI Adolf)|15 June 1905}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten]]
* [[Sigvard Bernadotte]]
* [[Ingrid, Queen of Denmark]]
* [[Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland]]
* [[Carl Johan Bernadotte]]}}
| full name    = Margaret Victoria Charlotte Augusta Norah
| house        = [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]{{efn|The British part of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, to which Margaret belonged, later changed its name to [[House of Windsor|Windsor]].}}
| father       = [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]]
| mother       = [[Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1882|1|15|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Bagshot Park]], [[Surrey]], England
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1920|5|1|1882|1|15|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Stockholm Palace|The Royal Palace]], [[Stockholm]], Sweden
| burial_date  = 10 May 1920
| burial_place = [[Kungliga begravningsplatsen|Royal Cemetery]], Solna, Sweden
}}

'''Princess Margaret of Connaught''' (Margaret Victoria Charlotte Augusta Norah; 15 January 1882 – 1 May 1920) was [[Crown Princess of Sweden]] as the first wife of the future [[Gustaf VI Adolf|King Gustaf VI Adolf]]. She was the elder daughter of [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught]], third son of [[Queen Victoria]] of the United Kingdom, and his wife [[Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia]]. Known in Sweden as '''Margareta''',{{efn|''Från blomstergården (From the Flower Garden)'', a book by ''Margareta kronprinsessa av Sverige'' published by [[Norstedts]] in 1917.}} her marriage produced five children.

==Early life==
[[File:Bassano Victoria and Margaret.jpg|thumbnail|left|upright|The newborn Princess Margaret with her grandmother [[Queen Victoria]] in May 1882]]
Margaret was born on 15 January 1882 at [[Bagshot Park]] and [[infant baptism|baptised]] in the Private Chapel of [[Windsor Castle]] on 11 March 1882 by [[Archibald Tait|the Archbishop of Canterbury]]. Her godparents were Queen Victoria (her paternal grandmother); the [[William I, German Emperor|German Emperor]] (her maternal great-granduncle, who was represented by the [[German Embassy, London#German Empire (1871-1918)|German Ambassador]], [[Georg Herbert zu Münster|Count Münster]]); the [[Victoria, Princess Royal|German Crown Princess]] (her paternal aunt, who was represented by her sister, [[Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein]]); [[Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1885)|Prince]] and [[Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau|Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia]] (her maternal grandparents, for whom her paternal uncle [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|the Duke of Edinburgh]] and aunt [[Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom]] stood proxy); the [[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel|Duchess of Cambridge]] (her paternal great-grandaunt, who was represented by her grandniece [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll]]); the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]] (her paternal uncle) and [[Prince Charles of Prussia]] (her great-grandfather, for whom her paternal uncle [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]] stood proxy).<ref>{{cite news |title=Court Circular |work=[[The Times]] |page=8 |date=13 March 1882}}</ref> She was known as "Daisy" to her family. 


Margaret was also [[Confirmation (sacrament)|confirmed]] in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle in March 1898.

[[File:Krona. Prinsessan Margareta - Livrustkammaren - 87044.tif|thumbnail|Princess Margaret's [[coronet]], used at [[Edward VII]]'s coronation in 1902. Kept at ''[[Livrustkammaren]]'' in Stockholm.]]
Margaret grew up as a member of the [[British royal family]], taking part in family holidays and weddings. She was a bridesmaid along with her sister at [[Wedding of Prince George, Duke of York, and Princess Mary of Teck|the wedding]] of their paternal cousins [[George V|the Duke]] and [[Mary of Teck|Duchess of York]] on 6 July 1893.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Duke and Duchess of York and Bridesmaids |url=http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw189219/The-Duke-and-Duchess-of-York-and-Bridesmaids |publisher=[[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]]}}</ref>

==Marriage==
[[File:Bröllopet 1905.jpg|thumbnail|left|Wedding of Princess Margaret and Prince Gustaf Adolf in 1905.]]
{{Further|Wedding of Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Margaret}}
When Margaret was 23 and her younger sister [[Princess Patricia of Connaught]] was 18, both girls were among the most beautiful and eligible princesses in Europe. Their uncle, [[Edward VII]], wanted his nieces to marry a European king or crown prince. In January 1905, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught visited Portugal, where they were received by [[Carlos I of Portugal|King Carlos]] and his wife, [[Amélie of Orléans]], whose sons, [[Luís Filipe, Duke of Braganza]], and [[Manuel II of Portugal|Prince Manuel]], entertained the young British princesses. The Portuguese expected one of the Connaught princesses would become the future [[Queen consort of Portugal|Queen of Portugal]].

The Connaughts continued their trip to [[Egypt]] and [[Sudan]]. In [[Cairo]], they met Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, the future [[Gustaf VI Adolf]] of Sweden, grandson of the Swedish King [[Oscar II]]. Originally, Margaret's sister Patricia had been considered a suitable match for Gustaf Adolf; without his knowledge, a meeting was arranged with the two sisters.<ref name="Lars Elgklou 1978">Lars Elgklou (Swedish): Bernadotte. Historien - och historier - om en familj (English: "Bernadotte. The history - and stories - of a family") Askild & Kärnekull Förlag AB, Stockholm 1978. {{ISBN|91-7008-882-9}}.</ref> Gustaf Adolf and Margaret fell in love at first sight; he proposed at a dinner held by Lord Cromer at the British Consulate in Egypt and was accepted. Margaret's parents were very happy with the match. <!-- Unable to source quote - possibly from Northern Crowns?? Prince Gustaf Adolf was "tall, dark, well informed, fond of music, an excellent shot and a good dancer". --> 

Gustaf Adolf and Margaret married on 15 June 1905 in [[St. George's Chapel]] at [[Windsor Castle]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Marriage |url=https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/about-st-georges/royal-connection/marriage/ |website=St George's Windsor |access-date=5 August 2020}}</ref> Margaret's bridesmaids were her sister [[Princess Patricia of Connaught]], cousins [[Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] and [[Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg]], and first cousin once removed [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Princess Mary of Wales]]. The couple spent their honeymoon at [[Adare Manor]] in [[County Limerick|County Limerick, Ireland]], and arrived in Sweden on 8 July 1905.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4248776/4248779/22/fair |title=THE ROYAL HONEYMOON |newspaper=Cheshire Observer |date=24 June 1905 |access-date=3 August 2018}}</ref>

One of Margaret's wedding presents was the Connaught [[tiara]], which remains in the Swedish royal jewellery collection today.<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Connaught Tiara
| work = Crown Princess Victoria
| access-date = 2014-03-06
| date = 2010-06-15
| url = https://crownprincessvictoria.blogspot.com/2010/06/connaught-tiara.html
}}</ref> Newspaper articles reporting on the valuation of her mother's estate for Probate in 1917 note that Margaret received a £25,000 marriage settlement from her parents.<ref>The Times. (Saturday, 4 August 1917). Pages 11, "Will of The Duchess of Connaught". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 11 February 2025, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-will-of-the-duchess-of-connaug/165202896/.</ref>

The couple had five children:
* [[Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten]], who predeceased his father
* [[Sigvard Bernadotte|Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg]]
* [[Ingrid, Queen of Denmark]]
* [[Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland]]
* [[Carl Johan Bernadotte|Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg]]

Margaret was a dedicated mother to her children, and was determined to spend time with them. She was not keen on letting them be raised by nursery staff, as was the convention of the day.<ref name=kiste77>{{cite book |author=Van der Kiste, John |title=Northern Crowns: The Kings of Modern Scandinavia |year=1996 |publisher=Sutton |isbn=9780750911382}}, p. 77.</ref>

When Gustaf Adolf's father, Crown Prince Gustaf, acceded to the throne as King [[Gustaf V]] in 1907, the couple became Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden.

==Crown Princess==
[[File:Crown Prince Gustav (VI) Adolf of Sweden w fam 07729v.jpg|thumbnail|left|Crown Princess Margaret and Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf with their four eldest children in 1912.]]
The marriage between Margaret and Gustaf Adolf is described as a happy love match.<ref name="Lars Elgklou 1978"/> Gustaf Adolf felt great pressure from the "Prussian" military discipline with which he had been raised by his mother, and he was greatly affected by and attracted to Margaret's differing English customs.<ref name="Lars Elgklou 1978"/> The visiting [[Infanta Eulalia of Spain]] wrote that the Crown Princess gave the Swedish court "just a touch of the elegance of the Court of St James's" and of how much Margaret loved her life in Sweden.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 76–77.</ref>

After her arrival in Sweden, Margaret, who in Sweden was called "Margareta", received lessons in the Swedish language, and asked to be educated in Swedish history and social welfare. After two years, she spoke good Swedish. She was also eager to find out more about Sweden, and on many occasions went on incognito trips.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 76.</ref> During her first years in Sweden, Margaret behaved with great seriousness and was therefore regarded as stiff, but the view of her changed because of her great interest in sports, where she showed a more relaxed and natural manner. Margaret took a great interest in many forms of sports; she used the winters for [[skiing]], [[ice skating]] and playing hockey (what is nowadays called [[bandy]]), and played [[tennis]] and [[golf]] during the summers. She also corresponded with various relatives.

[[File:Prinsessan Margareta som amatörfotograf.jpg|thumbnail|upright|Crown Princess Margaret as an amateur photographer in the 1910s with Prince Bertil and Princess Ingrid]]
Margaret was also interested in art, and was an admirer of the works of [[Claude Monet]].<ref name=kiste77/> She photographed, painted, and took a great interest in gardening. She and her spouse received [[Sofiero Palace]] as a wedding gift, and they spent their summers there and made a great effort creating gardens in an [[English garden|English style]] on the estate; her children participated in their improvement. In 1915, Margaret as ''Kronprinsessan Margareta'' published the book ''Vår trädgård på Sofiero'' ("Our Garden at Sofiero") and two years later also ''Från blomstergården'' ("From the Flower Garden") illustrated with her own drawings and photographs, which were sold for the benefit of household schools with childcare.

During World War I, Margaret created a sewing society in Sweden to support the Red Cross. The society was called ''Kronprinsessans Centralförråd för landstormsmäns beklädnad och utrustning'' ("The Crown Princess's central storage for clothing and equipment of the home guard"), which was to equip the Swedish armed forces with suitable underwear. When paraffin supplies ran low she organized a candle collection, and in November 1917 she instituted a scheme to train girls to work on the land. She also acted as intermediary for relatives separated by the war. With her help, private letters and requests to trace men missing in action were passed on. She was also active in her work on behalf of prisoners. She aided prisoners of war in camps around Europe, especially British nationals. Margaret's efforts during the war were pro-British, in contrast to her mother-in-law's strictly pro-German attitude. In 1917, Margaret organized ''Margaretainsamlingen för de fattiga'' ("The Margaret fundraiser for the poor"). At the end of the war, when the final steps towards full democracy were taken in Sweden, Margaret's positive attitude to reform influenced her husband the Crown Prince. Unlike the attitude of her reform-hostile in-laws, King Gustaf and Queen Victoria, this is believed to have eased political tensions and preserved the Swedish monarchy.<ref>{{in lang|sv}} Lars Elgklou, ''Bernadotte. Historien - och historier - om en familj.'' Askild & Kärnekull Förlag AB, Stockholm. 1978. {{ISBN|91-7008-882-9}}.</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Gustaf VI Adolf, Margaret & Louise of Sweden grave 2009 (1).jpg|thumb|Graves of King Gustaf Adolf and his two wives, Margaret and [[Louise Mountbatten|Louise]], in the [[Kungliga begravningsplatsen|Royal Cemetery]] on Karlsborg Island in [[Solna, Sweden]]]]
At 2:00 am on Saturday, 1 May 1920, her father's 70th birthday, Margaret died suddenly in [[Stockholm]] of "blood poisoning" ([[sepsis]]). Sometime before this she had suffered from [[measles]], which aggravated her ear, and she underwent surgery to remove a [[Mastoiditis|mastoid]]. Since the previous Sunday, she had been suffering from pain in her face from something below her eye, and doctors decided to perform another procedure. On Thursday, symptoms of [[erysipelas]] appeared under her right ear. She fell gravely ill on Friday night when symptoms of sepsis became evident, and she died within hours.<ref>{{cite news |title=Crown Princess of Sweden – Death After Short Illness |work=[[The Times]] |page=15 |date=3 May 1920}}</ref> At the time, she was eight months pregnant with her sixth child. In announcing her death during traditional [[International Workers' Day]] celebrations, Swedish Prime Minister [[Hjalmar Branting]] said: "the ray of sunshine at [[Stockholm Palace]] has gone out" (''Solstrålen på Stockholms slott har slocknat'').<ref>[[John Van der Kiste]] in ''Northern Crowns; the Kings of Modern Scandinavia'', {{ISBN|0-7509-1138-7}}, p. 78.</ref><ref>[[Prince Carl Bernadotte|Bernadotte]], Wieselgren & [[Åke Ohlmarks|Ohlmarks]] in ''Sveriges hundra konungar'', Biblioteksböcker, Stockholm 1956, p. 563.</ref>

In Britain, there had been reports that Margaret was unhappy in Sweden and there were dubious rumours that her death had been a suicide.<ref>David Williamson in ''[[Debrett's]] Kings and Queens of Europe'', {{ISBN|0-86350-194-X}}, p. 136.</ref>

Margaret was buried according to her specific and detailed wishes, written in 1914. She asked to be buried in her wedding dress and her veil, with a crucifix in her hands, in a simple coffin made from English oak and covered in British and Swedish flags. She requested that there should be no [[lying-in-state]] after her death.<ref>{{cite news |title=Princess Margaret's Last Wishes – Wedding Dress as Shroud |work=[[The Times]] |page=11 |date=10 May 1920}}</ref>

==Legacy==
In 2021, an exhibition ''Daisy. Crown Princess Margareta, 1882–1920'' opened at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.<ref>{{cite web |title=Daisy. Crown Princess Margareta |url=https://www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/media/pressreleases/pressreleases/daisycrownprincessmargareta.5.1847ddfb1791265cbf41beb5.html |website=Swedish Royal Court |access-date=26 August 2021 |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206153310/https://www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/media/pressreleases/pressreleases/daisycrownprincessmargareta.5.1847ddfb1791265cbf41beb5.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The late British rose breeder [[David C. H. Austin]] released ''Rosa'' 'Crown Princess Margareta' in 2000. Princess Margaret was an accomplished landscape gardener and had a prominent role in the design and care of the gardens at Sofiero Castle.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.davidaustinroses.com/products/crown-princess-margareta-climbing-rose |title=Crown Princess Margareta |publisher=David Austin Roses |access-date=9 September 2023}}</ref>

==Honours and arms==

===Honours===
* Member, Second Class, of the [[Royal Order of Victoria and Albert]] (VA)
* Companion of the [[Order of the Crown of India|Imperial Order of the Crown of India]] (CI)
* 25 July 1905: Lady of Justice of the [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem]] (DStJ)<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27822|date=28 July 1905|page=5219}}</ref>

===Arms===
Upon her marriage in 1905, Princess Margaret adopted the arms of a Princess of Sweden and Duchess of Scania, with an inescutcheon of her previous arms: the arms of the United Kingdom, with an inescutcheon of Saxony, the whole differenced by a label argent of five points, the first and fifth bearing fleurs-de-lys azure, the second and fourth shamrocks vert, and the central point a cross gules. The inescutcheon of Saxony was removed by King George V in 1917.<ref>[https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm Heraldica – British Royalty Cadency]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Margaret of Connaught.svg|215px]]<br>Margaret's coat of arms as a British princess from 1917
| [[File:Blason de la Princesse Margaret de Suède.svg|110px]]<br>Margaret's coat of arms as <br> Crown Princess of Sweden from 1917
|}

==Issue==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!width="16%"|Name!! width="14%"|Birth!! width="14%"|Death!! width="64%"|Notes
|-
| [[Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten]] || 22 April 1906 || 26 January 1947 || Father of the current King [[Carl XVI Gustaf]] of Sweden.
|-
|[[Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland]] || 7 June 1907 || 4 February 2002 || Later Sigvard Bernadotte, [[Count of Wisborg]].
|-
|[[Ingrid of Sweden|Princess Ingrid]] || 28 March 1910 || 7 November 2000 || Later [[List of Danish royal consorts|queen consort of Denmark]]. She was the mother of Queen [[Margrethe II]] of Denmark, who herself is the mother of the current King [[Frederik X]] of Denmark.
|-
| [[Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland]] || 28 February 1912 || 5 January 1997 || 
|-
| [[Carl Johan Bernadotte|Prince Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna]] || 31 October 1916 || 5 May 2012 || Later Carl Johan Bernadotte, [[Count of Wisborg]]. He was the last living great-grandchild of [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]].
|}

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Princess Margaret of Connaught'''
|2= 2. [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]]
|3= 3. [[Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia]]
|4= 4. [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|5= 5. [[Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom]]
|6= 6. [[Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1885)|Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia]]
|7= 7. [[Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau]]
|8= 8. [[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|9= 9. [[Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1800–1831)|Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
|10= 10. [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]
|11= 11. [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
|12= 12. [[Prince Charles of Prussia]]
|13= 13. [[Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1808–1877)|Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]]
|14= 14. [[Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt]]
|15= 15. [[Princess Frederica of Prussia (1796–1850)|Princess Frederica of Prussia]]
}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Commons category|Princess Margaret of Connaught}}
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{SKBL}}
* {{NPG name|name=Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden}}

{{British princesses}}
{{Princesses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}}
{{Swedish princesses by marriage}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Of Connaught, Princess}}
[[Category:1882 births]]
[[Category:1920 deaths]]
[[Category:British princesses]]
[[Category:Daughters of British dukes]]
[[Category:Princesses of Sweden|Margaret 1905]]
[[Category:Crown princesses of Sweden]]
[[Category:House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Burials at Kungliga begravningsplatsen]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Dames of Justice of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:Ladies of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert]]
[[Category:People from Bagshot]]
[[Category:British emigrants to Sweden]]
[[Category:British expatriates in Sweden]]
[[Category:Royal reburials]]