Lennart Bernadotte

Prince Lennart Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (born Prince Lennart of Sweden, 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

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 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.

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 and in that conferral was also called Gustaf Lennart Nicolas Paul Prince Bernadotte. Counts of Wisborg are considered to be part of the Swedish unintroduced nobility.

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.

He received the Eduard Rhein Ring of Honor from the German Eduard Rhein Foundation in 1996.

Family 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 (1933), Marie-Louise (1935–1988), Jan (1941–2021), and Cecilia (1944–2024).

In Mainau on 29 April 1972, Bernadotte married Sonja Anita Maria Haunz (7 May 1944 – 21 October 2008). They had five children: Bettina (1974), Björn (1975), Catherine (1977), Christian (1979), and Diana (1982).

Bernadotte died on 21 December 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 Orders and decorations

Arms

Ancestry