Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke

Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (Eugen Napoleon Nicolaus; 1 August 1865 – 17 August 1947) was a Swedish prince, who was a noted artist, art collector, and patron. He was the youngest son of King Oscar II and Sofia of Nassau. he bequeathed his villa Waldemarsudde at Djurgården in Stockholm, and its collections, to the nation. It is now one of Sweden's most popular museums.

Norway The Duke of Närke was a great admirer of Norwegian nature and frequently visited Christiania (later known as Oslo). His letters show that he preferred its artistic milieu to the more constrained Stockholm one. His most notable Norwegian friends were the painters Erik Werenskiold and Gerhard Munthe; he remained attached to them and to Norway until his death.

In 1905, the personal union between Norway and Sweden was broken by the Parliament of Norway. The writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson mentioned the possible candidature of Prince Eugen for the throne of Norway. Another writer, Knut Hamsun, had suggested the Prince as a suitable candidate already in 1893.

Prince Eugen was the only Swede represented at an exhibition in Oslo in 1904. The explanation was that he was a prince of Norway until 1905 and that his relations with the Norwegian artists caused him to be seen as Norwegian until the dissolution of the union. He was first trained in painting by Hans Gude and Wilhelm von Gegerfelt.

Between 1887 and 1889, When he arrived, the Finnish artist Albert Edelfelt became his cicerone in the studios and at the exhibitions in Paris - a close friendship between Eugene and Edelfelt arose. Puvis de Chavannes's classical simplicity had the greatest influence on Prince Eugen's work. Prince Eugen Le Vieux Château.jpg|The old castle (1893) Prins Eugen-the Cloud.jpg|The Cloud (1927)

Death and legacy Prince Eugen bought Waldemarsudde, in Djurgården in Stockholm, in 1899 and had a residence built there within a few years. Eugen never married, in an era when royal princes almost always found princesses to wed. His homosexual orientation was unknown to the general public.

Honours and arms Honours National honours Knight and Commander of the Seraphim, 1 August 1865 Knight of the Order of Charles XIII, 1 August 1865 Commander Grand Cross of the Sword, 1 August 1865 Commander Grand Cross of the Polar Star, 1 August 1865 Commander Grand Cross of the Order of Vasa, 15 May 1897

Foreign honours Grand Cross of St. Olav, with Collar Knight of the Elephant, 31 August 1883 Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Family: Grand Cross of St. Stephen, 1890 Siam: Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri, 13 July 1897 Knight of the Golden Fleece, 15 May 1902 Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, with Collar, 30 May 1906 Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 15 June 1905 Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold Grand Cross of the White Rose Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Greek Royal Family: Grand Cross of the Redeemer German Imperial and Royal Family: Knight of the Black Eagle, 2 July 1890 Grand Cross of the Red Eagle Baden Grand Ducal Family: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1881 Knight of the Order of Berthold the First, 1881 Nassau Ducal Family: Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau Saxe-Weimar Grand Ducal Family: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 1882 Italian Royal Family: Knight of the Annunciation, 5 July 1913 Commander Grand Cross of the Three Stars Grand Cross of St. Charles Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion Portuguese Royal Family: Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword Romanian Royal Family: Grand Cross of the Star of Romania Russian Imperial Family: Knight of St. Andrew Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky Knight of the White Eagle Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class Turkish Imperial Family: Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class

Arms