King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden led tributes at the funeral of his beloved sister, Princess Désirée of Sweden, on Thursday. The royal family gathered for the service at the Palace Church at the Royal Palace.
Crown Princess Victoria accompanied her husband, Prince Daniel, and her daughter, Princess Estelle, at the ceremony, where they were joined by Queen Sonja, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill. Princess Désirée’s sister, Princess Margaretha, was also in attendance, wearing a delicate string of pearls around her neck.
Desirée was known to the public as one of the “Haga Princesses.” who grew up in the Haga Palace outside Stockholm with Carl XVI Gustaf and their sisters, Princess Margaretha, Princess Birgitta, and Princess Christina. Officially titled Baroness Silfverschiöld, Princess Désirée passed away on January 21 at the age of 87.
Born on June2, 1938 to Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess Desirée’s paternal grandparents were Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Margaret of Connaught. She was named after her ancestor, Queen Desideria, and was, at one point, number 306 in line to the British throne.
Desirée, Birgitta and Cristina in 1944
Sjöberg Bildbyrå/Getty Images
Princess Désirée was also a first cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Margrethe’s mother, Queen Ingrid of Denmark, and the Princess’ father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, were siblings.
Despite war in Europe looming large, the Haga Princesses and their brother, the future king, enjoyed a bucolic childhood in the Swedish countryside, growing up alongside the ducks and goats of the Haga Palace—and the family pony, Eva, a gift from the King.
