On This Day: Death of Swedish Prince Wilhelm

  June 5, 2015 at 9:00 am by

Sweden’s Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland died fifty years ago today.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

He was born on June 17, 1884 at Tullgarn Palace to the future King of Sweden, Gustaf V, and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Wilhelm was the second of three sons born to the couple – Prince Gustaf Adolf was older, Prince Erik younger.

Wilhelm served in the Swedish Navy, and in 1907, represented his grandfather, King Oscar II, at the Jamestown Exposition in Virginia, USA. He also visited New York City, where he lunched with President Theodore Roosevelt. The visit was the talk of the American media, who described the Prince as “very handsome and of a charming personality.”

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

The Prince married Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, the eldest daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, on May 3, 1908 at the Chapel of the Imperial Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia. The elaborate wedding ceremony was the first state appearance of Tsar Nicholas II‘s three eldest daughters, Tatiana, Olga and Marie. Wilhelm and Maria’s marriage – arranged by the brides’s aunt and guardian, Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna – was not a happy one, as they soon realised they had few mutual interests. Their only child, a son named Lennart, was born just after their first wedding anniversary; the couple’s marriage was dissolved in March 1914.

After his divorce, Prince Wilhelm remained in Sweden with his son, over whom the King and Queen had full custody. They lived at Stenhammar Palace, in the town of Flen in Wilhelm’s duchy, Södermanland. The Prince had a long-term relationship with Frenchwoman Jeanne de Tramcourt, lasting from shortly after his divorce until 1952, when Ms de Tramcourt was killed in a car accident.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

In his later years, the Prince published a large number of books, including travel guides on Central America.

Prince Wilhelm died on June 5, 1965 at his home, having suffered a heart attack. His remains were buried in the churchyard of the local parish in Flen.

The Prince’s descendants today run the Mainau Island estate located on Lake Constance in southern Germany. Through his son, Prince Wilhelm has nine grandchildren.

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