Prince Lennart Bernadotte and Wives

[Marengo]

Prince Gustaf Lennart Nicolaus Paul of Sweden, renounced his rights to the Swedish throne and was created Count of Wisborg on 2 July 1951 (Stockholm, 8 May 1909 - Castle Mainau, 21 December 2004); married 1stly in London on 11 March 1932 (divorced in 1972) Karin Nissvandt (Stockholm, 7 July 1911 - Konstanz, 9 September 1991); married 2ndly in Mainau on 29 April 1972 Sonja Haunz (7 May 1944)

Children Lennart & Karin: Countess Birgitta Bernadotte af Wisborg, Mrs Straehl; Countess Maria Lovisa Bernadotte af Wisborg, Mrs. Kautz; Count Carl Johan (Jan) Gustaf Vilhelm Bernadotte af Wisborg andCountess Karin Cecilie Bernadotte af WisborgMrs Baenkler

Children Lennart & Sonja: Countess Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg, Mrs Haug; Count Bjorn Wilhelm Bernadotte af Wisborg; Countess Catherine Bernadotte af Wisborg, Mrs Ruffing; Count Christian Wolfgang Bernadotte af Wisborg; and Countess Diana Bernadotte af Wisborg, Mrs Grawe

Parents Lennart: Prince Vilhelm of Sweden and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia

Parents Karin:

Parents Sonja:

[Marengo]

Gustaf Lennart Nicolaus Paul Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (8 May 1909 – 21 December 2004), was Prince of Sweden and Duke of Småland from 1909 to 1932. He was born at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, as the son of Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia.
Under the Swedish Act of Succession, a prince or princess marrying without the consent of the Sovereign forfeits the right of succession for themselves, their children and their descendants. They give up their titles and assume the family name of Bernadotte. By his marriage on March 11, 1932 he was subsequentially stripped of his title and became Mr. Lennart Bernadotte.

Since 1868, Swedish princes who have lost their succession rights have received noble titles conferred by other reigning monarchs. The Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Luxembourg has conferred the title of Count of Wisborg, and in one case the King of Belgium has conferred the title Prince Bernadotte. Thus on ennoblement by the Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, on July 2, 1951 he became Lennart Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg.
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, who lost the right to confer noble titles in the new constitution of 1974, does still retain the prerogative to restore royal titles, but has chosen not to do so.
Lennart Bernadotte concentrated his energy on his estate, the island of Mainau in Lake Constance, Germany, where he died, and on his charitable fund, the Lennart Bernadotte Stiftung.

Read the entire wikipedia article here.

[Marengo]

Karin Emma Louise Nissvandt (7 July 1911 in Nora, Sweden - 9 September 1991 in Eskilstuna, Sweden) was the daughter of a Manufacturer from Stockholm.
On 20 February 1932 she married in London Prince Lennart Bernadotte. Due to this married Prince Lennart forfeited his rights to the throne of Sweden. They lived with their family on the Isle of Mainau in the Bodensee (Germany). The couple divorced in 1972. The divorce got a lot of press attention and the press said that Lennart left his wife for a younger woman. The Count denied this and said that he would never remarry, but two years later he did to a woman 28 years younger than himself.

After Karin died she was burried in the familygrave of her ex- father-in-law, Prince Vilhelm of Sweden on the graveyard of Flen.

[Marengo]

Sonja Bernadotte, Countess Bernadotte af Wisborg (7 May 1944 -) was born as Sonja Haunz in Litzelstetten near Konstanz. She married in 1972 Count Lennart Bernadotte af Wisborg and was from 1981 to 2004 chef of Mainau GmbH.

Picture of Sonja Bernadotte

Picture of Sonja and Lennart

Picture of Sonja and Lennart with the King and Queen of Sweden

Picture of Lennart, Sonja and their 5 children

Picture of Lennart & Sonja I

Picture of Lennart & Sonja II

[Marengo]

A picture of Prince Lennart as a boy:




Prince Lennart with his father Prince Vilhelm:

[Marengo]

The Count lived on the beautiful isle of Mainau near Konstanz in the Bodensee (also known as the flower isle)

The website here: Insel Mainau

Picture of the castle

[Katrianna]

Thanks Marengo for your work. Very interesting.

[Jason R Maier esq]

very interesting how he did charity work :)

[Jo of Palatine]

Count lennart bernadotte wrote an autobiography about his youth in Sweden, his decision to marry a commoner, his inheriatnce the Mainau and how he created the flower paradise on this island. It's well worth reading, though I don't know if it was translated in other languages as German. The title is "Gute Nacht, kleiner Prinz".

[NotAPretender]

Marengo - thanks for bumping this thread back up.

Lennart's story is one that I find personally fascinating. His relationship with his mother, who divorced his father when he was a child, is fraught with many years of separation and testy reunions. His link to the Russian Royal family through her, of course, is one of endless interest.

The things he saw in his life!

[Josefine]

what is the history on Castle Mainau
how long has the family owned it