On This Day: Frederik of Denmark Marries Ingrid of Sweden

80 years ago today, Sweden’s Princess Ingrid became the Crown Princess of Denmark when she married the heir to the Danish throne, Frederik, in a splendid ceremony in Stockholm.

Taking place at the Storkyrkan, Stockholm’s St Nicholas Cathedral, Frederik and Ingrid were married by Archbishop Erling Eidem in front of a large number of Europe’s royal families – most of whom were related in one way or another to the bridal couple. Princess Ingrid was escorted by her father, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf, to the alter, which was decorated in larkspurs.

In the role of bridesmaids were the bride’s relations from Norway, Princesses Ragnhild and Astrid, the daughters of Ingrid’s cousin Martha, who was married to the Norwegian Crown Prince. Count Gustaf Bernadotte af Wisborg, another cousin, was the pageboy.

Princess Ingrid wore a simple white sheath wedding dress, with a 20ft train and full-length sleeves. An Irish lace veil, worn by Ingrid’s late mother, Margaret of Connaught, at her own wedding was anchored by a small crown of myrtle. A simple strand of pearls and a wedding gift from her betrothed, a diamond brooch in the shape of a daisy (the nickname of Crown Princess Margareta), were Ingrid’s only jewels for the day (although she did gain a gold wedding band during the ceremony).

After the ceremony, the newlyweds rode through the streets of Stockholm in an open carriage to their wedding reception at the Royal Palace, before boarding the Danish royal yacht, the Dannebrog, to set sail for Denmark later that afternoon. Thousands upon thousands of Swedes waved them off out of Stockholm Harbour, with similar numbers greeting them in Copenhagen the following day.

A video of some of the wedding celebrations can be seen here.

Frederik and Ingrid went on to have three daughters: Margrethe, Queen of Denmark (b. 1940), Benedikte, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (b. 1944) and Anne-Marie, Queen of the Hellenes (b. 1946). In 1947, Frederik became King of Denmark. The couple were married just short of 37 years before Frederik’s death in January 1972.

Filed under Denmark, Historical Royals, Sweden
Tagged Frederik IX of Denmark, Ingrid of Sweden, Wedding Anniversary.