Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Princess Sibylla
Duchess of Västerbotten
Princess Sibylla in the 1930s
Spouse	Prince Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten
Issue
Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler Princess Birgitta of Sweden Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Full name
Sibylla Calma Maria Alice Bathildis Feodora
House	House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a branch of the House of Wettin
Father	Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Mother	Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein
Born	18 January 1908(1908-01-18) Gotha, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Died	28 November 1972(1972-11-28) (aged 64) Stockholm, Sweden

Princess Sibylla of Sweden, Duchess of Västerbotten (born Princess Sibylla Calma Maria Alice Bathildis Feodora of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Schloss Friedenstein, 18 January 1908 – Stockholm, 28 November 1972), was the wife of Prince Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and is the mother of the current King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf.

Biography

Early life

She was the daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein, a daughter of Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, and descended from an older Scandinavian royal house. Through her father, she was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Her grandfather was Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, the youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Marriage

On 19 October/20 October 1932 in Coburg, Sibylla married her second cousin Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten. Gustaf Adolf was the eldest son of Crown Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden (later Gustaf VI Adolf) and Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Both Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf were great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Sibylla never became Crown Princess herself since her husband died before his grandfather (King Gustav V).

Girl Guiding

Princess Sibylla, Princess Margaretha & Prince Gustav Adolf, June 1936

Sibylla was a keen supporter of the Swedish Girl Guide movement. She is shown in a photo wearing a Guide uniform with her husband at a reception (see his article).

Later life

Sibylla was widowed in 1947 when Gustaf Adolf died in an airplane crash at the Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. Their son, Carl Gustaf, became second-in-line to the throne at the age of one year, and later Crown Prince at the age of four.

Grave of Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf on Karlsborg Island in Solna, Sweden

After her stepmother-in-law Queen Louise died in 1965, Sibylla became the senior Royal Princess of Sweden, acting in a supporting role for her father-in-law, King Gustaf VI Adolf. Sibylla died of cancer before her son ascended to the throne.

Legacy

Sibylla always had a difficult time in Sweden. She never adjusted to Swedish culture and was under pressure to produce a male heir after the births of four daughters. She was disliked by some Swedes for her German background and her father's support of the Nazis.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 18 January 1908 – 28 March 1919: Her Highness Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess in Saxony, Princess of Great Britain and Ireland
• 28 March 1919 – 19 October 1932: Her Highness Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess in Saxony
• 19 October 1932 – 28 November 1972: Her Royal Highness Princess Sibylla of Sweden, Duchess of Västerbotten

Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf had five children:

Issue

Princess Sibylla & Princess Margaretha, June 1936

Ancestry