Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler

Princess Margaretha Margaretha prior to the wedding of her niece Princess Madeleine on 8 June 2013 Born 31 October 1934 Haga Palace, Solna, Sweden Spouse John Ambler (m. 1964; his death 2008) Issue Baroness Sybilla von Dincklage Charles Edward Ambler James Patrick Ambler Full name Margaretha Désirée Victoria House Bernadotte Father Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten Mother Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Swedish Royal Family HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Crown Princess HRH Prince Daniel HRH Princess Estelle HRH Prince Oscar HRH Prince Carl Philip HRH Princess Sofia HRH Prince Alexander HRH Princess Madeleine HRH Princess Leonore HRH Prince Nicolas HRH Princess Birgitta Extended royal family

Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler, (Margaretha Désirée Victoria; born 31 October 1934) is a Swedish princess, the eldest sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and also first cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

Early life

Birth

The newborn Princess Margaretha with her mother, Princess Sibylla.

Margaretha was born on the 31st of October 1934 at Haga Palace in Haga Park, Stockholm as the first child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten and his wife Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha; Paternal granddaughter of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and his late wife Princess Margaret of Connaught; Maternal granddaughter of Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his wife Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein; she was born during the reign of her paternal great-grandfather King Gustav V of Sweden.

Succession

Although the eldest child, as a female, she was never heir to the throne according to the Swedish constitution current at the time. She was educated privately at the Haga Palace and then at the Stockholm dressmaking school, Märthaskolan (Martha School).^[1]

Courtship and marriage

Princess Margaretha at her wedding in 1964.

In the 1950s Margaretha had a relationship with Robin Douglas-Home, a Scottish aristocrat and the nephew of the future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Alec Douglas-Home. He came to visit her in Sweden, but they never married. There was speculation in the press that this was due to Sibylla forbidding the match,^[2] but Margaretha's nanny and confidante Ingrid Björnberg states categorically in her memoirs that the breakup between the two was caused by Margaretha's reluctance to enter into an engagement with Douglas-Home.^[3]

She met her future husband, the businessman John Ambler, ten years her elder, at a dinner party in the United Kingdom in 1963 and their engagement was announced on 28 February 1964. They were married on 30 June 1964, in Gärdslösa Church, on the island of Öland. The Princess wore a wedding gown from the Stockholm couture school, Märtaskolan, where she had previously been a student, and a traditional wedding crown from Oland.^[4]

The couple settled at Chippinghurst Manor in Oxfordshire. As a result of her unequal marriage, she lost her style of Royal Highness and the King gave her the courtesy title of Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler. Under the Swedish constitution of that time, she, as a woman, and her descendants were not eligible to inherit the throne. Thus they still are not.

Margaretha and her husband separated in 1994,^[5] but never divorced.^[6] He died on 31 May 2008.

Children

Margaretha and Ambler's marriage produced three children:

• Sibylla Louise Ambler (b. London, 14 April 1965), named after her maternal grandmother, Princess Sibylla. She married Baron Henning von Dincklage (b. Esslingen am Neckar, 29 April 1971). The couple lives in Munich. They have two children, of whom Madeleine Charlotte Margaretha von Dincklage is the goddaughter of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and was a bridesmaid at her wedding.
• Charles Edward Ambler (b. London, 14 July 1966); he married Helen Jane Ross (b. Huddersfield, 3 March 1969). They have two daughters.
• James Patrick Ambler (b. Oxford, 10 June 1969); he married Ursula Mary Shipley (b. St Austell, 9 July 1965). They have two children.

Royal duties

In June 1960 Margaretha, along with her first cousin Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark and her second aunt Princess Astrid of Norway, toured the United States. During their visit, the three Scandinavian princesses toured Disneyland and Hollywood^[7] and also visited Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles where they met Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Elvis Presley.^[8][9]

Margaretha lives near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, in the UK, and does not perform any official engagements on behalf of the royal family.

She takes part in family events as part of the extended royal family, such as: King Carl XVI Gustaf's 50th birthday celebrations,^[1] King Carl XVI Gustaf's Ruby Jubilee commemorative service,^[10] The wedding of her niece Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling,^[11][12] The wedding of her niece Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill,^[13][14] The wedding of her nephew Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist,^[15] christenings,^[16][17] and funerals.^[18][19]

She also used to open the annual Swedish Church Christmas Bazaar in London.^[5]

Honours

See also List of honours of the Swedish Royal Family by country

Margaretha's original coat of arms when she was a princess of Sweden.

National honours

•  Sweden: Member Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (LoK av KMO)^[20][21][22]
•  Sweden: Member of the Royal Family Order of King Gustaf VI Adolf, 1st Class^[23][24]
•  Sweden: Member of the Royal Family Order of King Carl XVI Gustaf, 1st Class^[25][26]
•  Sweden: Recipient of the 90th Birthday Badge Medal of King Gustav V^[27]
•  Sweden: Recipient of the Commemorative Medal of King Gustav V
•  Sweden: Recipient of the 85th Birthday Badge Medal of King Gustaf VI Adolf
•  Sweden: Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf
•  Sweden: Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Crown Princess Victoria to Daniel Westling^[28][29]
•  Sweden: Recipient of the Ruby Jubilee Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf^[30]

Foreign honours

•  Germany: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1st Class^[31]
•  Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau^[32]
•  Netherlands: Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Princess Beatrix, Princess of Orange and Claus Van Amsberg^[33]

Ancestors

Ancestors of Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler

16. Oscar II of Sweden               8. Gustaf V of Sweden                       17. Princess Sophia of Nassau               4. Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden                             18. Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden               9. Princess Victoria of Baden                       19. Princess Louise of Prussia               2. Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten                                   20. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha               10. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn                       21. Victoria of the United Kingdom               5. Princess Margaret of Connaught                             22. Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia               11. Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia                       23. Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau               1. Princess Margaretha of Sweden                                         24. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha               12. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany                       25. Victoria of the United Kingdom               6. Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha                             26. George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont               13. Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont                       27. Princess Helena of Nassau               3. Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha                                   28. Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg               14. Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg                       29. Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe               7. Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg                             30. Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg               15. Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg                       31. Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

See also

• Swedish Royal Family

References

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2. "The Princess & the Pianist". Time. 1957-05-20. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
3. Björnberg, Ingrid. 1975. Dagbok från Haga och Stockholms slott. Stockholm: Bonniers. p 163
4. "Haga princesses". Order of Splendor.
5. "Trond Norén Isaksen: On this date: Princess Margaretha turns 75". trondni.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
6. Expressen 16 September 2004
7. "1905-2005, June biography: Astrid - The Royal Forums". theroyalforums.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
8. "Elvis Presley with Princesses Margrethe of Denmark, Astrid of Norway, and Margaretha of Sweden". elvispresleymusic.com.au. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
9. "Roger Lindqvist -". rogerlindqvist.blogg.se. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
10. "Kungen och hans gäster i kyrkan | Hovbloggen". bloggar.aftonbladet.se. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
11. "Royal wedding guest list published - Stockholm News". stockholmnews.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
12. "Image: christina-desiree-margaretha-ja-birgitta-puolisoineen-victorian-ja-danielin-haissa.jpg, (1024 × 576 px)". im.mtv.fi. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
13. "http://cache2.asset-cache.net/gc/170166363-princess-birgitta-of-sweden-and-princess-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=GkZZ8bf5zL1ZiijUmxa7QfqT5fvVIDMgFUQ8%2FQ5QB5CVnulfU99AhV%2FMF2eDZinSu%2FRJX07i4l4vou7j95Klvw%3D%3D". cache2.asset-cache.net. Retrieved 2015-09-06. External link in |title= (help)
14. "Image: family-1--a.jpg, (990 × 640 px)". royalweddings.hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
15. London, Bianca (15 June 2015). "Europe's royal families unite for official wedding portrait from Swedish prince and his ex-topless model bride's big day (so how many do you recognise?)". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
16. "Great aunts: The "Haga Princesses". L to R: Princesses Christina, Margaretha, Désirée, and Birgitta of Sweden, sisters of King Carl Gustaf | Pinterest". pinterest.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
17. "Royal christenings: Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland | Sofia's Blog". sofiasvanholm.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
18. "Image: sweden-a.jpg, (511 × 317 px) – Front row from left: Sweden's Prince Daniel, Crown Princess Victoria, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, Sweden's King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine and her fiancée Chris O'Neill attend the funeral service for Sweden's British-born Princess Lilian, who died on Sunday at the age of 97, in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on Saturday, March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Scanpix Sweden,Anders Wiklund) SWEDEN OUT". hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
19. "Kungligheter på begravning | SvD". mobil.svd.se. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
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21. "Image: d8ca9d13417a78fe1b5af5ba1beeeb53.jpg, (736 × 785 px)". s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com. 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
22. "Image: 2013-06-08-wedding-brigitta-and-margaretha-2.jpg, (387 × 540)". royalhats.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
23. "Princess Margaretha of Sweden with her mother Princess Sibylla | Royals - Sweden 1 - FULL | Pinterest". pinterest.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
24. "http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9309&d=1056356499". theroyalforums.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06. External link in |title= (help)
25. "Image: [e-mail], (965 × 551 px)". y.cdn-expressen.se. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
26. "Image: 1420429176655.jpg, (978 × 551 px)". is12.snstatic.fi. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
27. "Johannes kungliga porträttblogg -". joberg.blogg.se. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
28. "Image: kungensystrar_stor2.jpg, (849 × 426 px)". stoppapressarna.se. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
29. "Image: Margarethaärkebiskopen.jpg, (430 × 645 px)". bakomkulisserna.svenskdam.se. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
30. "Image: Skarmavbild-2013-09-15-kl.-19.05.49.png, (470 × 626 px)". gfx.bloggar.aftonbladet-cdn.se. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
31. "Image:_Princess1.jpg". 4.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
32. "Het geheugen van Nederland". geheugenvannederland.nl. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
33. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Huwelijk_prinses_Beatrix_en_prins_Claus_%281966%29.jpg

External links

• Royal House of Sweden