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Gustaf VI Adolf (Oskar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf) (November 11, 1882 – September 15, 1973) was King of Sweden from 1950 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Gustaf V and his wife Victoria of Baden. He was born in Stockholm and at birth created Duke of Skåne. On October 29, 1950, he succeeded his father on the throne. He married, firstly, Princess Margaret of Connaught on June 15, 1905. Princess Margaret was the daughter of HRH Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Great Britain. He married, secondly, Lady Louise Mountbatten, formerly HSH Princess Louise of Battenberg. She was the sister of Lord Mountbatten and aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It was Lady Louise who became Queen of Sweden.
Reign In 1950, Prince Gustaf Adolf became king at age 67 upon the death of his father, King Gustaf V. During Gustaf's reign, work was underway on a new constitution — eventually taking effect in 1975 after Gustaf's death — to replace the 1809 constitution and produce reforms consistent with the times. Among the reforms sought by some Swedes was the replacement of the monarchy or at least some moderation of the old constitution's provision that "The King alone shall govern the realm." Gustaf Adolf's personal qualities made him popular among the Swedish people and, in turn, this popularity led to strong public opinion in favor of the retention of the monarchy. Gustaf Adolf's expertise and interest in a wide range of fields (architecture and botany being but two) made him respected, as did his informal and modest nature and his purposeful avoidance of pomp. The affection and respect for which the Swedish people felt for Gustaf VI Adolf led to the retention of the monarchy as a symbol of continuity, but the monarchy was made subordinate to a democratic state. Many of the powers of the Swedish monarchy died with King Gustaf Adolf in 1973. Additional powers of the monarch were removed when Sweden's constitutional reform became complete in 1975. Gustaf VI Adolf was a devoted archaeologist, and was admitted to the British Academy for his work in botany in 1958. Gustaf participated in archaeological expeditions in China, Greece, and China, and founded the Swedish Institute in Rome. Gustaf died in 1973 at age 90 after a deterioration in his health that culminated in inflammation of the lungs. He was succeeded on the throne by his 27-year-old grandson Carl XVI Gustaf, son of the late Prince Gustaf Adolf. In a break with tradition, he was not buried in Riddarholmskyrkan in Stockholm, but in the royal burial grounds in Haga. Children Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Crown Princess Margaretha of Sweden had five children: Prince Gustaf Adolf later married Lady Louise Mountbatten, on November 3, 1923. This second marriage produced only one stillborn daughter. King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden was the grandfather of both Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and his direct successor, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Interests His Majesty's reputation as a "professional amateur professor" was widely known; nationally and internationally, and among his relatives. He had an enormous private library consisting of 80.000 volumes - the most impressing in all of this was that he actually had read the main part of the books (and that was definitely true). He had an interest in specialist literature on Chinese art and East Asian history. His Majesty had throughout his life, in particular, two great areas of interests: history of civilization and botany. He self studied history and ancient cultures all his life and his main area of interest here was to be found in the said Chinese and East Asian art history and archaeology. He was a great amateur archaeologist and participated in several excavations world wide, with a genuine interest. His Majesty's other great area of interest, next to this, was botany; more specifically in flowers and gardening, and most specifically in the Rhododendron flower, where he was considered an expert. At Sofiero (the official summer residence) he grow and created one of the very finest Rhododendron-collections. In sports he enjoyed tennis and golf. He also enjoyed fly fishing for char and had a fishing cottage in northern Sweden, in Tärnaby. See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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