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Sweden

The Dukes of Skåne

Prince Oscar of Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden are preparing to visit the county of Skåne later this month as part of the Royal Family’s initiative to promote tourism and Sweden after the global health crisis. Ahead of their visit, we take a look at the former holders of the dukedom of Skåne – the title their son, Prince Oscar, currently holds.

There have been three Dukes of Skåne in Sweden’s House of Bernadotte, starting with King Karl XV in the early 1800s.

King Karl XV. By Unknown contemporary artist – Images in the public domain since 1938, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

The first Duke of Skåne was Prince Karl, who had the title from his birth on 3 May 1826 until he became monarch on 8 July 1859. At that point, he became King Karl XV and reigned until his death on 18 September 1872. His wife, Louise, held the female form of the title from their marriage until he ascended the throne.

King Gustaf VI Adolph. By Unknown author – [1] Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANEFO), 1945-1989 bekijk toegang 2.24.01.04 Bestanddeelnummer 914-4746, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, Wikimedia Commons

The title laid dormant for a couple of decades before Prince Gustaf Adolph was granted the title upon his birth on 11 November 1882. He held the title until he became King Gustaf VI Adolph on 29 October 1950. He died on 15 September 1973, and Sweden’s current monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf, came to the throne. Gustaf Adolph’s first wife, Crown Princess Margareta, held the female form of the title from her marriage until her death in 1920. When Gustaf Adolph remarried in 1923, his new wife, Louise, took the title until his ascension to the throne.

The third and current Duke of Skåne is Prince Oscar (b. 2 March 2016), the second child and only son of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. He was bestowed the dukedom by his grandfather, King Carl XVI Gustaf, upon his birth. The King announced his name and dukedom the day after his birth in a cabinet meeting.

oscar
Prince Oscar. Kate Gabor/Kungl. Hovstaterna

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel will visit Skåne County on Friday, 26 November. As it is Oscar’s duchy, it is possible that he may join his parents on their tour, but no official confirmation has come from the Royal Court. The Royal Court usually does not announce the attendance of royal children ahead of time for events.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.