Gustaf VI Adolf

Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death.

Gustaf VI Adolf
Gustaf VI Adolf in 1962
King of Sweden
Reign	29 October 1950 – 15 September 1973
Predecessor	Gustaf V
Successor	Carl XVI Gustaf
Prime ministers	Tage Erlander Olof Palme
Born	(1882-11-11)11 November 1882 Stockholm Palace, Stockholm, Sweden
Died	15 September 1973(1973-09-15) (aged 90) Helsingborg Hospital, Helsingborg, Sweden
Burial	25 September 1973 Royal Cemetery, Solna
Spouse	Margaret of Connaught ​ ​ (m. 1905; died 1920)​ Louise Mountbatten ​ ​ (m. 1923; died 1965)​
Issue	Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten Sigvard Bernadotte Ingrid, Queen of Denmark Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland Carl Johan Bernadotte
Full name Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf
House	Bernadotte
Father	Gustaf V of Sweden
Mother	Victoria of Baden
Religion	Church of Sweden
Signature

King Gustaf VI Adolf and Queen (consort) Louise of Sweden, 1950s.

Career

Gustaf VI was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden.^[1] Before becoming king he had been Crown Prince of Sweden. During this long period of time he became a scholar and an archaeologist.^[2] He was also a well regarded expert on Chinese art. At his death he left his large collection of Chinese art to the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (Östasiatiska Museet) in Stockholm, Sweden.^[2] In World War II Gustaf, as Crown Prince, spoke out publicly against sending Jews to Auschwitz. This was after the public learned of the extermination camps in Germany.^[3] He was the last king to rule under a Constitutional Monarchy with any power. Gustaf VI died in 1973.^[4] His grandson, Carl XVI Gustaf, succeeded him as king.^[a]

Family

Gustaf VI married Margaret of Connaught in 1905.^[b] She died in 1920.^[5] Together they had four sons and one daughter:

• Gustaf Adolf. He died in 1947 in an airplane accident.^[5]
• Sigvard.^[5]
• Bertil.^[5]
• Carl Johan.^[5]
• Ingrid, married King Frederik IV of Denmark.^[5]

Gustaf VI married as his second wife, Lady Louise Mountbatten, in 1923.^[6] She died in 1965.^[c]

Notes

1. After Gustaf VI Adolf's death the powers of the king were reduced to being a ceremonial figurehead.^[4]
2. She was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria.^[5]
3. Lady Mountbatten was the aunt of the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.^[5]