Princess Désirée of Sweden, the sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf, has died aged 87, the royal family has revealed. The royal, who lived at Koberg’s Castle in Västergötland, passed away quietly at her home on Wednesday surrounded by her family.
In an emotional statement shared to the royal family’s Instagram account, the King paid tribute to the “warm family memories” they shared as he sent his condolences.
The King, 79, wrote: “With great sadness, I have received the information that my sister, Princess Désirée, has died. Many are the warm family memories created at the home of the Silfverschiöld family in Västergötland – a place in Sweden that came to mean a lot to my sister. Today, my family and I send our condolences to Princess Désiré’s children and their families.”
It is understood that the King has ordered the flags at Drottningholm Palace and Haga Palace to be flown at half mast today as a sign of respect.
Princess Désirée – who was the widow of Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld, who died in 2017 – leaves behind three children, Carl Otto, Christina-Louise and Hélène Ingeborg, as well as several grandchildren.
Born on 2 June 1938 at Haga Palace, she was the third child of Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her name stemmed from family tradition, taking her first name from Desideria, Queen consort of Sweden and Norway.
She was the middle of five children, with two older sisters Princess Margaretha and Princess Birgitta and two younger siblings, Princess Christina and the present King. Tragedy hit the family in 1947 when their father was killed in a plane crash at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen, an event that devastated the Swedish royals. Princess Désirée was just eight years old.
After her marriage in 1964 at Stockholm Cathedral, she gave up her Royal Highness title and was instead known as Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld. The couple had announced their engagement in 1963 at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.
In recent years, she continued to take part in official state events and private family occasions such as weddings. She was also godmother to Crown Princess Victoria.
Princess Birgitta of Sweden, the King’s second sister, passed away in December 2024 at the age of 87. At the time, the palace shared the news on Instagram, writing: “Princess Birgitta was the widow of Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (1932–2016) and then lived abroad for a long time. The princess leaves three children with families.”
Unlike her sisters, Princess Birgitta retained her title after her marriage, as she married into royalty with her wedding to Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern. She and Désirée were clearly close, with the latter wearing her sister’s wedding gown, designed by Swedish atelier Marthaskolan, for her own nuptials.
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