Princess Birgitta of Sweden: rebellious, outspoken and lover of Spain

Birgitta Ingeborg Alice, known simply as Birgitta of Sweden, was considered the most rebellious of the Swedish princesses and the "most Spanish", having lived in Mallorca for the last three decades.

The second daughter of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Silbia, she was born on 19 January 1937 at Haga Castle, where she grew up. A year after the birth of her younger brother (the current King Carl Gustaf of Sweden), her father died in a plane crash in Denmark.

At the age of 14, Birgitta began attending a French school and went on to study at an exclusive girls' school in Switzerland. Birgitta loved sports. She was a keen tennis and golf player and once became Swedish fencing champion. In 1958, she graduated from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences and subsequently worked as a gymnastics teacher. Later, Princess Birgitta became involved with golf and charities outside Sweden. She even wrote a book on sport.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the four daughters of the Swedish court, known as the Haga princesses, were known worldwide as the most beautiful and glamorous young royals. Margaretha, Desiree and Christina did not marry into royalty. Birgitta was the only one to retain her title as Royal Highness as she married a German prince. However, despite being a lifelong princess of Sweden, Birgitta was not included in the new female line of succession introduced in the country in 1980.

Her love story took place in Germany. After moving to Munich to study German, Birgitta met prince and art historian Johann Georg of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, whom she married in 1961. It is reported that for the marriage, Birgitta applied to convert to Roman Catholicism, but her petition was rejected with the wording questioning her spiritual commitment to change. While in Germany, the Swedish princess worked as a photo model and in the 1980s opened her own boutique.

At any period of her life, Birgitta always led the lifestyle she wanted. This fact made many people envy her, or rather her courage and her way of life. Her ‘way’ was described in 1997 in her memoir Min egen väg (My Own Way). According to the princess, she was envied for her openness and the life without obligations she enjoyed. On Christmas Day 2022, the Swedish national public service Sveriges Television aired an hour-long documentary and interview with the princess, in which she detailed her often troubled life as a Swedish royal.

In the mid-1990s, Birgitta and Johann Georg decided to separate and the princess left Germany for Spain. She wanted a change of scenery and decided to settle in Palma.

The love for Mallorca emerged from the first minute. The princess and her children came to the island at the invitation of a close childhood friend. After discovering the island, Brigitta realised that it had a special magic. By that time the island had already been taken over by German sunseekers, who had altered the image of Mallorca. So Birgitta had to disregard prejudices in order to come on holiday to the Balearic island. The Swedish princess adored the island, emphasising that the bad reputation was completely unjustified.

In interviews, Birgitta explained that she was not at all surprised by the Swedes' love for Spain. "It's a country that's close by, only two and a half hours away by plane, and what they have here is so different that they find it wonderfully exotic….”

"You have to break down barriers, get to know and respect each other. Swedes love nature, mountains, golf. Mallorca offers all that, plus there is something for the whole family, for all ages," Birgitta once told Vanity Fair magazine.

In Mallorca, Birgitta was able to follow her passion for golf. Thanks to her particular devotion to the sport, a tournament named in her honour, the Torneo de Golf Princesa Brígida (her name in Spanish), was established on her home golf course.

The princess lived on the Balearic island for three decades until she passed away last week. After Princess Birgitta's death, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden described her as a "colourful and outspoken person who will be deeply missed by me and my family".