House Bernadotte Father Gustav V of Sweden | Mother Victoria of Baden Name Prince Duke | |
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Born 20 April 1889
Stockholm Palace, Stockholm, Sweden ( 1889-04-20 ) Died 20 September 1918(1918-09-20) (aged 29)
Drottningholm Palace, Stockholm, Sweden | ||
Prince Erik of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Västmanland (Erik Gustav Ludvig Albert) (20 April 1889 in Stockholm – 20 September 1918 in Drottningholm) was a Swedish prince and Duke of Västmanland. He was the third and youngest son of King Gustav V of Sweden and his queen, Victoria of Baden. In 1904, Prince Erik was appointed a Knight of the Norwegian Lion by his paternal grandfather, King Oscar II.
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Life
Prince Erik had epilepsy and mild intellectual disability. His exact condition has not been published, but he may have suffered an injury at birth. He was described as handsome and physically healthy. His mental disability was not noticeable in brief conversation, but would become apparent if he was engaged at length.
Because of his condition, he was seldom seen in public and led a quiet life away from the public eye, similar to the life of Prince John of the United Kingdom. Because he was a member of the royal family, he was present in official royal photographs, but he had no official tasks. In 1907-1909, a residence was built for him away from the public eye in Djursholm, a relatively new garden community north of Stockholm.
Erik was cared for by many members of the same staff that were responsible for him and his brothers when they were children: Louise Rinman, referred to by the siblings as Vass, was responsible for the upbringing of him and his siblings when they were little, and in the case of Erik, she continued to be so until his death Every two weeks, he was allowed a trip to the capital, during which he sometimes could be seen visiting the opera, and these were the only times he was seen in public except for official photographs.
Death
In 1917, he complained about having to live in such isolation, and it was decided that he should have a new residence closer to Stockholm. However, he died the next year of the Spanish flu at Drottningholm Palace. His parents were not present when he died which, according to official memoirs, caused his father great sorrow in later years. His mother, who herself had poor health and spent parts of the year in Italy, was abroad at the time. Reportedly his brothers felt sorry for him.
His former residence on Germaniavägen in Djursholm has been in private ownership since the 1960s and today (2011) is the private residence of South Africa's ambassador to Sweden.