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Gustav VI Adolf
King of Sweden
Reign	29 October 1950 – 15 September 1973
Born	11 November 1882(1882-11-11)
	Stockholm, Sweden
Died	15 September 1973 (aged 90)
	Helsingborg, Sweden
Predecessor	Gustav V
Successor	Carl XVI Gustaf
Consort	Princess Margaret of Connaught Lady Louise Mountbatten
Issue	Gustav Adolf Sigvard Ingrid Bertil Carl Johan
Royal House	Bernadotte
Royal motto	"The duty before all" Swedish: Plikten framför allt
Father	Gustav V
Mother	Victoria of Baden

Gustav VI Adolf (Oskar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf) (11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 1950 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Gustaf V and his wife Victoria of Baden.

He was born in Stockholm and at birth created Duke of Skåne. On 29 October 1950, he succeeded his father on the throne. His personal motto was Plikten framför allt, "The duty before everything else".

He married, firstly, Princess Margaret of Connaught on 15 June 1905. Princess Margaret was the daughter of HRH Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Great Britain.

He married, secondly, Lady Louise Mountbatten, formerly HSH Princess Louise of Battenberg. She was the sister of Lord Mountbatten and aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It was Lady Louise who became Queen of Sweden. Interestingly, both Queen Louise and her step-children were great grandchildren of Queen Victoria of Great Britain.

Contents 1 Reign 2 Children 3 Interests 4 Ancestors 5 See also

In 1950, Prince Gustav Adolf became king at age 67 upon the death of his father, King Gustav V.

During Gustav's reign, work was underway on a new constitution — eventually taking effect in 1975 after Gustav's death — to replace the 1809 constitution and produce reforms consistent with the times. Among the reforms sought by some Swedes was the replacement of the monarchy or at least some moderation of the old constitution's provision that "The King alone shall govern the realm."

Gustav Adolf's personal qualities made him popular among the Swedish people and, in turn, this popularity led to strong public opinion in favor of the retention of the monarchy. Gustav Adolf's expertise and interest in a wide range of fields (architecture and botany being but two) made him respected, as did his informal and modest nature and his purposeful avoidance of pomp. The monarchy was, however, made subordinate to a democratic state. Many of the powers of the Swedish monarchy died with King Gustaf Adolf in 1973. Additional powers of the monarch were removed when Sweden's constitutional reform became complete in 1975.

Gustav VI Adolf was a devoted archaeologist, and was admitted to the British Academy for his work in botany in 1958. Gustav participated in archaeological expeditions in China, Greece, and Italy, and founded the Swedish Institute at Rome.

Gustav died in 1973 at age 90 after a deterioration in his health that culminated in pneumonia in Helsingborg hospital. He was succeeded on the throne by his 27-year-old grandson Carl XVI Gustaf, son of the late Prince Gustav Adolf. In a break with tradition, he was not buried in Riddarholmskyrkan in Stockholm, but in the royal burial grounds in Haga.

Crown Prince Gustav Adolf and Crown Princess Margaretha of Sweden had five children:

• Prince Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (1906-1947)
• Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland, later Count Sigvard Bernadotte af Wisborg (1907-2002)
• Princess Ingrid, later Queen Consort of Denmark (1910-2000).
• Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland (1912-1997)
• Prince Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna, later Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg (1916-)

Crown Princess Margaretha of Sweden died suddenly on 1 May 1920 of an infection following surgery. At the time, she was eight months pregnant and expecting her sixth child.

Prince Gustav Adolf later married Lady Louise Mountbatten, on November 3, 1923. This second marriage produced only one stillborn daughter on 30 May 1925.

King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden was the grandfather of both his direct successor King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

The king's reputation as a "professional amateur professor" was widely known; nationally and internationally, and among his relatives. He had an enormous private library consisting of 80,000 volumes - the most impressing in all of this was that he actually had read the main part of the books. He had an interest in specialist literature on Chinese art and East Asian history. Throughout his life, King Gustav was particularly interested in the history of civilization, and he participated in several archaeological expeditions. His other great area of interest was botany, concentrating in flowers and gardening. He was considered an expert on the Rhododendron flower. At Sofiero (the king's summer residence) he created one of the very finest Rhododendron collections.

He enjoyed tennis and golf, and fly fishing for char.

16. Charles XIV John of Sweden

8. Oscar I of Sweden

17. Désirée Clary

4. Oscar II of Sweden

18. Eugène de Beauharnais

9. Josephine of Leuchtenberg

19. Princess Augusta of Bavaria

2. Gustav V of Sweden

20. Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg

10. William, Duke of Nassau

21. Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg

5. Sofia of Nassau

22. Prince Paul of Württemberg

11. Princess Pauline of Württemberg

23. Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen

1. Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden

24. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden

12. Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden

25. Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg

6. Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden

26. Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden

13. Sophie of Sweden

27. Frederica of Baden

3. Victoria of Baden

28. Frederick William III of Prussia

14. William I, German Emperor

29. Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

7. Princess Louise of Prussia

30. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

15. Augusta of Saxe-Weimar

31. Maria Pavlovna of Russia

Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden House of Bernadotte Born: November 11, 1882 Died: September 15, 1973
Regnal titles
Preceded by Gustav V	King of Sweden 1950-1973	Succeeded by Carl XVI Gustaf
Vacant Title last held by Karl XV	Duke of Skåne 1882-1950	Vacant

v • d • e Monarchs of Sweden
House of Munsö	Eric the Victorious & Olof Björnsson · Olof Skötkonung · Anund Jacob · Emund the Old
House of Stenkil	Stenkil · Eric Stenkilsson & Eric the Pagan · Halsten · Anund Gårdske · Haakon the Red · Halsten & Inge the Elder · Blot-Sweyn · Eric of Good Harvests · Inge the Elder · Philip Halstensson & Inge the Younger · Ragnvald Knaphövde · Magnus the Strong
Houses of Eric (E) and Sverker (S)	Sverker the Elder (S) · Eric the Saint (E) · Magnus Henriksen · Charles Sverkersson (S) · Kol & Boleslas (S) · Canute I (E) · Sverker the Younger (S) · Eric Canutesson (E) · John Sverkersson (S) · Eric Ericsson (E) · Canute II · Eric Ericsson (E)
House of Bjelbo	Valdemar Birgersson · Magnus Ladulås · Birger Magnusson · Mats Kettilmundsson (regent) · Magnus Ericsson‡ · Eric Magnusson · Magnus Ericsson & Haakon Magnusson‡
House of Mecklenburg	Albrekt of Mecklenburg
Monarchs (M) and Regents (R) during the Kalmar Union	Margaret I of Denmark (M)†‡ & Eric of Pomerania (M)†‡ · Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson (R) · Eric of Pomerania (M)†‡ · Charles Canutesson (R) · Eric of Pomerania (M)†‡ · Charles Canutesson (R) · Christopher of Bavaria (M)†‡ · Bengt Jönsson (Oxenstierna) (R) & Nils Jönsson (Oxenstierna) (R) · Charles Canutesson (M)‡ · Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna (R) & Erik Axelsson Tott (R) · Christian I (M)†‡ · Kettil Karlsson (Vasa) (R) · Charles Canutesson (M) · Kettil Karlsson (Vasa) (R) · Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna (R) · Erik Axelsson Tott (R) · Charles Canutesson (M) · Sten Sture the Elder (R) · John II (M)†‡ · Sten Sture the Elder (R) · Svante Nilsson (R) · Eric Trolle (R) · Sten Sture the Younger (R) · Christian II (M)†‡ · Gustav Eriksson (Vasa) (R)
House of Vasa	Gustav I · Eric XIV · John III · Sigismund* · Charles IX · Gustavus Adolphus · Christina
House of Palatinate- Zweibrücken	Charles X Gustav · Charles XI · Charles XII · Ulrika Eleonora
House of Hesse-Kassel	Frederick I
House of Holstein-Gottorp	Adolf Frederick · Gustav III · Gustav IV Adolf · Charles XIII‡
House of Bernadotte	Charles XIV John‡ · Oscar I‡ · Charles XV‡ · Oscar II‡ · Gustav V · Gustav VI Adolf · Carl XVI Gustaf
† also Monarch of Denmark · ‡ also Monarch of Norway · * also Monarch of Poland

Styles of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden Reference style His Majesty Spoken style Your Majesty Alternative style Sir