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In Memoriam: Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg

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Count Carl Johan and Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg (Photo: MAJA SUSLIN/AFP/GettyImages)

On Tuesday, the Swedish court announced the death of Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg. Gunnila was the widow of Count Carl Johan Bernadotte, who was the youngest son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught. By marriage, Gunnila was an aunt to (among others) King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Gunnila was the daughter of two Swedish aristocrats, Count Nils Wachtmeister af Johannishus and Baroness Märta de Geer af Leufsta. Her first husband was Carl-Herman Bussler; after his death, she married Count Carl Johan, who was also a widower. Carl Johan died in 2012.

King Carl XVI Gustaf released the following statement: “Gunnila Bernadotte was married to my uncle, Count Carl Johan. She was a very much valued, close, and faithful friend to our family, and her passing is a great loss.” Today, to remember Gunnila, I’ve got a few bejeweled pictures of her to share.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Gunnila attends Crown Princess Victoria’s pre-wedding concert in June 2010, wearing an intriguing necklace
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Another view of Gunnila’s jewels, including a glittering ring, from the pre-wedding concert
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Here’s a close-up of Gunnila’s pearl and diamond aigrette. I’ve seen some describe the piece as being dragonfly-shaped, but I think the elements at the base of the tiara are just abstracted leaf elements. The central element of the tiara can reportedly be worn as a brooch. It’s apparently a legacy from Gunnila’s own aristocratic family, not a royal piece
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Gunnila wore the tiara at Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding in 2010
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Here’s an additional angle of Gunnila’s jewels from the wedding day, including a pearl necklace and diamond and pearl earrings
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Gunnila wore the same tiara and pearls at the wedding of Princess Madeleine in 2013

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