The Haga princesses

In Sweden, there were four princesses dubbed “the Haga Princesses” who grew up at Haga Palace.

Who were the four Haga princesses (or Hagasessorna in Swedish)? We take a look at the four older siblings of King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Princess Margaretha:

The firstborn of Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla was born at Haga Palace on 31 October 1934. Her father was expected to one day ascend the Swedish throne, but a tragic plane crash in 1947 changed that trajectory. The Prince died before he became the Crown Prince of Sweden, and so, when King Gustaf V died in 1950, Margaretha’s baby brother became the heir.

She was privately educated at Haga Palace and later at the dressmaking school Märthaskolan. The Princess also studied occupational therapy at Karolinska Hospital and ceramics and textiles at Nyckelvik School.

At a dinner party in 1963, she met her future husband, British businessman John Ambler, who was ten years older. They married on 30 June 1964 at Gärdslösa Church. They resided in the United Kingdom and had three children, Sibylla, Edward and James. They have six grandchildren. The couple separated in 1994 but never divorced. John Ambler died in 2008.

Princess Margaretha lost her title upon marriage, but she was granted a courtesy title of Princess Margaretha, Mrs Ambler. The Princess continues to reside in the UK and does not undertake royal engagements on behalf of the Swedish Crown.

Princess Birgitta and Princess Margaretha in 2013. By Frankie Fouganthin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Princess Birgitta:

Princess Birgitta was the second of Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla’s four daughters and five children, born on 19 January 1937. Like her sister, she was born at Haga Palace.

She was educated privately at first and then at the Swedish Franska Skolan before transferring to a Swiss boarding school. Princess Birgitta graduated with a degree in movement sciences from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in 1958.

Birgitta married Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern in 1961 after meeting at a cocktail party in Munich two years before. They first wed in a Swedish civil ceremony and later a Roman Catholic ceremony in Germany, much to the chagrin of her grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, who wanted a Lutheran wedding. Although she attempted to convert to Catholicism, her application was rejected as her spiritual commitment to the conversion was questioned.

The pair had three children, Prince Carl Christian, Princess Désirée and Prince Hubertus. They had six grandchildren, one of whom died a few days after his birth in 2001.

Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann separated in 1990 but did not divorce. She lived in Spain, while he lived in Munich, where he died in 2016. The Princess died after a fall on 4 December 2024 in Mallorca, Spain. She was 87.

Princess Désirée:

The third Haga Princess was born at Haga Palace on 2 June 1938. After a private education at Stockholm Palace, she studied at Franska Skolan and then in Switzerland. She obtained her university degree from Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in textiles and later worked as a preschool teacher.

The Princess and her husband in 2013. By Frankie Fouganthin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

She married Swedish aristocrat Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld at Stockholm Cathedral in 1964, wearing Princess Birgitta’s wedding gown. After losing her title upon marriage, she was granted a courtesy title of Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld.  The couple had three children, Baron Carl, Baroness Chrisitina and Baroness Hélène. They had five grandchildren. Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld died in 2017. 

The Princess occasionally attended royal events after marriage.

Princess Désirée died on 21 January 2026. No cause of death has been provided.

Princess Christina:

The youngest of the Haga sisters is Princess Christina, who was born on 3 August 1943 at Haga Palace. She had the same early education as her sisters but later studied at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Princess also graduated with a degree in art history from Stockholm University.

Until King Carl Gustaf’s wedding to Queen Silvia in 1976, the Princess served as the unofficial first lady during her brother’s reign and continued royal duties after her marriage. Princess Christina was also instrumental in helping Queen Silvia adjust to royal life. She has published several books, including Days at Drottningholm in 2016, which was about her upbringing.

Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström/The Royal Court of Sweden

She married Swedish businessman Tord Magnuson in 1974, and they have three sons: Gustaf, Oscar, and Victor. They also have five grandchildren. 

Princess Christina defeated breast cancer in 2019 and was diagnosed with chronic leukaemia in 2016. After other treatments failed, Christina underwent a stem cell transplant in early 2017. She retired from royal duties in 2018.

Princess Margaretha, King Carl Gustaf, Princess Birgitta, Princess Désirée and Princess Christina in 2017. Photo: Jonas Borg/The Royal Court of Sweden

The four sisters were never in the line of succession to the Swedish throne due to the constitution at the time, although they represented the King at royal events. They also all lost their styles of Royal Highness and their titles upon marriage to commoners, except Princess Birgitta. Birgitta married a man of equal rank (a fellow royal): Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern.

Today, only two of the four are alive, after the deaths of Princess Birgitta on 4 December 2024 and Princess Désirée on 21 January 2026.