| Prince Harald | |||||
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| Born | (1876-10-08)8 October 1876 Charlottenlund Palace,Gentofte, Denmark | ||||
| Died | 30 March 1949(1949-03-30) (aged 72) Copenhagen, Denmark | ||||
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| House | Glücksburg | ||||
| Father | Frederick VIII of Denmark | ||||
| Mother | Louise of Sweden | ||||
Prince Harald of Denmark (Harald Christian Frederik; 8 October 1876 – 30 March 1949) was a member of theDanish Royal Family. He was the third son and fourth child ofFrederick VIII of Denmark andLovisa of Sweden, and thus the brother ofChristian X of Denmark andHaakon VII of Norway.
The prince served in theRoyal Danish Army for most of his life, and reached the rank ofLieutenant General.
Prince Harald was born on 8 October 1876 at his parents' country residence, theCharlottenlund Palace inGentofte Municipality north ofCopenhagen, during the reign of his paternal grandfather,King Christian IX.[1] He was the fourth child and third son ofCrown Prince Frederick of Denmark and his wifeLouise of Sweden.[1] His father was the eldest son ofKing Christian IX of Denmark andLouise of Hesse-Kassel, and his mother was the only daughter ofKing Charles XV of Sweden and Norway andLouise of the Netherlands.[2] He was baptised with the namesHarald Christian Frederik, and was known as Prince Harald.[1]
Prince Harald was raised with his siblings in the royal household in Copenhagen, and grew up between his parents' city residence, theFrederik VIII's Palace, an 18th-centurypalace which forms part of theAmalienborg Palace complex in centralCopenhagen, and their country residence, theCharlottenlund Palace, located by the coastline of theØresundstrait north of the city.[3] At the age of 17, Prince Harald entered a military career as was customary for princes at the time. He later served with theGuard Hussar Regiment.[1]
At the age of 33, on 28 April 1909 atGlücksburg Castle in Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Harald married hissecond cousinPrincess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, daughter ofFrederick Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg andPrincess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.[1]
After their marriage, Prince Harald and Princess Helena lived at theJægersborghuscountry house north ofCopenhagen which Prince Harald had purchased in 1907.[4] Here their five children were born between 1910 and 1923.
Like other members of the Danish royal family, his economic situation was influenced by thefailure ofDen Danske Landmandsbank in 1923. Until 1935, however, he and his family were able to stay at Jægersborghus but then moved to a villa in the northern part of Copenhagen.[5]
At the age of 50, Prince Harald retired from active service with the rank ofMajor General. In 1933, however, his brotherKing Christian X appointed himLieutenant General.
DuringWorld War II, Princess Helena became very unpopular because of her sympathy for theGerman occupation of Denmark and theNazi party. Because of this, she was reportedly not on speaking terms with her sons.[6]
After the war, Princess Helena was not brought to trial, being a member of the royal family who did not wish any publicity on the matter, but was exiled from Denmark 30 May 1945 and placed under house arrest at theGlücksburg Castle in Germany. She was allowed to return to Denmark in 1947, when Prince Harald fell gravely ill. She stayed with her spouse until his death two years later.[7]
Prince Harald died on 30 March 1949 inCopenhagen. As a Danish prince, he was buried atRoskilde Cathedral on the island ofZealand, the traditional burial site forDanish monarchs since the 15th century.[8] Princess Helena survived her husband by 13 years and died on 30 June 1962.
National decorations[9]
Foreign decorations[9]
Belgium:Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Leopold
France:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
German Imperial and Royal Family:
Greek Royal Family:Grand Cross of the Redeemer
Norway:
Sweden:
Thailand:Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao
United Kingdom:GCVO –Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order,11 October 1901[13]Harald and Helena had five children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Feodora | 3 July 1910 | 17 March 1975 | married her first cousin,Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe and had issue. |
| Princess Caroline-Mathilde | 27 April 1912 | 12 December 1995 | married her first cousinPrince Knud of Denmark and had issue. |
| Princess Alexandrine-Louise | 12 December 1914 | 26 April 1962 | marriedCount Luitpold of Castell-Castell and had issue. |
| Prince Gorm | 24 February 1919 | 26 December 1991 | Unmarried and without issue. |
| Prince Oluf | 10 March 1923 | 19 December 1990 | Lost his title and became HE Count Oluf of Rosenborg after marrying without consent to Annie HeleneDorrit Puggard-Müller and to Lis Wulff-Juergensen. He has issue. |
The generations are numbered from the implementation of hereditary monarchy byFrederick III in 1660. | ||
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1 Also prince of Norway 2 Also prince of Greece 3 Also prince of Iceland 4 Also prince of the United Kingdom 5 Not Danish prince by birth, but created prince of Denmark Princes that lost their title are shown in italics | ||
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