Danish royals celebrate christening of Prince Gustav, who was born via surrogate after his parents fought rule that prevented them for marrying for 19 years – and Prince Christian, 17, is godfather
- Prince Christian attended christening ceremony at Berleburg Castle in Germany
- READ MORE: Prince Gustav and Princess Carina of Denmark welcome first child
Prince Christian has become godfather to his second cousin – the newly born Prince Gustav Albrecht of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg – following a christening ceremony last Saturday.
The baby, whose parents are Prince Gustav – Queen Margrethe‘s nephew – and Princess Carina of Denmark was welcomed by surrogate in the US in June.
The couple, both 54, have been together for more than two decades and married in a lavish ceremony in Germany last summer.
The pair spent years fighting a strict inheritance rule set by the Prince’s Nazi grandfather in the 1930s, which prevented them from tying the knot.
Christian, 17 – who is the son of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary – is one of the six godparents to baby Gustav.
Christian (standing, far left), 17 – who is the son of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary – is one of the six godparents baby Gustav will have. Pictured standing from left to right: Christian, Ellen Hillingsø, Arabella Gaggero, Prince Franz-Albrecht and Prince Carl-Anton. Pictured seated from left to right: Princess Theodora of Greece, Prince Gustav, Prince Gustav Albrecht and Princess Carina
The others are: Princess Theodora of Greece, 40, actress Ellen Hillingsø, 56, Prince Franz-Albrecht, 40, Arabella Gaggero and Prince Carl-Anton.
Pictures from the christening at Berleburg Castle in Germany, shared by the royal household’s Instagram account, show the proud godparents smiling for a photo with the new parents and their two-month old son.
Another sweet snap shows Gustva’s grandmother Princess Benedikte admiring her grandchild in a cot as she fondly pinches his cheek.
Earlier this summer, the Danish Royal Household issued a statement on Gustav and Carina’s behalf, confirming their happy news.
It read: ‘The newborn prince was born in the United States with the help of a surrogate mother.
‘Both Prince Gustav and Princess Carina were present during the birth.’
Prince Gustav is the son of Queen Margrethe’s sister Princess Benedikte and her husband Prince Richard – who passed away in 2017 at the age of 82.
Until last year, Gustav and Carina were banned from marrying as a result of a legal clause set by the royal’s grandfather Prince Gustav Albrecht.
Pictures from the Christening, shared by the royal household’s Instagram account, show the proud godparents smiling for a photo with the new parents and their two-month old son
Another sweet snap shows Princess Benedikte admiring her grandchild in a cot as she fondly pinches his cheek
In the 1930s, he set up his will to prevent relations from inheriting family property if they marry someone not of Protestant, noble and Aryan descent.
By 1944, he went missing while serving as an officer in the German Army, during a mission near Orsha, Belarus. The soldier was declared MIA and no one sought an official declaration of death until Gustav was born in 1969.
Gustav’s father Prince Richard was able to inherit property because his wife – Princess Benedikte of Denmark – met the strict and controlling criteria.
However, Carina Axelsson, 54 – who is an American author best known for the teen fashion detective series Model Under Cover – has Swedish and Mexican heritage, and hence didn’t satisfy the will’s agenda.
Before meeting Carina at a dinner party, Gustav had been engaged to Elvire Pasté de Rochefort, who came from an aristocratic French family.
However, their nuptials were called off just two months before the wedding.
Gustav and Carina of Denmark pictured together in 2010. Until last year, the couple were banned from marrying as a result of a rule made by the royal’s grandfather Prince Gustav Albrecht
Gustav reportedly met Carina in 2003 and the author later moved into the Schloss Berleburg estate with him.
‘She even often appeared with a sparkling ruby and diamond cluster ring on the ring finger of her left hand,’ The Court Jeweller reports. ‘But marriage, it seemed, remained out of the question.’
Following Prince Richard’s death in 2017, Gustav was faced with a legal battle as his great uncle Prince Ludwig-Ferdinand argued that he should get the fortune, Town and Country reports.
In 2020, German courts decided Gustav met the conditions of the will – and could inherit Berleburg Castle, where he and his wife married in front of 80 guests, including Prince Frederik and Princess Mary.
Crown Prince Frederik (far left) and Princess Mary (far right) attended the couple’s wedding at Berleburg Castle in Germany
According to the Dorset Echo, in 2019 Carina had been splitting her time between Germany and Purbeck, as she enjoyed the English town as a scenic ‘writing bolthole’.
The author, who grew up in Silicon Valley, California, told the outlet that her own experience with the monarchy inspired her to write the Royal Rebel series, which is about a fictional teenage princess.
‘I also wanted to break down this idea that princesses can do and have whatever they want,’ she said.
‘In fact, as part of a reigning monarchy, life may be privileged but it’s very different from what people imagine.’
In the 2019 interview with the newspaper, Carina had also revealed that she enjoyed literature from a young age, especially favouring the works of Beatrix Potter and C.W.Anderson.
She has also worked as a model – including shoots for Vogue, Elle and Armani – which is the career path that initially led her to Europe.
Carina balanced her modelling work in Paris with illustration night classes before beginning her foray into the creative industry, and eventually, book writing.
Source: Read Full Article
