Count Lennart Bernadotte

Lennart
Count of Wisborg
Bernadotte on his new yacht Stella Polaris at Gripsholm with grandson Friedrich Lennart Straehl, August, 1965
Born	(1909-05-08)8 May 1909 , , Sweden
Died	21 December 2004(2004-12-21) (aged 95) Schloss Mainau, Mainau, Lake Constance, Germany
Spouse	Karin Nissvandt (m. 1932; div. 1971) Sonja Haunz (m. 1972)
Issue	Count Jan Countess Birgitta Countess Marie-Louise Countess Cecilia Countess Bettina Count Björn Countess Catharina Count Christian Countess Diana
Full name Gustaf Lennart Nicolaus Paul
House	Bernadotte
Father	Prince Vilhelm, Duke of Södermanland
Mother	Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia

Lennart Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (Gustaf Lennart Nicolaus Paul; 8 May 1909 – 21 December 2004) was a Swedish-German landscaper, filmmaker and photographer. He was a grandson of King Gustaf V of Sweden.

Bernadotte was born at the in , to Prince Wilhelm of Sweden (Gustaf V's second son) and Wilhelms's wife, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (he was her first husband). At birth Bernadotte was a Swedish prince and was titled Duke of Småland. In 1932, he married Karin Nissvandt, a morganatic marriage, and thereafter ceased to be referred to by his royal titles. Thus, he became the first Swede in history to have his royal titles removed due to his own actions and was called Mr. Bernadotte as a result. Nineteen years after he lost his Swedish royal titles, he was given titles of nobility in Luxembourg.

He published two memoirs: Käre prins, godnatt (1977) and Mainau min medelpunkt (1995).

Under the Swedish Act of Succession, a prince or princess marrying without the consent of the monarch and government forfeits the right of succession for themselves and their descendants. In a new policy adopted in the case of Lennart Bernadotte, they were also forbidden to use their titles and told to use the surname of Bernadotte. By his marriage on 11 March 1932 Prince Lennart consequently, as far as Swedish records were concerned, was to be called Mr. Lennart Bernadotte.

He considered himself for several decades subjected to very cruel treatment from the Royal Court of Sweden due to his first marriage, and his wife developed a worsening psychosis from it which eventually led to their divorce in 1971.

Beginning in 1892, Swedish princes who lost their succession rights received noble titles conferred by other reigning monarchs. On 2 July 1951, for himself, his wife and his marital descendants, Bernadotte was admitted by Grand Duchess Charlotte (head of state at the time) into the nobility of Luxembourg as Count of Wisborg and in that conferral was also called Gustaf Lennart Nicolas Paul Prince Bernadotte. Counts of Wisborg are considered to be part of the Swedish unintroduced nobility.