Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark


Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark was a daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark and granddaughter of King Frederick VIII of Denmark. As the wife of Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, she became Hereditary Princess of Denmark.

Early life

Princess Caroline-Mathilde was born on 27 April 1912 at Jægersborghus country house in Gentofte north of Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the second child and daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark, son of King Frederick VIII of Denmark and Princess Louise of Sweden. Her mother was Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.
The princess was named for her maternal grandmother, and was known as 'Calma' to her family.

Marriage and children

Caroline-Mathilde married her first cousin Prince Knud of Denmark, second son and youngest child of Christian X of Denmark and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on 8 September 1933 at Fredensborg Palace, Zealand, Denmark. The couple were given Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby north of Copenhagen as their residence. The couple had three children:
From 1947 to 1953, Prince Knud was heir presumptive of his older brother King Frederick IX. Knud would have become king and Caroline Mathilde queen in their turn, but a change in the constitution in 1953 caused Knud to lose his place in the succession to his niece, Margrethe II. After the change, Prince Knud was given the title of Hereditary Prince and Caroline Mathilde became Hereditary Princess.
Hereditary Prince Knud died on 14 June 1976. Hereditary Princess Caroline Mathilde survived her husband by 19 years and died on 12 December 1995 at Sorgenfri Palace. She was buried at Roskilde Cathedral next to her husband.

Honours

The Princess Caroline-Mathilde Alps in Greenland were named in her honour by the 1938–39 Mørkefjord Expedition, as her husband, Prince Knud, had been the patron of the expedition.