In November 1931, Sibylla was in London to attend the wedding of her paternal first cousin Lady May Abel Smith as a bridesmaid. One of the other bridesmaids was her second cousin Princess Ingrid of Sweden, who introduced Sibylla to her brother, Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten. Their engagement was announced at Callenberg Castle in Coburg 16 June 1932. On 19 October in Coburg, Sibylla married her second cousin Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, in a civil ceremony, followed by a church wedding the day after. Gustaf Adolf was the eldest son of Crown PrinceGustav Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Both Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf were great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Sibylla never became Crown Princess herself since her husband died before his father and his grandfather King Gustav V. The wedding was celebrated in an official manner in Coburg, as President Hindenburg had ordered that no honours should be spared. However, as the city of Coburg was dominated by the Nazi party at the time, the celebrations there were Nazi influenced, which made a very bad impression in Sweden. The ceremony took place at St. Moriz. The couple spent their honeymoon in Italy before arriving in Stockholm on 25 November 1932. The couple had five children:
Princess Margaretha married John Ambler on 30 June 1964 and is his widow. They had three children.
Princess Désirée married Baron Niclas :sv:Silfverschiöld|Silfverschiöld on 5 June 1964 and is his widow. They had three children.
Princess Christina married Tord Magnuson on 15 June 1974. They have three sons.
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden married Silvia Sommerlath on 19 June 1976. They have three children.
Princess of Sweden
The couple settled at Haga Palace, and their four daughters were to be commonly known during their childhood as the "Hagaprinsessorna". Sibylla shared her husband's enthusiasm for sport and outdoor activities, and the couple owned a cottage in Ingarö and another one in Storlien. Sibylla was also a keen supporter of the Swedish Girl Guides movement. During her lifetime, she was appointed chairman of various organisations such as Sällskapet Barnavård in 1948 and the honorary chairmanship of the Hörselfrämjandet in 1935; the Sveriges flickscoutråd in 1939; Kvinnliga bilkåren in 1939; the Stiftelsen Solstickan in 1941; and the Stiftelsen Drottning Victorias Vilohem på Öland in 1951. In 1938, she founded the Prinsessan Sibyllas S:t Martin-stiftelse.
Widowhood
Sibylla became a widow in 1947 when Gustaf Adolf died in an airplane crash at the Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. Their only son, Carl Gustaf, became second-in-line to the throne at the age of nine months and, later, Crown Prince at the age of four. In 1950, Sibylla moved from Haga to the Royal Palace of Stockholm. During the summers, she stayed at Solliden. During these years, she developed an interest in environmental issues. After her stepmother-in-law, Queen Louise, died in 1965, Princess Sibylla became the highest ranking woman in the royal family. She took over her duties in support of her father-in-law, King Gustaf VI Adolf. During these years, she enjoyed somewhat more popularity, as she was more exposed, and as her humour and sense of self-irony became more known and appreciated. She continued with the so-called "Democratic ladies lunches" for career women initiated by Queen Louise in 1962 as a replacement for the court presentation. Sibylla died in Stockholm of cancer less than a year before her son ascended to the throne.
Titles, styles and honours
Titles
18 January 1908 – 30 November 1917: Her Royal Highness Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Saxony, Princess of Great Britain and Ireland
30 November 1917 – 19 October 1932: Her Highness Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Saxony
19 October 1932 – 28 November 1972: Her Royal Highness Princess Sibylla of Sweden, Duchess of Västerbotten
