Princess Margaretha of Sweden was born on 31 October 1934 as the eldest child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was born at Haga Palace, and she and her younger sisters (Princess Birgitta, Princess Désirée and Princess Christina) were known as the Haga Princesses.
Although she was the eldest child, she was never in the line of succession as Sweden barred women from the throne. Her younger brother became King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1973, as their father had died in a plane crash in 1947.
Princess Margaretha was privately educated within the Palace and later attended the Stockholm dressmaking school, Märthaskolan. She also studied ceramics and textiles at Nyckelvik School and trained as an occupational therapist at Karolinska Hospital.
Margaretha met her future husband, John Ambler, at a dinner party, and their engagement was announced on 28 February 1964. The New York Times described him as “tall and polished.”1 When asked what she found interesting in her fiance, she joked, “I found out that he was born on June 6 – the Swedish national day!”2
They were married on 30 June 1964 in Gärdslösa Church on the island of Öland. The New York Times reported, “The bridge was given away by her grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, who promised that she would keep her title. She will be called Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Amblers. The Princess is 29 years old. Her bridegroom, who is 40, is one of the directors of an English transport corporation, Atlas Express. The wedding was televised and was seen abroad through Eurovision. The bride wore a gown of white faille with a train and a long veil of Brussels lace. Her golden crown was the one traditionally worn by brides in the little village church, built during the Middle Ages.”3 The newlyweds went to live in the United Kingdom.
They went on to have three children together: Sybilla (born 1965), Edward (born 1966) and James (born 1969). Margaretha and John separated in the 1990s but were never officially divorced. He died on 31 May 2008.
Although Sweden introduced absolute primogeniture in 1980, this was done only for her brother’s descendants. Princess Margaretha does not have any official duties, although she does return to Sweden for family events.
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