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

After a christening ceremony last Saturday, Prince Christian became godfather to his second cousin, the newborn Prince Gustav Albrecht van Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.

The baby, whose parents are Prince Gustav – Queen Margrethehis cousin – and Princess Carina of Denmark was welcomed by a surrogate mother in the US in June.

The couple, both 54, have been together for more than twenty years and married last summer in a lavish ceremony in Germany.

The couple fought for years against a strict inheritance rule instituted by the prince’s Nazi grandfather in the 1930s that prevented them from tying the knot.

17-year-old Christian – the son of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary – is one of six godparents to baby Gustav.

The others are: Princess Theodora of Greece, 40, actress Ellen Hillingsø, 56, Prince Franz-Albrecht, 40, Arabella Gaggero and Prince Carl-Anton.

Photos from the christening at Berleburg Castle in Germany, shared on the Instagram account of the royal household, show the proud godparents having their picture taken with the new parents and their two-month-old son smiling.

Another sweet photo shows Gustva’s grandmother, Princess Benedicht, admiring her grandchild in a cot while lovingly squeezing his cheek.

Earlier this summer, the Danish Royal House issued a statement on behalf of Gustav and Carina, 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 at the birth.”

Prince Gustav is the son of Queen Margrethe’s sister, Princess Benedicht, and her husband Prince Richard, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 82.

Until last year, Gustav and Carina were not allowed to marry due to a legal clause from the grandfather of the royal family, Prince Gustav Albrecht.

In the 1930s, he drafted his will to prevent relatives from inheriting family property if they marry someone who is not of Protestant, noble or Aryan descent.

In 1944 he went missing while serving as an officer in the German army on a mission near Orsha, Belarus. The soldier was declared MIA and no one asked for an official death certificate until Gustav was born in 1969.

Gustav’s father, Prince Richard, was able to inherit property because his wife, Princess Benedicht of Denmark, met the strict and controlling criteria.

However, Carina Axelsson, 54, an American author best known for the teen fashion detective series Model Under Cover, has Swedish and Mexican ancestry and therefore did not fit the will’s agenda.

Before meeting Carina at a dinner party, Gustav was engaged to Elvire Pasté de Rochefort, who came from an aristocratic French family.

However, their wedding was called off just two months before the wedding.

Gustav reportedly met Carina in 2003 and the author later moved with him to the Schloss Berleburg estate.

“She often even appeared wearing a sparkling ruby ​​and diamond cluster ring on the ring finger of her left hand.” The Court Jeweller reports. “But marriage seemed out of the question.”

After Prince Richard’s death in 2017, Gustav faced a legal battle when his great-uncle, Prince Ludwig-Ferdinand, argued that he should get the fortune. City and country reports.

In 2020, the German court ruled that Gustav fulfilled the conditions of the will – and could inherit Berleburg Castle, where he and his wife were married for 80 guests, including Prince Frederik and Princess Mary.

According to the Dorset Echoin 2019, Carina divided her time between Germany and Purbeck, enjoying the English city as a quaint ‘writing den’.

The author, who grew up in Silicon Valley, California, told the outlet that her own experience of the monarchy inspired her to write the Royal Rebel series, which is about a fictional teenage princess.

“I also wanted to break the idea that princesses can do and have what they want,” she said.

“In fact, life, as part of a reigning monarchy, may be privileged, but it is very different from what people imagine.

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In the 2019 interview with the newspaper, Carina had also revealed that she loved literature from a young age, especially preferring the works of Beatrix Potter and CWAnderson.

She has also worked as a model – including shoots for Vogue, Elle and Armani – the career path that initially led her to Europe.

Carina balanced her modeling work in Paris with evening illustration classes before starting her foray into the creative industry and eventually writing books.