Prince Gustav and Princess Carina of Denmark have revealed the unique name they chose for their baby, who was born via a surrogate mother last month.
The pair decided to call their daughter, whose birthday was on April 26, Mafalda, a spokesperson confirmed.
The nickname has Italian and Portuguese origins and means ‘mighty in battle’. It is also a version of the name Matilda.
It is believed that the couple may have taken inspiration from Princess Mafalda of Savoy Tatler is an ancestor of Gustav – and lived from 1902 to 1944.
The royal descendant of the Italian royal family died in a concentration camp, although it is not confirmed why she was imprisoned, during Germany’s rise to fascism and in World War II.
Gustav and Carina (photo in 2012) were not allowed to get married due to a legal clause from the grandfather of the royal family, Prince Gustav Albrecht, but they managed to overturn the rule and got married in 2022
Theories range from the princess openly speaking out against Adolf Hitler, to mysterious stories that she was embroiled in the mysterious death of his ally.
The name could also be a nod to Carina’s love of literature, as there is a cartoon character called Mafalda, which was created in the 1960s by Argentinian artist Quino.
In some cartoons, six-year-old Mafalda speaks about humanitarian issues such as world peace.
Gustav – Queen Margrethe’s cousin – and Carina, both 55, have been together for more than twenty years and tied the knot in Germany two years ago.
The couple fought for years against a strict inheritance rule imposed by the prince’s Nazi grandfather in the 1930s that prevented them from getting married.
They had their first child through a surrogate mother in the US last year and were both present at the birth.
At the beginning of this month, the Palace announced that the couple had their second child through a surrogate mother.
Confirmation of the news to the German media Invoiced Bladetthey said: ‘Their Highnesses, Prince Gustav and Princess Carina, have become parents for the second time.
The couple named their daughter, who was born on April 26, Princess Mafalda. Above: The couple pictured in 2011
It is believed that the couple drew inspiration for the name from Prince Gustav’s ancestor, Princess Mafalda of Savoy. Above: The couple pictured in 2010
‘They had a daughter. Everyone involved is doing well and they are very happy. The child was born on Friday, April 26.’
Prince Gustav is the son of Queen Margrethe’s sister, Princess Benedkeek, and her husband Prince Richard, who died in 2017 at the age of 82.
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 drew up his will to prevent family members from inheriting family property if they married someone who was not of Protestant, noble or Aryan descent.
In 1944 he went missing while serving as an officer in the German army during a mission near Orsha, Belarus. The soldier was declared MIA and no one asked for an official declaration of death until Gustav was born in 1969.
Gustav’s father, Prince Richard, was able to inherit property because his wife, Princess Benedkeek of Denmark, met the strict and controlling criteria.
However, Carina Axelsson, 55, an American author best known for the teen fashion detective series Model Under Cover, has Swedish and Mexican descent and therefore did not fit the will’s agenda.
Photos of the baptism, shared by the royal family’s Instagram account, show the proud godparents smiling and posing for a photo with the new parents and their then two-month-old son
Another sweet photo shows Princess Benedkeek admiring her grandson in a crib as she lovingly pinched his cheek at his baptism last year
Crown Prince Frederik (far left) and Princess Mary (far right) attended the couple’s wedding at Berleburg Castle in Germany
Before Gustav met Carina at a dinner party, he 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.
Carina and Gustav welcomed their first child via surrogacy in June last year. The Palace said in a statement at the time: “Princess Carina and Prince Gustav are very happy and grateful for this opportunity and thank all those involved who helped find a legal legal path.”
The prince and princess name their baby Prince Gustav Albrecht of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.
The couple had a baptism for their child and had King Frederick’s eldest son, Prince Christian of Denmark, as godparents alongside Princess Theodora of Greece, 40, actress Ellen Hillingsø, 56, Prince Franz-Albrecht, 40, Arabella Gaggero and Prince Carl . Anton.