Around 20 years ago I first heard about a genealogical book called “Bernadotteättlingar” by Ted Rosvall. Great was my joy when visiting Sweden in the summer of 2005 I found a copy of that book, at the bookshop of Drottningholm Palace of all places. They were getting rid of the last books they had, so I got it for a fairly cheap prize. If I remember well it was probably 50 Swedish crowns or maybe even less.
After this edition, published in 1992, it took many years until the second edition appeared. This time it was a bigger size and it appeared in 2010 on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Bernadotte dynasty, which also happened to be the year Crown Princess Victoria married Daniel Westling. Of course I bought that edition too. By the time I had met Ted a few times in person and we have been in touch already for years. Recently I bought the third edition of “Bernadotteättlingar“, that was published in November 2021.
Already for many years Ted has his own company, Rosvall Royal Books, that of course has also published this one. You can buy his books there and also order the magazine he publishes. The book can also be ordered at Van Hoogstraten in The Netherlands. You don’t have to worry about not being able to read the book, as it is almost all genealogy and photos, and texts are both in English and Swedish. So if you’re interested in the genealogy of the Swedish royal family and its descendants, this is the book that should be on your bookshelves.
I was curious and asked Ted a few questions.
N: What did make you start the book all these years ago?
T: I actually started the project in 1985 – at the same time that I started ROSVALL ROYAL BOOKS. It took me 7 years to produce the first edition. Actually there was a model for it: Joh. Almén: ÄTTEN BERNADOTTE – biografiska anteckningar, from 1896. I thought it was high time for someone to do an update …
N: For an obvious reason there was a second edition in 2010, the year Crown Princess Victoria got married. Why a third edition now?
T: The Pandemic …. Needed something to focus on during the distressing times we are enduring right now. Also, I noticed that the family had grown considerably since 2010.
N: About how many known descendants are there nowadays?
T: 567 – see page 138 for statistics.
(looking at that page it turned out in 1992 there were 308 descendants, 2010 it were already 440, and now there are even more)
N: Have there been any surprises?
T: One … Madeleine Bernadotte Kogevina’s daughter ASTRID WHETNALL turns out to be a famous actress in Belgium. Did not know that …
N: Do you have a favourite Swedish royal (historical or present)?
T: Historical, Prince Gustav of Wasa and his daughter Carola, Queen of Saxony.
Current: Crown Princess Victoria, of course – and also Queen Anne-Marie.
N: Is there ever going to be a fourth edition?
T: Who knows – maybe I will be too old for one. But I am tempted to do one on the descendants of Christian IX and Queen Louise. A lot has already been done in Bernadotteättlingar and also in Queen Victoria’s Descendants by Marlene Eilers Koenig – so it would not be an impossible task.
(Well, I am certainly looking forward to that one; QVD was also published by Rosvall Royal Books)
Who is Ted Rosvall?
Ted was born in 1952 in Sweden. Apart from a church musician, he is a genealogist, an author and publisher. Since he started his own publishing house Rosvall Royal Books in 1985 he has published 25 books on European royalty, including genealogies, biographies and picture albums. Since 2006 he is also publishing the magazine Royalty Digest Quarterly. From 2008 to 2015 he participated as an expert in no less than 50 episodes of the Swedish version of “Who do you think you are?”, and some years ago even appeared in the British version when actress Kate Winslett discovered her Swedish ancestors.