On Friday, June 3, 2022, His Serene Highness Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his longtime partner, Miss Carina Lynn Axelsson, were married, civilly, at the Orangerie behind Schloss Berleburg in Bad Berleburg, Germany.

According to the German press agency, DPA, the couple exchanged vows in the late afternoon in front of 40 guests including Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Danish actress Ms. Ellen Hillingsø and her husband, Mr. Christoffer Castenskiold, to name a few. After the ceremony, Prince Gustav and Princess Carina along with their guests had an intimate dinner at Schloss Berleburg.

The religious ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 4, in the late afternoon in front of 80 guests inside the Schloss Berleburg private chapel. A spokesperson for Prince Gustav and Princess Carina confirmed that the ceremony will be “very private”. Moreover, the guest list and photos will not be released to the media.

The couple’s spokesperson also noted that the media and the public were not welcome at the wedding nor allowed in front of Schloss Berleburg. A Bad Berleburg police spokesman said that part of Schloss Berleburg park had been closed and privacy screens had been installed. However, I can confirm that the Danish magazine, Billed Bladet, is currently in Bad Berleburg to cover the wedding in full detail. Furthermore, knowing how close several journalists from Billed Bladet are to the couple I believe there will be a 90% chance Their Serene Highnesses Prince Gustav and Princess Carina will allow the publication to release their official wedding portrait.

Days before the wedding Prince Gustav and Carina sat down for a lengthy interview with Billed Bladet to talk about their relationship, life, the court case and more. When asked why they wanted an intimate wedding Prince Gustav said, ”…we are both happy to have only our closest friends and family to celebrate our wedding. We always said we did not want a big party. Also after all that we have been through.”

Carina adds, ” It’s great with a quiet wedding, as it was held 100 years ago. Also, only the closest of friends and family will attend.”

Throughout the interview, Prince Gustav and Carina repeatdly stated that the wedding itself is what they are most looking forward to:

“Yes, after all that we have had to go through, it is now, so to speak, a great pleasure to make our relationship official by getting married. And after at least five years of stress, and there have also been difficult years before, it is great to be able to celebrate our wedding with our family and friends.”

Later in the interview, Carina was asked about her relationship with Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Her Royal Highness Princess Marie of Denmark:

“We have great chemistry… I do not know. Maybe because we have all come into the family from the outside. And, then we have a lot in common. Princess Marie is French and I have lived in France for a long time. We share a common understanding and share a great interest in French and Danish culture. 

The Crown Princess, like me, likes horses and nature. And then she is deeply committed to everything she does. And then she understands the dynamics of coming from far away into a family that has a long history. We all three remind each other in terms of personality…”

The couple also spoke about their four dogs, Jane, Zadie, Anna and Alice. Apparently, the couple’s sweet dogs — two Labs and two English Spaniels — will be apart of Saturday’s wedding celebrations.

Photo courtesy of the Danish royal court