King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is mourning the death of his sister, Princess Birgitta, who passed away in Mallorca on December 4, at the age of 87.

The Swedish monarchy released a statement, with the king remembering his sister as a “colourful and forthright” person. “With great sadness, I received the news that my sister, Princess Birgitta, has passed away. She was a person who will be deeply missed by me and my family. Alongside my entire family, I extend my condolences to Princess Birgitta’s children and grandchildren,” he said.

Born on January 19, 1937, Princess Birgitta was the second child of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla. She grew up with her siblings—Princess Margaretha, Princess Désirée, Princess Christina, and Prince Carl Gustaf—at Haga Castle.

Tragedy struck when her father, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf, died in a plane crash in 1947, when Birgitta was only 10 years old.

Princess Birgitta was educated at the Royal Palace in Stockholm and later attended a girls’ school in Chateaux d’Oex, Switzerland. In 1959, she met Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern at a cocktail party in Germany, and their engagement was announced the following year.

They married on May 30, 1961, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, where Princess Birgitta wore a long-sleeved ivory silk dress with an A-line silhouette and a four-meter train. She also wore the Cameo Tiara, a piece long associated with Swedish royal brides.

Following their marriage, the couple moved to Munich and had three children: Carl Christian (born 1962), Désirée (1963), and Hubertus (1966). Though they separated in 1990, they remained married until Prince Johann Georg’s passing in 2016.

In her later years, Princess Birgitta lived on the island of Mallorca, where she developed a passion for golf and even hosted her own tournament.