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Swedish royals mourn death of family member© Getty Images

Swedish royals mourn death of family member

A relative of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s has passed away


UPDATED APRIL 7, 2020 12:15 PM EDT

The Swedish royal family is mourning the loss of a relative. Catharina “Catta” Nilert, née Countess Catharina of Wisborg, passed away on March 29. Catharina would have been 94 on April 14. According to an obituary published by the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet,she will have a private funeral. “Burial will take place in the circle of the immediate family. Memorial time in Catta‘s spirit is arranged later on,” the obit read.

Catharina was the Swedish King’s relative (left)© Getty Images
Catharina was the Swedish King’s relative (left)

Catharina was the youngest child of Carl Bernadotte of Wisborg and his first wife, Baroness Marianne de Geer af Leufsta and the great-granddaughter of King Oscar II of Sweden and of Norway—making her a second cousin of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s father. Catharina’s grandfather was Prince Oscar Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, King Gustaf V’s younger brother. Her death comes a few months after her older sister Dagmar von Arbin’s. Dagmar passed away in December at age 103.

King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Sofia stepped out for Dagmar’s funeral in Stockholm earlier this year. While the royals were out in full force for Dagmar’s service, it’s unclear if they will attend Catharina’s due to the  coronavirus  pandemic. Last month, the Swedish Royal Court said, “There will be a great deal of restrictiveness regarding the Royal Family’s travels.” The palace noted that King Carl Gustaf XVI and his family are keen on not contributing to the spread of COVID-19.