Background
She was born to the noble Colonel Carl Jacob Munck af Fulkila and Baroness Henrica Cederström.
She was born to the noble Colonel Carl Jacob Munck af Fulkila and Baroness Henrica Cederström.
She was a lady-in-waiting of the Crown Princess, Victoria of Baden, who in 1885 visited her brother-in-law in Amsterdam, where he was to undergo a medical examination for a heart difficulty. Ebba and Oscar visited the Norwegian sailor church during their stay in Amsterdam and fell in love: Ebba was religious and influenced Oscar in this regard. When Oscar told his family that he wished to marry Ebba, they were scandalized and he was forced to take a two-year consideration period, and Ebba was dismissed as a lady-in-waiting.
In 1887, Oscar told his family that he had not changed his mind, and the Royal House gave its consent to the marriage on condition that Oscar"s brothers signed a document promising that they should never enter a similar marriage, which they did.
On January 21, 1888, a ball was arranged at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, where Ebba and Oscar were allowed to dance with each other, and on 29 January 1888, the engagement was formally announced. The match was regarded as a great sorrow within the royal house, but it received a lot of sympathy from the public.
When the couple left Stockholm, a large crowd had gathered on the train station to see them off and show their support. In Sweden she was given the unclarified title of "Princess Bernadotte" instead of the royal "Princess of Sweden".
Their relationship was described as happy, and they devoted themselves to their common interests in religion and Christian influenced social work.
Ebba Bernadotte was a member of a number of different Christian charitable organisations: in 1894, she became a member of the Lapska missionens vänner (Friends of the Sami Mission), in 1897-1912 she was a board member of the Kristliga föreningens av unga kvinnor (Christian Society Foreign Young Women) and in 1900, she became chairperson of Bokpåsemissionen för sjömän (The Bookbag-Mission Foreign Sailors), which had its meetings in her home.
