Carina, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born Carina Axelsson; August 5, 1968) is an American author and former model, best known for the teen fashion detective series Model Undercover.[2] Her other series are the Nigel of Hyde Park books and the Royal Rebel books. As a model, she appeared on the covers of Madame Figaro, Elle, and Vogue Patterns in the 1990s. She is the wife of Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, making her part of the extended Danish royal family.
| Carina | |
|---|---|
| Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg | |
 Axelsson in 2014 | |
| Born | Carina Axelsson August 5, 1968[1] Northern California, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Prince Gustav Albrecht Princess Mafalda |
| Father | Bertil Axelsson |
| Mother | Alicia Axelsson |
| Occupation |
|
| Writing career | |
| Genre | Mystery, young adult, children's |
| Notable works | Model Undercover series |
Personal life
editCarina Axelsson was born on August 5, 1968, in Northern California, United States, to Bertil and Alicia Axelsson.[3] She has a brother Erik and sister Liselotte.[3] Her father was an electronic engineer and was born in Sweden, and her mother is Mexican.[3] After growing up in California, Axelsson moved to New York to pursue a career in fashion modelling.[3]
On June 3, 2022, she married civilly the German-Danish aristocrat Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, thus becoming the Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, after dating for 19 years.[4] They married religiously the following day in Bad Berleburg. They live at Schloss Berleburg in Germany with their four dogs. They were unable to marry earlier due to a clause in Gustav's grandfather's will preventing him from inheriting family property if he partakes in an unequal marriage (meaning with a commoner). Nonetheless, she was treated by the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg House as his official partner and accompanied him to family events.
Axelsson is godmother to Countess Athena of Monpezat, only daughter of her husband's first cousin Prince Joachim of Denmark.[3]
The couple's son, Prince Gustav Albrecht, was born on 26 May 2023 in the United States via surrogacy.[5] On 26 April 2024, the couple welcomed their second child, a girl, Princess Mafalda, also via surrogacy.[6][7]
Career
editAxelsson modeled for a number of notable magazines. She appeared in the August and September 1991 editions of the American version of Vogue, shot by photographers Robert Diadul in August and Angel Morale in September.[8][9] In the December 1992 edition of Vogue Italia, she had a 10-page spread styled as Bianca Jagger, shot by German photographer Ellen von Unwerth.[10] She appeared in Vogue Italia in later editions as well, including February 1993, again shot by von Unwerth, and in 1995.[11][12] She appeared on the July 1993 cover of French magazine Madame Figaro,[13] the September 1993 cover of the German edition of Elle magazine,[14] followed by the January/February 1994 edition of Vogue Patterns magazine.[15]
From New York, Axelsson moved to Paris, where she studied art and wrote and illustrated her first book, a picture book for children (Nigel of Hyde Park, 2004, Assouline).[16] Axelsson continued in fashion with a short stint working as PA to fashion designer John Galliano. Her experiences in fashion - along with a love of Scooby-Doo and Agatha Christie - inspired her to write the Model Undercover book series.[17] Axelsson announced the series in a 2014 article for The Children's Book Review, and the book was released that year.[18] Clare O'Beara of Fresh Fiction stated "her mystery series is a winner as far as I'm concerned."[19]
Published works
editNigel of Hyde Park series
edit- Nigel of Hyde Park. Assouline. 2004. ISBN 978-2843236143.
- Nigel von Hyde Park. Knesebeck. 2005. ISBN 978-1474942423.
Model Undercover series
edit- Model Undercover: A Crime of Fashion. Usborne Publishing. 2014. ISBN 9781409563686.
- Model Undercover: Stolen with Style. Usborne Publishing. September 2014. ISBN 978-1409563709.
- Model Undercover: Deadly by Design. Usborne Publishing. June 2015. ISBN 978-1409590262.
- Model Undercover: Dressed to Kill. Usborne Publishing. November 2016. ISBN 978-1474906913.
Royal Rebel series
edit- Royal Rebel. Usborne Publishing. August 2018. ISBN 978-1474942409.
- Royal Rebel: Designer. Usborne Publishing. August 2019. ISBN 978-1474942416.
- Royal Rebel: Stylist. Usborne Publishing. September 2019. ISBN 978-1474942416.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Inferno | Party guest | Ellen von Unwerth | Television film |
References
edit- ^ "Danmark/Tyskland: Carina Axelsson". svenskdam.se. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
- ^ "Authors - Carina Axelsson - Andrew Nurnberg Associates". Archived from the original on 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ a b c d e "12 Fakten über seine baldige Ehefrau Carina Axelsson" (in German). Gala. June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ Burack, Emily (June 9, 2022). "Prince Gustav Marries American Author Carina Axelsson". Town & Country. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ "TH Prince Gustav and Princess Carina have had a son". Danish Royal House. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ ChristinZ [@ChristinsQueens] (April 29, 2024). "The Prince and Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg welcome second child on 26 April 2024" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Prins Gustav og prinsesse Carina har fået en datter: Her er hendes usædvanlige navn". 13 May 2024.
- ^ "The bra top". August 1991. Vogue. p. 124.
- ^ "Vogue's View". Vogue. September 1991. p. 206.
- ^ "Lo Stile di..." (in Italian). No. December 1992. Vogue Italia.
- ^ Classica Da City (in Italian). Vogue Italia. February 1993.
- ^ "Stizzoli" (in Italian). Vogue Italia. 1995.
- ^ "Cheveux" (in French). Madame Figaro. July 1993.
- ^ "Die Grosse Chance" (in German). Elle. September 1993.
- ^ "Spring Break". Vogue Patterns. January 1994.
- ^ Nigel: In Hyde Park: Carina Axelsson: Books. ASIN 2843236142.
- ^ ""Model Undercover" at Usborne Children's Books". Archived from the original on 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ Axelsson, Carina (June 19, 2014). "The Art of Writing Fashionable Mysteries". The Children's Book Review. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ O'Beara, Clare (March 11, 2016). "Model Undercover: London Carina Axelsson". Fresh Fiction. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2022.