Brief history of the Society
London in the early 20th century; Around 4,000 Swedish nationals live in London (roughly 10% of today’s number), and the new Swedish Church in Marylebone has just been inaugurated, giving the congregation meeting facilities for various societies and a Swedish school. A Swedish physiotherapist named Detlof von Braun invites 11 countrymen to meet at the Golfers’ Club in Whitehall Court in March of 1912 to persuade them that they should form a Swedish Golfing Society. By the end of the year, they had recruited a further eight members, meaning at there were 20 – all men. The society grew steadily over the years, and in 1964 it was decided that ladies should be invited to partake in the autumn meetingss, and in 1977, ladies were invited to join as members.
At the AGM in 1981 HRH Prince Bertil became the society’s patron, so ‘Royal’ was added to the name. Prince Bertil was an accomplished golfer and an honorary member of Royal Berkshire. In his honour, members contributed with donations for the Prins Bertil Cup, which we have been playing for since 1989. Upon his passing, Prinsessan Birgitta took over the patronage, allowing the society to retain its royal status.