The Swedish court on Sunday evening announced the death of Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland, at her home, Villa Solbacken at Stockholm. The Princess died just after 6pm surrounded by King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia and their children. In recent years she had suffered from Alzheimer’s. The funeral service will take place at the Slottskyrkan, Royal Palace, Stockholm, on 16 March 2013. She will afterwards be buried next to her husband at the Royal Cemetery at Haga. There is a possibility to say goodbye at the church on 15 March from noon to 3pm. Books of condolences can already be signed at the Royal Palace.
Princess Lilian was born as Lillian May Davies at Swansea, Great Britain, on 30 August 1915, the only daughter of William Davies and Gladys Mary Curran. She had two half sisters from her father’s second marriage, but she didn’t keep in touch with them.
She married first in 1940 Ivan Craig (1912-1994), but got divorced shortly after World War II. She married secondly in 1976 Prince Bertil of Sweden (1912-1997). The couple had met already in 1943. Bertil took his responsibility when his elder brother Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf died in a plane crash in 1947. As his other brothers had given up their rights to the throne, and his little nephew – the present King Carl XVI Gustaf – hardly one years old, he was the only other member of the family who eventually could succeed to the Swedish throne. Only when Carl Gustaf had married in 1976, Bertil married his Lilian.
There were no children born from her marriages.