It was a sombre occasion for the Swedish royals who attended the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm for Princess Lilian's funeral.Fittingly dressed all in black King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine and her fiance Chris O'Neill were amongst those in the front row at the service on Saturday, nearly a week after Princess Lilian passed away.Outside the chapel well-wishers lined the streets as the Swedish flag flies at half mast.
The Swedish princess, a Welsh-born model who became a "much-loved" member of the royal household, died on 10 March, aged 97. "It is with sorrow that I have learnt that Her Royal Highness Princess Lilian is dead," Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said, adding that Lilian was "a much loved and appreciated member of the royal family". A statement published on the Royal Court's website said that the Princess, who suffered from Alzheimer's, went "peacefully during the afternoon in her home on Djurgården in Stockholm."
Lilian was a beloved aunt to Sweden's current king, King Carl Gustav. She wed Carl Gustaf's uncle, the late Prince Bertil, in 1976 – 33 years after they first fell in love against the dramatic backdrop of the World War II. The Welsh model and divorcee met her Prince while he was stationed at the Swedish Embassy in London. When he drove to find her during an air raid in her neighborhood, love blossomed. In her memoir, My Life with Prince Bertil Lilian said: "He was so handsome my prince. Especially in uniform. So charming and thoughtful. And so funny. Oh how we laughed together".
Succession laws prevented the couple from marrying, meaning that Lilian and Bertil lived as a common law couple for three decades before she could be officially welcomed into the royal family.
