Lilian of Sweden

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Lilian of Sweden in the 1940s

Princess Lilian of Sweden , Duchess of Halland (born August 30, 1915 as Lillian May Davies in Swansea , Wales , † March 10, 2013 in Stockholm ), was the widow of Prince Bertil of Sweden , a son of King Gustav VI. Adolf and uncle of King Carl XVI. Gustaf . Her first name was originally spelled Lillian, she crossed out an l when she was working as a photo model in her youth .

Life

Princess Lilian was the daughter of William John Davies and Gladys Mary Curran. From 1940 to 1945 she was married to Walter Ivan Craig, an actor. During World War II , Lilian Craig worked in a factory that made radios for the British Navy and in a hospital for injured soldiers.

In 1943 she met Prince Bertil in London at a party she organized just before her 28th birthday. They soon became a couple. When his older brother, Hereditary Prince Gustav Adolf, died in 1947, he left behind his only one year old son Carl Gustaf (* 1946). It seemed likely at this point that Bertil would one day be regent of Sweden. Since other candidates had to give up their places in the line of succession because of inappropriate connections , only Bertil and his nephew Carl XVI. Gustav can be throned. Lilian and Bertil lived together unmarried for over 30 years because Bertil did not want to lose his claim to the throne by marrying a commoner. Bertil did not become regent, however, since Carl XVI. Gustav was already of legal age when his grandfather Gustav VI. Adolf died.

The Villa Solbacken, apartment of Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian from 1949

On December 7th, 1976, after the final royal permit was granted, Lilian and Bertil were married in the palace church of Drottningholm in the presence of the king and queen . Prince Bertil died on 5 January 1997 in Villa of the couple in the Stockholm district of Djurgården . Princess Lilian was at his side. Even after her husband's death, she continued to take on the duties of representation for the royal family. She has been a patron of many organizations and an honorary member in various clubs and societies. Princess Lilian was the patron of "SOS-Barnbyar Sverige" ( SOS Children's Villages ) and traditionally presented a number of awards every year, including a. the “Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg Prize” in medicine, the “ Hasselblad Foundation Award ” and sponsored athletes from the “Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian Sports Foundation”. She was the holder of the Order of Saint Olav , the highest order in Norway .

In 2000 she published a biography about her life with Prince Bertil.

Princess Lilian's official appearances declined over time due to both her advanced age and the deterioration in her health. In 2006 she took part in the Nobel Prize celebrations for the last time . In August 2008, the princess fell and had to undergo surgery because of a fracture of her thigh bone . In February 2009 she underwent treatment at the Stockholm Queen Sophia College of Nursing Sophiahemmet for a broken bone after another fall . In June 2010, the royal family informed the public that Princess Lilian was suffering from Alzheimer's disease .

She was cared for in the Villa Solbacken, where she and Prince Bertil had lived since 1949. She died there on March 10, 2013 in the presence of the royal family. On the morning of March 11th, church bells rang in mourning in central Stockholm. The flags were raised at half mast on the royal palaces and government buildings, only interrupted for the state visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gül . Her coffin was laid out in Stockholm Castle , where it was open to the public on March 15th. On March 16, 2013, a ceremony was held in the castle church and the coffin was then buried in the Haga cemetery.

literature

Elisabeth Tarras-Wahlberg, Omar Magnergård: Mitt liv med Prins Bertil. Princess Lilian advised. Ekerlids förlag, Stockholm 2000, ISBN 91-88595-77-3 .

Awards

Web links

Commons : Lilian of Sweden  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ HKH Prinsessan Lilian har avlidit (Sveriges Kungahus, Swedish, accessed March 11, 2013)
  2. ↑ ”Prinsessan Lilian har avlidit” ( Aftonbladet , March 10, 2013, Swedish, accessed March 11, 2013)
  3. ↑ HRH Princess Lilian, Biography, Royal Engagements ( Memento of the original from October 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.royalcourt.se
  4. ↑ a b Dagens Nyheter, Prinsessan Lilian har avlidit , March 10, 2013 (Swedish)
  5. ↑ TT (August 13, 2008): Prinsessan Lilian mår bra efter operations Dagens Nyheter (accessed December 4, 2011)
  6. ↑ Johan T. Lindwall (February 10, 2009) Prinsessan Lilian föll ihop i hemmet  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Expressen (accessed December 4, 2011)@1@ 2Template: dead link / www.expressen.se  
  7. ↑ TT (June 3, 2010): Hovmarskalk: Lilian har alzheimer Svenska Dagbladet , Stockholm (accessed December 4, 2011)
  8. ↑ Dagens Nyheter, Prinsessan Lilians begravning i Slottskyrkan , March 11, 2013 (Swedish)
  9. ↑ Press release of the royal family on the use of flags , March 10, 2013 (Swedish)
  10. ↑ Dagens Nyheter, Många ville ta farväl av prinsessan Lilian , March 15, 2013 (Swedish)
  11. ↑ Dagens Nyheter, Prinsessan förs till sin sista vila , March 16, 2013 (Swedish)
  12. ↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)
personal data
SURNAME Lilian of Sweden
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Davies, Lillian May (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish princess
DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Swansea , Wales
DATE OF DEATH March 10, 2013
Place of death Djurgården , Stockholm