Early life Lillian May Davies was born on 30 August 1915, in
Swansea,
Wales, the daughter of William John Davies, who had a market stall after working in a coal mine, and his wife Gladys Mary (née Curran), a shop assistant. The site of the terraced house where they lived is now beneath the
Quadrant Shopping Centre. Her parents separated in the 1920s, but they were not divorced until 1939. She moved to London when she was 16. She dropped one 'l' from her first name when given work as a model, dancer and singer; she also was a hostess at a gambling club. She was photographed for magazines such as
Vogue. In 1940, Lilian married the
Scottish actor
Ivan Craig (1912–1995) in
Horsham,
West Sussex. Bertil's older brother,
Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, was second in line to the Swedish throne; but he died in 1947. As Gustaf Adolf's son,
Carl Gustaf, was less than one year old, it seemed likely that, when Bertil's grandfather, King
Gustaf V, and father (Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf, the future King
Gustaf VI Adolf) died, he would have to serve as
regent (other heirs having given up their places in the line of succession because of marriages not acceptable to the king). For this reason, Bertil chose not to marry Lilian, so the couple simply lived together discreetly for more than thirty years. In 1946, Prince Bertil acquired a house in
Sainte-Maxime, France, that became their private retreat. Bertil never had to become regent, since his father, who ascended the throne in 1950, lived long enough to see his grandson, Carl Gustaf, come of age. Carl XVI Gustaf ascended the throne in 1973, and, having married a commoner himself, he approved Bertil's and Lilian's marriage, meaning that Bertil would be able to keep his titles and place in the line of succession, and that Lillian would become a princess. They were married on 7 December 1976 at the church of
Drottningholm Palace in the presence of the king and
the queen.
Widowhood for the
Royal Cemetery on 16 March 2013. Prince Bertil died on 5 January 1997 in their home. From 1997 until 2010, Lilian continued to represent the royal family at various engagements and other occasions. She was the patron of many organizations. In 2000, Lilian released a biography of her life with Bertil. In August 2008, Lilian fell and broke her femur in her apartment; and, in February 2009, she again suffered a fall in her home. It was announced on 3 June 2010, that Lilian was afflicted with
Alzheimer's disease and was no longer able to appear in public. She lived her final years at Villa Solbacken, her longtime home in the
Djurgården area of Stockholm, attended by three nurses. Her death came as the
royal family was preparing for
Princess Madeleine's wedding, and the family interrupted what they were doing to spend her last moments together with her. Her 16 March funeral was broadcast live on
SVT. It was attended by her nephew and niece-in-law the King and the Queen of Sweden; her nieces the
Queen of Denmark,
Princess Margaretha,
Princess Birgitta,
Princess Désirée, and
Princess Christina; her grandnieces
Crown Princess Victoria and
Princess Madeleine; and her grandnephew and grandnephew-in-law
Prince Carl Philip and
Prince Daniel.
Princess Astrid of Norway was also in attendance, as were her friends
Roger Moore and his Swedish wife Kiki Tholstrup. ==Honours and arms==