Royal Funeral Today

Posted by zlatin on

This is mainly to inform visitors about what will be going on in Stockholm today in regards to the funeral for Her Royal Highness Princess Lilian. In case you are curious about the woman, visiting dignitaries, the lines of people, happenings at the Royal Palace and such.

Photo by Claes Göran Carlsson, kungahuset.se

HRH Princess Lilian passed away this week at the age of 97. She was the aunt of our king and very beloved by the people of Sweden. Born in England, she met and fell in love with Prince Bertil of Sweden during World War II. When the current king's father died in a plane crash in 1947, Bertil had to be prepared to act as regent until the king (then less than 1 year old) came of age. Because of this, he could not marry Lilian (a commoner) as you gave up your right to the throne in those days if you married a commoner. They lived together discretely for 30 years until the king came to the throne (after the death of his grandfather) and he allowed them to marry. As the king himself had married a commoner, he could hardly deny his uncle. A romantic story!

Royal Chapel, kungahuset.se

As a visitor, it is good to know that the funeral will take place in the chapel at the Royal Palace at 1pm. There will be a lot of spectators and media, so it would probably be best to avoid the area around the Royal Palace. There will also be a cannon salute from the island of Skeppsholmen, across the water from the palace. After the services (approximately 2pm) there will be a motorcade winding through downtown Stockholm, taking the princess to her final resting place in Haga Park, north of the city. Expect roads cordoned off as well as traffic during this time.