Princess Lilian | of Sweden, 97

Welsh-born Princess Lilian of Sweden, 97, whose decades-long love story with the king's uncle was one of the better-kept secrets of the royal household, died Sunday.

A brief statement on the Royal Palace's website said Princess Lilian died at her home in Stockholm. It didn't give a cause of death, but she had Alzheimer's disease and had been in poor health for several years.

Lilian Craig met Prince Bertil in 1943, but the prince's obligations to the throne and Lilian's status as a divorced commoner prevented them from making their love public, and it would take more than 30 years before they could marry.

The couple's sacrifices and lifelong dedication to each other gripped the hearts of Swedes. Their story has been described as one of the most touching royal romances of our time.

Bertil became a possible heir to the throne when his eldest brother died in a plane crash, leaving behind an infant son - the current King Carl XVI Gustaf. Two other brothers had dropped out of the line of succession by marrying commoners.

Bertil's father, King Gustaf VI Adolf, ordered him to abstain from marrying Lilian, since that would jeopardize the survival of the Bernadotte dynasty.

Instead, the couple let their romance flourish in an unofficial manner, living together in a common-law marriage for decades. - AP