Palace: Sweden’s Princess Lilian has Alzheimer’s, will not attend royal wedding

Sweden’s Princess Lilian to miss royal wedding

STOCKHOLM — A royal court official says 94-year old Princess Lilian, the oldest member of Sweden’s royal family, has Alzheimer’s disease and will miss Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding in two weeks.

The Welsh-born Lilian has cut down on her royal duties in recent years for health reasons and Court Marshal Elisabeth Palmstierna says she won’t attend Victoria’s wedding to Daniel Westling on June 19.

Palmstierna told The Associated Press on Thursday that Lilian suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, which wasn’t previously known to the public.

In 1976 Lilian married Sweden’s Prince Bertil, the uncle of the current king, Carl XVI Gustaf. Bertil died in 1997.

Victoria is the king’s oldest child and next in line to the throne. The monarch in Sweden is a ceremonial figure.