The elder sister of the late King serv First Lady of Norway

NEED TO KNOW

• Princess Astrid of Norway has died at 94
• The princess was the last surviving child of King Olav V and Princess Märtha of Sweden
• Her death comes just two days after the funeral of her younger brother, King Harald V

Princess Astrid of Norway has died at 94.

The princess, whose official title was Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner, died just two days after the funeral of her younger brother, the late King Harald V.

The Norwegian Royal House announced the news on Friday, Sept. 11, sharing that the princess “passed away peacefully” earlier that day.

“His Majesty the King has received with great sorrow the news that Princess Astrid has passed away,” the palace said. Her nephew, the new King Haakon VIII, also ordered that the flag over the Royal Palace balcony be flown at half-mast.

“Throughout a long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House in a warm and dutiful manner,” the King said. “Aunt Astrid was an important support to King Harald and the rest of our family. We learned a great deal from her, and she was not afraid to speak her mind.”

Princess Astrid was married to the late Johan Martin Ferner from 1961 until his death in 2015, and they had five children: Cathrine, Benedikte, Alexander, Elisabeth and Carl-Christian Ferner.

Her children, who do not hold royal roles, released a statement upon the news of their mother’s death, saying, “In our grief, we stand together with gratitude. Thank you for all the wonderful memories. You will forever hold a great place in our hearts.” 

The Storting, the supreme legislature of Norway, also paid tribute to the late princess, saying, “A highly beloved member of the royal family has left us. Norway has lost a memorable and highly esteemed princess. Our condolences go to the royal house and the closest family.”

She was born prior to Norway introducing absolute primogeniture and thus was never in line to the throne; however, Astrid supported the crown throughout her life. 

Following the death of her mother, Crown Princess Märtha, she helped her father, King Olav, by serving as the First Lady of Norway, a position comparable to the role of a Queen Consort, until her brother married the future Queen Sonja in 1968.

King Haakon announced that his late aunt will receive a state funeral, the details of which will be announced at a later date.

While she was able to attend her brother’s funeral at Oslo Cathedral on Wednesday, Sept. 9, Princess Astrid has suffered health issues over the last year. She was hospitalized in March after contracting pneumonia and was forced to forgo royal duties as she recovered.

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While she was never in line to the Norwegian throne, Princess Astrid was distantly part of the U.K.’s line of succession due to being a great-grandchild of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living descendant of Queen Victoria.

Many of today’s European royal families share connected bloodlines thanks to the strategic matchmaking of 19th-century monarchs like Queen Victoria and King Christian IX of Denmark. Queen Victoria, in particular, is sometimes referred to as “the grandmother of Europe” for how many family trees have grown from her line of descendants.

Through their shared royal lineage, Astrid and the late Queen Elizabeth were second cousins. Following her death, and that of King Harald, the only remaining great-grandchildren of King Edward VII are the Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester.

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