Norway’s Princess Astrid, the eldest sister of the late King Harald V, died at age 94, the royal palace announced on Friday, September 11, 2026.
Her passing comes just two days after she attended her brother’s state funeral at Oslo Cathedral.
Princess Astrid, whose full name is Astrid Maud Ingeborg, was born on February 12, 1932, and is the second daughter of King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha. After her mother died in 1954, the 22-year-old princess became Norway’s First Lady until 1968, when her brother Harald married Sonja Haraldsen.
The princess married businessman Johan Martin Ferner in 1961, and they have five children—Cathrine, Benedikte, Alexander, Elisabeth, and Carl-Christian. Although Princess Astrid scaled back her official functions, she has been a dedicated benefactor of charities, especially those that help children struggling with reading and writing.
King Haakon VII paid tribute to his aunt in a heartfelt statement: “Throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House warmly and dutifully. She was an important support to King Haakon and the rest of our family. We learned a great deal from her, and she was not afraid to speak her mind.”
In 2026, the princess had been suffering from various illnesses such as pneumonia and heart failure, for which she required a temporary pacemaker to treat the problem. The princess’s final appearance was at the funeral of King Harald, which she arrived at using a wheelchair.
King Haakon ordered the flag to be flown at half-mast at the Royal Palace. The death of Princess Astrid is another significant loss for the royal family of Norway because her death happened just 14 days after the death of King Harald.
2026-09-11 19:54:00
