OSLO, Norway – Princess Astrid of Norway, the elder sister of the late King Harald V and a stalwart figure in the nation’s modern royal history, died on Friday, September 11, 2026, at the age of 94, the Royal Court confirmed in an official palace communique released in Oslo.
The death of the princess plunges the Scandinavian kingdom into fresh royal bereavement barely two days after the conclusion of national mourning for her younger brother, King Harald V, who passed away in late August at the age of 89 following a 35-year reign on the throne.
Okay News reports that Princess Astrid made her final public appearance on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, attending King Harald’s historic state funeral at Oslo Cathedral alongside reigning monarch King Haakon VIII, Queen Sonja, Queen Mette-Marit, and visiting European royalty.
Leading national tributes on Friday, her nephew, King Haakon VIII, commended her lifelong commitment to the crown and her enduring service to the Norwegian people across multiple generations.
“Throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the royal house in a warm and dutiful manner,” King Haakon VIII stated in an official announcement released by the Royal Palace.
Born Princess Astrid Maud Ingeborg on February 12, 1932, at Villa Solbakken in Oslo, she was the second daughter and the last surviving child of King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha of Sweden.
Following the premature death of her mother from cancer in 1954, Princess Astrid stepped into an extraordinary constitutional and social role at just 22 years old, serving as Norway’s de facto first lady for 14 years alongside her father, King Olav V, accompanying him on state visits and official diplomatic engagements until Crown Prince Harald married Sonja Haraldsen in August 1968.
Upon her marriage to Olympic sailor and businessman Johan Martin Ferner in 1961, she assumed the official style of Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner, continuing to maintain extensive patronages across social welfare, public health, and humanitarian organizations, including chairing Crown Princess Märtha’s Memorial Fund.
Her passing marks the symbolic close of an era for the House of Glücksburg, having lived through Norway’s wartime royal exile during World War II in Washington, D.C., and actively supporting three successive sovereigns: King Haakon VII, King Olav V, and King Harald V.
The Royal Court disclosed that formal details and arrangements concerning her funeral service and interment will be communicated to the public following consultations within the royal household.
