Princess Astrid of Norway dies aged 94, two days after brother's funeral
The Norwegian Royal Household has announced the death of Princess Astrid of Norway. She died peacefully on 11 September 2026, aged 94, two days after the state funeral of her younger brother, King Harald of Norway. Reuters
King Harald died on 28 August. He was laid to rest in a state funeral, the formal public funeral held for a monarch, in Oslo on 9 September. U.S. News
Princess Astrid attended that service in Oslo. It was her final public appearance. Hello! Magazine
King Haakon of Norway paid tribute to his late aunt in an official statement from the Palace. He referred to her throughout as "Aunt Astrid". His words were: "Throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House in a warm and dutiful manner."
A version of that tribute was posted on the Royal Family's official Instagram account, @detnorskekongehus. It was shared as a reel pairing the King's words with a montage of black-and-white photographs. The images trace Princess Astrid's life from childhood through to marriage and starting a family.
Princess Astrid was the older sister of the late King Harald. BBC At the age of 22, after the death of Crown Princess Märtha, she stepped into the role of First Lady. In Norway that meant acting as the senior woman of the Royal House, undertaking official hosting and representative duties.
The Household records that she carried out that role for 14 years. It was a long apprenticeship in public duty. She remained a working member of the family for decades afterwards.
In 1961 she married Johan Ferner, an Olympic silver medallist in sailing. Their five children are Cathrine, born in 1962, Benedikte, born in 1963, Alexander, born in 1965, Elisabeth, born in 1969, and Carl-Christian, born in 1972.
She is survived by those five children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Following her death, His Majesty The King decided that flags would be flown at half-mast, the Palace notice records.
The announcement made no mention of funeral arrangements. For now, the record is the statement, the King's tribute, and the photographs.
