A 55th birthday between two farewells for Norway's Princess Märtha Louise

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway turns 55 on 22 September, one day before her family gathers for a second funeral in two weeks.

The birthday falls at the end of a period of mourning for the Norwegian Royal House. It comes on the eve of the funeral of her aunt, Princess Astrid, as reported by Hello! Magazine.

Princess Astrid of Norway died aged 94, 15 days after her brother. Her brother was King Harald V of Norway, who reigned from 1991 until his death in 2026. King Harald died on 28 August 2026.

His state funeral, a public funeral with full military and national ceremony, was held in Oslo on 9 September 2026. Princess Astrid was present at that service in Oslo. That appearance was her last in public.

Reuters reported Princess Astrid's death on 11 September 2026. She was 94. The report came two days after the king's funeral, which she had attended.

The Norwegian Royal House then published arrangements for her own funeral. The service will be held at Ris Church in Oslo. It is listed for Wednesday, 23 September at 13:00, with the announcement published on 11 September 2026, according to the Norwegian Royal House.

Princess Märtha Louise is the elder child of King Harald and Queen Sonja. She stepped down from royal duties, the official engagements and patronages carried out on behalf of the monarch, in November 2022. She keeps her title but no longer acts as a working member of the Royal House.

She married Durek Verrett on 31 August 2024. King Harald attended the wedding. It took place two years after she stepped back, and two years before his death.

The sequence is stark. A wedding attended by the king in August 2024. The king's death in August 2026. His state funeral on 9 September. His sister's death days later. Her funeral on 23 September.

For Princess Märtha Louise, the 55th birthday sits in the middle of that sequence. The family marked her father's farewell one week. It will mark her aunt's the next.