Princess Astrid laid to rest in Oslo as Marius Borg Hoiby stays away
Princess Astrid of Norway was laid to rest on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, two weeks after the state funeral of her younger brother.
The service took place at Ris Church in Oslo. It was not a state funeral, the formal state-organised ceremony used for a monarch, but a smaller family burial. Hello! Magazine
The 13:00 service was officiated by parish priest Paul Erik Wirgenes and Sunniva Gylver, the Bishop of Oslo. The coffin was then carried out in procession from the church.
Princess Astrid was the older sister of King Harald of Norway. She died on 11 September at the age of 94. Her final public appearance had been at King Harald's funeral.
She died two days after attending that service, according to the BBC. BBC
King Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet at 6:35am on Friday 28 August. He was laid to rest in a state funeral on 9 September, with a procession through central Oslo. Hello! Magazine
The absence that drew attention at Princess Astrid's funeral was Marius Borg Hoiby. He is the 29-year-old son of Queen Mette-Marit of Norway, from a relationship before her marriage.
Hoiby is currently under electronic monitoring at Skaugum Palace, a system that allows authorities to track a person at a set address instead of holding them in custody. He did not attend the service at Ris Church.
The reason was procedural. He did not request permission from the prosecutor's office to leave monitoring to attend. Police lawyer Oda Karterud told the Norwegian outlet Nettavisen that no request had been received. Hello! Magazine
That was different from earlier in September. Hoiby attended King Harald's funeral despite being under house arrest. He was granted permission for that occasion and helped carry King Harald's coffin.
His legal position remains serious. On 15 June 2026 the Oslo District Court sentenced him to four years in prison after finding him guilty of 34 offences including several rapes. His appeal was accepted, with a retrial scheduled for 9 February 2027.
Two other close relatives were also absent from Ris Church. Prince Sverre Magnus remained in Lisbon, where he is studying at Forward College. Princess Märtha Louise did not attend.
