“Princess Astrid has passed away,” announced the Norwegian royal house this Friday, September 11. “His Majesty the King has received the news with great sorrow,” says the brief statement. It has only been 14 days since the monarch of the Nordic country is Haakon VIII, who assumed the position after the death of his father, King Harald, on August 28 at the age of 89. Princess Astrid of Norway, who died at 94, last appeared last Wednesday during the State funeral held in Oslo for her younger brother.
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After being hospitalized for several months due to heart problems — she had to have a pacemaker implanted — and being discharged on August 4, Princess Astrid of Norway had only visited the Rikshospitalet hospital in Oslo strictly privately to say goodbye to her brother in his final hours. This Wednesday, September 9, she accompanied the rest of the family at the funeral held at the capital’s cathedral and at the intimate ceremony at Akershus Fortress, where the remains of Harald of Norway rest alongside those of his parents and grandparents. However, due to her health condition, she was not part of the royal procession that followed the coffin from the Royal Palace to the church.
“Dear mother, dear Princess Astrid, thank you for being the best mother we could have. Throughout your life, you were there for us with love and wisdom, warmth and good humor. You were present for grandfather, King Olav, and uncle, King Harald, always present, loyal, and dedicated. And also, for those who needed a little more attention, you always showed sincere affection,” expressed the Norwegian royal family in a statement signed by her five children (Cathrine, Benedikte, Alexander, Elisabeth, and Carl-Christian Ferner), along with their families. “Thank you for all the good memories. You will always hold a special place in our hearts,” they said goodbye.
Haakon VIII, for his part, dedicated some words to his aunt as the new monarch of the country: “Throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the royal house with warmth and dedication. At 22, she had to assume the role of first lady after the death of my grandmother, Crown Princess Märtha.” He adds: “In her work, Princess Astrid always showed special interest in the care and inclusion of the most vulnerable in society. She was very loyal and always performed her duties with commitment, presence, and a contagious spirit.” As the Nordic royal house’s website recalls, for 14 years, from 1954 to 1968, Princess Astrid was the country’s first lady. She assumed the role at just 22 years old, when her mother, Crown Princess Märtha, died in 1954.
“Aunt Astrid was a great support for King Harald and the rest of the family. We learned a lot from her and she was never afraid to express her opinion. Her passing is a great loss for us. We will miss her very much. My family and I send our deepest condolences to Aunt Astrid’s closest friends,” the monarch adds in the statement.
On September 3, Princess Astrid was seen in public for the first time since the death of her brother, King Harald of Norway. Until that day, she had not participated in any parliamentary ceremonies or family events. Then, she attended the wake located at the Royal Palace to privately mourn the monarch’s remains. It was the Nordic royal house itself that shared those private images on its Instagram account, where she can be seen alone in front of the coffin, sitting in her wheelchair and in strict mourning. Today they also announced her death on the official royal house profile on the social network: “His Majesty the King has received with great sorrow the news of Princess Astrid’s passing,” says the post.
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Despite her age, Princess Astrid remained active on the institutional agenda and continued attending engagements. In May, she starred in her last two official acts. On May 4, she attended the 50th anniversary of the Norwegian Dyslexia Association at Oslo City Hall, where she was accompanied by then-Prince Haakon. A few days later, she was present at the centenary celebration of the Blindern and Vinderen health association. Due to her health problems, it was uncertain whether she would participate in the monarch’s final farewell, but she did accompany the rest of the family. She was present on September 9 at Oslo Cathedral, but in a secondary role. This was the last time she was seen in public. King Haakon VIII has decided that the flags at the Royal Palace be flown at half-mast this Friday, as well as on the day of the funeral, the date of which is currently unknown.
Astrid of Norway, born on February 12, 1932, experienced the Nazi German occupation as a child on April 9, 1940. That same night, she crossed the Norwegian border with her parents, then Crown Prince Olav and Princess Märtha of Sweden; and her siblings, Harald and Ragnhild (the eldest). In mid-August of that year, they settled in the United States by invitation of then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Astrid did not return to Norway until June 7, 1945. “The reunion with my father is the most vivid memory I have of June 7, 1945. The weather was bad, so we couldn’t see land, but I clearly remember the small boats that greeted us at the end of the Oslo fjord. It was our first encounter with Norway. All the boats were decorated with Norwegian flags. As we advanced, more and more boats appeared. In the end, there were so many that we could almost have disembarked without getting wet,” she recounted about that moment she experienced at 13 years old.
The princess announced her engagement to sailor and Olympic medalist Johan Martin Ferner in 1960, and a year later they married at the Asker church. The wedding was controversial at the time because Ferner was divorced, and neither the bishop of Oslo nor the parish priest of the Asker church wanted to officiate the ceremony. Finally, Astrid’s father, already King of Norway, requested the bishop of Nidaros, who had formally blessed his succession to the throne a few years earlier, to marry the couple. In July 1962, their first daughter, Cathrine, was born. Later came Benedikte, Alexander, Elisabeth, and Carl-Christian. Johan Martin, who firmly remained in the background, attending only occasionally to state visits or important events with his wife, died on January 24, 2015.
“He had a great sense of humor and was often the life of family gatherings, thanks to his great storytelling skills and witty remarks. He also had a prodigious memory and gladly shared his rich and detailed memories of his childhood and youth, especially the war years. This greatly enriched family and friends, but also historians, writers, and the media,” the obituary published by the royal house highlights about Astrid of Norway.
During her life, she represented the monarchy in countless trips and representative functions, both in Norway — such as state visits and dinners at the Royal Palace — and abroad. A memorable encounter remains from the summer of 1960, when she visited the Paramount studios in Hollywood along with Margrethe of Denmark and Margaretha of Sweden. There, the three met a young Elvis Presley during the filming of the movie Café Europa in Uniform (G.I. Blues).
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