Norway's Princess Astrid dies two days after attending brother King Harald's funeral
"Princess Astrid was always particularly concerned with care and inclusion for the most vulnerable in society," her nephew King Haakon said in a statement.
Norway’s Princess Astrid dies two days after attending brother King Harald’s funeral
Princess Astrid of Norway, sister of the late King Harald V, has died at 94, two days after she attended his funeral, the royal palace said.
The new king, Haakon VIII, said that “throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House in a warm and dutiful manner”.
Harald died last month at 89, after more than 35 years on the throne. Astrid’s final public appearance was his funeral.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the princess will be buried at state expense and that flags will be flown at half-mast across Norway.
Astrid was the last surviving child of King Olav V, who ruled from 1957 to 1991.
She became Norway’s first lady at 22 in 1954, after the death of her mother, Crown Princess Märtha. Olav never remarried, and Astrid kept the title until her brother married in 1968.
“In her work, Princess Astrid was always particularly concerned with care and inclusion for the most vulnerable in society,” her nephew King Haakon said in a statement.
Her health had worsened in recent months, and in March she was treated in hospital for pneumonia.
Dozens of European royals and heads of state attended Harald’s funeral on Wednesday, including the Prince of Wales and three Nordic kings.
Thousands of people lined the route for a procession from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon.
Among the non-royal leaders paying their respects were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and five foreign prime ministers.
In the final months of Harald’s life, Norway’s royal family faced personal difficulties and scandal.
Earlier this year, documents showed that his wife, Queen Mette-Marit, had frequent contact with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She later said she wished she had never met the late disgraced financier.
Meanwhile, her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby — who is not a royal but grew up in the family — was sentenced in June to four years in prison for two counts of rape.
Høiby, who is under house arrest while awaiting appeal, was allowed to attend the funeral.
On Wednesday, Astrid attended her brother’s funeral in a wheelchair.