Norway’s princess Astrid dies, aged 94, two days after King’s funeral

Norway’s Princess Astrid, an older sister of the late King Harald, died on September 11, at the age of 94, the royal palace has said in a statement.

“Throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House in a warm and dutiful manner,” King Haakon VIII noted, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Born in 1932, Astrid was the second child of then-Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha.

Following her mother’s death in 1954, the 22-year-old princess took on the role of Norway’s first lady.

She continued in that role until 1961, when she married businessman Johan Martin Ferner.

She later devoted much of her public work to charitable causes, including support for children with reading and writing difficulties.

Astrid’s brother Harald died last month, aged 89, after more than 35 years on the throne, and the princess made her last public appearance at his funeral on Wednesday, September 9.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov