Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner, has died at 94, just two days after being wheeled into Oslo Cathedral for the state funeral of Norway’s late King Harald V, her brother. In its announcement on Friday, September 11, 2026, the royal palace said she had died peacefully.
“The Princess fell asleep today, Friday 11 September, at the age of 94,” the palace said in a statement. She had lived through wartime exile in the United States, given up the style of Royal Highness in order to marry, and served the Norwegian crown for decades.
Her nephew King Haakon VIII, 53, who succeeded Harald as monarch on Friday, August 28, ordered the flag above the Royal Palace balcony flown at half-mast on September 11 and again on the day of her funeral. The palace has since confirmed that the service will begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, at Ris Church in Oslo, and that Norwegian television will carry it live. Ris was chosen because it stands near Vinderen, the neighborhood where the princess lived for decades with her husband and raised their five children.
King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Ingrid and Queen Sonja will all attend, according to the palace, as will Astrid’s children and other relatives — a group that could include Prince Sverre Magnus, who does not hold formal membership in the Royal House. Flags will fly at half-mast across Norway and the princess will be buried at state expense, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. The state will cover the cost of the funeral.
