Princess Astrid of Norway has died at the age of 94, two days after attending the funeral of her brother, the late King Harald V, the Norwegian royal palace announced. The funeral was her final public engagement.
Astrid was the last surviving child of King Olav V, who reigned from 1957 to 1991. Her health had declined in recent months, and she was treated in hospital for pneumonia in March.
She will be buried at state expense and flags will fly at half-mast across Norway, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.
Her nephew, King Haakon VIII, said Astrid had represented the royal house “in a warm and dutiful manner” throughout her long life, and that in her work she “was always particularly concerned with care and inclusion for the most vulnerable in society”.
First lady at 22
Astrid took on the role of Norway’s first lady in 1954, at the age of 22, following the death of her mother, Crown Princess Märtha. Olav did not remarry, and Astrid carried out the duties of the country’s leading royal woman until her brother Harald married in 1968.
Harald died last month at the age of 89 after more than 35 years on the throne, and was succeeded by Haakon. His funeral was held in Oslo on Wednesday, with dozens of European royals and heads of state in attendance, including the Prince of Wales and three Nordic monarchs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and five foreign prime ministers were among the non-royal mourners. Thousands lined the route of the procession from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral.
Both Sri Lankan outlets carried the report as BBC wire copy.
