OSLO — Norway’s Princess Astrid, the older sister of the late King Harald V, died on Friday at the age of 94, just days after attending her brother’s funeral.
Her death came two days after she joined Norway and foreign dignitaries in bidding farewell to King Harald, who died last month at 89 after more than 35 years on the throne. Princess Astrid made her last public appearance at his funeral on Wednesday.
“Throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House in a warm and dutiful manner,” King Haakon VIII said in a statement.
Flags will be flown at half-mast from the palace to commemorate the late princess, the new king announced.
On Wednesday, Norway bade its final farewell to Harald V as crowds lined the streets of Oslo and royals and leaders from across Europe and beyond gathered for the funeral of the long-serving monarch, remembered as a popular king with a down-to-earth touch.
A 21-gun salute rang out over the capital at the start of the funeral procession from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral. Princess Astrid is reported to have said goodbye to her brother in the cathedral and thanked him for “everything we’ve had together.”
Harald’s son, the new King Haakon VIII, and other senior royals walked behind the coffin, which was draped with the red Norwegian royal standard. Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, and Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, followed in a car.
Norwegian officials and foreign dignitaries joined the solemn procession. Among them were the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco and Jordan. Also present were Britain’s Prince William, Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, and political leaders from more than 20 countries. As the funeral service began, Norway came to a halt for a minute of silence.
Harald, who died on Aug. 28 aged 89, was Europe’s oldest monarch and had reigned for 35 years. His son immediately became king and last week took an oath of allegiance to Norway’s constitution in parliament.
The parliament’s speaker, Masud Gharahkhani, said at the service that “King Harald was close to the people” and recalled that “he wasn’t afraid to meet people in his rubber boots.”
When Norway regained its independence from Sweden in 1905, three-quarters of voters in a national plebiscite approved restoring the monarchy. The Norwegian royal house has kinfolk in other European royal families.
Harald and Haakon are related to both Britain’s King Charles III and Spain’s King Felipe VI: they are all descendants of the U.K.’s Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 until her death in 1901.
Today, the throne’s role is largely symbolic, and power lies with the elected government and parliament. But the Norwegian royal family retains a role in promoting the wealthy Scandinavian nation around the world.
