King Harald’s sister dies two days after his funeral

Alexandra SnowFri, September 11, 2026 at 3:36 PM UTC

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Princess Astrid attended her brother King Harald’s funeral on Wednesday in what was her last public appearance - Shutterstock

Princess Astrid, the sister of King Harald of Norway, has died aged 94, just two days after attending his funeral.

The princess made her last public appearance at her younger brother’s funeral on Wednesday in Oslo.

The palace said on Friday: “His Majesty the King has received with great sadness the news that Princess Astrid has passed away.”

“Throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the royal house in a warm and dutiful manner,” the newly crowned King Haakon VIII of Norway said in the statement.

Princess Astrid with Elizabeth II at the Royal Palace in Oslo in June 1955 - Getty Images/Paul Popper

Flags will fly at half-mast from the palace balcony to commemorate the late princess.

Harald died aged 89 last month as Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, after more than 35 years on the throne.

The princess, who at 94 was the oldest working royal in the world, attended his funeral this week in a packed Oslo Cathedral alongside her family.

King Harald’s funeral service was held in Oslo Cathedral - 2026 Getty Images

The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal joined world leaders at the funeral. Princess Anne is the godmother of the new King.

Princess Astrid said her goodbyes to her younger brother and thanked him for “everything we’ve had together”.

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Before the funeral, the Norwegian Royal House shared pictures of Princess Astrid sitting alone in a wheelchair next to King Harald’s coffin last week.

Princess Astrid leaves Oslo Cathedral - Copyright 2026 The . All rights reserved/Markus Schreiber

During the funeral service, Queen Sonja of Norway placed a red rose among the white hydrangeas on her late husband’s coffin.

He had threatened never to marry unless he was allowed to marry the love of his life, a commoner, leading to a constitutional crisis in the 1960s. Harald died on Aug 28, a day before their 58th wedding anniversary.

The couple shared two children, Princess Märtha Louise and the new King.

Princess Astrid was the oldest of five living great-grandchildren of Britain’s King Edward VII, alongside Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, and the Duke of Gloucester.

Crown Princess Martha of Norway with her two daughters Princess Alexandra (left) and Princess Astrid - Bettmann

Her death continues the annus horribilis for the Norwegian royal family.

It emerged earlier this year that King Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, was once friends with Jeffrey Epstein.

Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Mette-Marit whom King Haakon adopted as his own, was also convicted this year of rape and assault, deepening a public relations crisis for the monarchy.

Support for the crown in Norway plummeted as a result of the scandals.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”