Princess Astrid's funeral

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Princess Astrid's funeral took place on September 23rd at the Ris Church in Oslo.  King Haakon VIII and the late Princess's five children served as pallbearers.

The princess died on September 11th, two days after the death of her younger brother, King Harald V. 

The 94-year-old princess was the second of three children of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud.

King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit were joined by Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Queen Sonja,  Princess Märtha Louise with her husband Durek Verrett and her three children, Maud, Leah and Emma Behn, Cathrine Ferner Benedikte Ferner, Alexander Ferner, Elisabeth Ferner and Carl-Christian Ferner with their children and grandchildren,  Haakon and Martha Lorentzen, Ingeborg Lorentzen Ribeiro and Paulo Ribeiro, and Ragnhild Lorentzen Long, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, Prince Jean of Luxembourg,  Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, and  Count Axel of Rosenborg and Countess Désirée of Rosenborg.

Axel and Désirée are the youngest children of the late Count Flemming of Rosenborg (ne Prince Flemming of Denmark), the youngest child of Prince Axel of Denmark and Princess Margaretha of Sweden, the elder sister of Crown Princess Martha.

Haakon, Ingeborg and Ragnhild Lorentzen are the children of the late Princess Ragnhild Alexandra, the eldest of King Haakon's three children.

Count Flemming and Princess Astrid were first cousins.  Princess Astrid of Belgium, Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein and her twin brother, Prince Jean of Luxembourg, are the grandchildren of Princess Astrid of Sweden, Margaretha and Martha's sister,  who married King Leopold III of the Belgians in 1926.

Prince Sverre Magnus did not attend the funeral as he is at Forward University is Lisbon, Portugal.

The Princess Royal sent a wreath.

Ola Vatn, Det kongelige hoff

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Their Majesties King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Queen Sonja, the King Mother, were present at Ris Church together with Princess Astrid's immediate family. Representatives of the state authorities, other princely houses and the Princess's patronage were also present.

The funeral service began with Pie Jesu, performed by Sølvguttene and Sissel Kyrkjebø, who later provided accompaniment. Parish priest Paul Erik Wirgenes officiated together with Oslo's bishop, Sunniva Gylver.

Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg represented the government and gave a memorial speech for Princess Astrid. He highlighted the Princess's long service to Norway - and how his father, Thorvald Stoltenberg, as president of the Russian Federation at Princess Astrid's birth, had helped to arrange a "royal Russian celebration".

When she had found the man she wanted to share her life with, Princess Astrid stood up for love. Her chosen one, Johan Martin Ferner, was divorced, and this aroused opposition. Thus, the Princess took the lead on royals' choice of life partners.

- King Harald was Princess Astrid's little brother. And you are a little brother all your life, said Jens Stoltenberg.

And she did that until the end. Two days after his funeral, she herself passed away.

In his condolences on the Princess's death, King Haakon said, among other things:

"In her work, Princess Astrid was always particularly concerned with care and inclusion for the most vulnerable in society. She was very loyal and always carried out her duties with commitment, presence and an infectious spirit. Aunt Astrid was an important support for King Harald and the rest of us in the family. We learned a lot from her, and she was not afraid to speak up. Her passing is a great loss for us. We will miss her."

At the end of the ceremony, King Haakon and representatives of Princess Astrid's immediate family carried the bier out. In front of the bier walked Bishop Gylver and a young guard - the palace orderly who had been Princess Astrid's chauffeur in recent months.

Grandchildren and great-grandchildren each placed a red rose on Princess Astrid's bier. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB

In 2002, Princess Astrid received an honorary pension from the government for her contributions to Norway. Today, she was given a final honor with a funeral at state expense.

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