Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner

Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner (Astrid Maud Ingeborg; born 12 February 1932) is the second daughter of King Olav V and his wife, Princess Märtha of Sweden. She is the older sister of King Harald V of Norway and younger sister of the late Princess Ragnhild.

Life
Princess Astrid was born on 12 February 1932 at Villa Solbakken to the future King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha. She was baptized in the Palace Chapel on 31 March 1932 and her godparents were: her paternal grandparents, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway; her maternal grandparents, Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden; her maternal aunt, Princess Astrid, Duchess of Brabant; Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother); Princess Thyra of Denmark; Prince Eugen of Sweden; and Prince George of the United Kingdom. Princess Astrid was named after her maternal aunt, paternal grandmother, and maternal grandmother.

Princess Astrid grew up on the royal estate of Skaugum in Asker and was privately educated during her childhood. During World War II, she joined her family fleeing the Nazis and spent the war with her mother, brother and sister in exile in Washington, DC.

Princess Astrid's mother died on 5 April 1954 from cancer at age 53 when Astrid was 22 years old. From her mother's death until her brother's marriage in August 1968, Princess Astrid was the senior lady of the court and acted as first lady of Norway, working side-by-side with her father on all representation duties, including state visits. Princess Astrid raised her family in Vinderen; she now lives in Nordmarka, Oslo. Her hobbies include knitting, embroidery, reading and painting porcelain.

In February 2012, Princess Astrid celebrated her 80th birthday with a private dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

Marriage and children
Princess Astrid married divorced commoner Johan Martin Ferner in Asker on 12 January 1961. Together, the couple have five children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Titles, styles and honours

Titles
 12 February 1932 – 12 January 1961: Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Norway
 12 January 1961 – present: Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner

Ancestry
Astrid is a great-granddaughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and thus a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth II. At the time of her birth, she was 18th in the line of succession to the British throne.

References

Other websites
 Website of the Royal House of Norway: Princess Astrid

Category:1932 births
Category:Living people
Category:Norwegian princesses
Category:House of Glücksburg (Norway)
Category:Holmenkollen medalists