Norwegian Princess Astrid, sister of King Harald V, has died at the age of 94.

Author, News Department

Place of work, BBC Russian Service

Published 3 minutes ago

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Norway's Princess Astrid, sister of the late King Harald V, has died aged 94, two days after attending his funeral, the royal palace said.

The new King Haakon VIII stated that "Throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House with warmth and devotion."

King Harald died on August 28 at the age of 89, having been on the throne for more than 35 years. His funeral was the last public event in which Princess Astrid took part.

The princess will be buried at public expense, and flags throughout Norway will be flown at half-mast, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.

She was the last surviving child of King Olaf V, who reigned from 1957 to 1991.

Princess Astrid became First Lady of Norway in 1954 at the age of 22, following the death of her mother, Crown Princess Märtha. King Olaf did not remarry, and Astrid retained the title until her brother's marriage in 1968.

“In her work, Princess Astrid has always placed special emphasis on caring for the most vulnerable in society and their inclusion,” her nephew Haakon VIII said in a statement.

In recent months, the princess's health has deteriorated (as has King Harald's), and in March she was treated in hospital for pneumonia.

In the last months of Harald's life, the royal family in Norway faced problems and scandals.

Earlier this year, documents emerged showing that Haakon's wife Mette-Marit was in frequent contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She later stated that she regretted meeting him.

Her 29-year-old son from a previous marriage, Marius Borg Høiby - who is not a member of the royal family but grew up in it - was sentenced in June to four years in prison on two counts of rape.