House Glucksburg | Name Princess Mrs. Spouse Johan Ferner (m. 1961) | |
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Issue Cathrine FernerBenedikte FernerAlexander FernerElisabeth FernerCarl-Christian Ferner Mother Princess Martha of Sweden Siblings Harald V of Norway, Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen Parents Princess Martha of Sweden, Olav V of Norway Children Alexander Ferner, Elisabeth Ferner, Cathrine Ferner, Benedikte Ferner, Carl-Christian Ferner Nephews Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, Haakon Lorentzen, Ingeborg Lorentzen Similar People Johan Ferner, Harald V of Norway, Princess Ragnhild - Mrs Lore, Olav V of Norway, Princess Martha of Sweden | ||
Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner (Astrid Maud Ingeborg; born 12 February 1932 in Oslo, Norway) is the second daughter of King Olav V of Norway 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.
Contents
- Life
- Marriage and children
- Patronages
- Titles
- National honours
- Foreign honours
- Honorific eponym
- Ancestry
- References
Life
Princess Astrid was christened 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; Princess Thyra of Denmark; Prince Eugen of Sweden; and Prince George of the United Kingdom. Princess Astrid was named after the popular maternal aunt, paternal grandmother, maternal grandmother.
Princess Astrid grew up on the royal estate of Skaugum in Asker and was privately educated. 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.
After the war, she studied economics and political history at Oxford.
From her mother's death in April 1954 until her brother's marriage in August 1968, Princess Astrid was the 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 2005, she took part in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, including the unveiling of a plaque marking the Norwegian monarch's exile in London.
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 (22 July 1927 – 24 January 2015), a sailor, Olympic medalist and businessman in Asker on 12 January 1961. The wedding was conducted by Bishop Arne Fjellbu of Nidaros. The couple have five children: Cathrine (b. 1962), Benedikte (b. 1963), Alexander (b. 1965), Elisabeth (b. 1969), and Carl-Christian (b. 1972).
Patronages
Princess Astrid is chair of the board of Crown Princess Märtha’s Memorial Fund which provides financial support to social and humanitarian initiatives carried out by non-governmental organisations.
She is a patron of several organizations and participates in their activities with great interest. She has been particularly involved in work for children and young people with dyslexia, herself having had a hard time during her childhood and youth due to that condition.
Titles
National honours
Foreign honours
Honorific eponym
Ancestry
As she is a great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, she is in the line of succession to the British throne. She is a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth II and a maternal first cousin of King Albert II of Belgium .