🔻Princess Astrid, sister of Norway’s King Harald V, died just two days after attending her brother’s funeral in Oslo.

She began her role as Norway’s First Lady at the age of 22 in 1954, after her mother, Princess Martha, died. Olaf did not remarry, and Astrid kept this title until her brother’s wedding in 1968.

Norway’s prime minister announced that Astrid’s funeral will be held at government expense, and that flags across the country will be flown at half-mast.

The current King of Norway said that during her public service, his aunt paid special attention to supporting and involving vulnerable groups in society.

Mrs. Astrid’s health had worsened in recent months, and in March she had been treated in hospital for pneumonia.

Her death was announced while Norway’s royal family, in the final months of Harald’s life, was facing personal challenges and scandals; including the Queen’s relationships with Jeffrey Epstein and the conviction of Marius Borg Høiby, Astrid’s son from a previous relationship, who was sentenced to four years in prison for two counts of sexual assault.

📷EPA