Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner


Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner 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. She became the “first lady” of Norway during the reign of her grandfather, Haakon VII, after her mother’s death in 1954, and continued in this role during her father’s reign until her brother married in 1968.

Life

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. 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; her grandaunt, Princess Thyra of Denmark; her granduncle, Prince Eugen of Sweden; and Prince George of the United Kingdom. Astrid was named after her maternal aunt, paternal grandmother, and maternal grandmother. 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.
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. Following the royal family's return to Norway she attended Nissen's Girls' School and graduated with the examen artium university entrance exam in 1950. She then studied economics and political history for two years at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University.
Her confirmation took place on 9 May 1948 in the Palace Chapel. Astrid studied ceramics with Halvor Sandøs and had her own pottery studio in Skaugum. She was an accomplished skier and yachtswoman.
Astrid's mother died in 1954. From which time until her brother's marriage in August 1968 she 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. In September 1954, she took part in the ship tour organized by Queen Frederica and her husband King Paul of Greece, which became known as the “Cruise of the Kings”, attended by over 100 royals from across Europe.
In January 1961 Astrid married commoner John Martin Ferner in Oslo. They met when she hired him to sail her yacht in a race. The marriage was met by "bitter opposition" from the Norwegian Church as Ferner had been previously married. After the marriage, she became known as Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner and no longer got the annual endowment of 50,000 Norwegian crowns that she previously received as First Lady.
They raised their family in Vinderen. She now lives in Nordmarka, Oslo.
In 2002, the government granted Astrid an honorary pension in recognition of her efforts on behalf of Norway, both during and following her years as first lady. 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, Astrid celebrated her 80th birthday with a private dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

Marriage and children

Astrid married commoner Johan Martin Ferner in Asker Church on 12 January 1961. They had five children, seven grandchildren, and as of 2023, three great-grandchildren.
  • Cathrine Ferner, married 9 December 1989 in Oslo, Arild Johansen, and has two children:
  • * Sebastian Ferner Johansen, and his partner Ida Belinda Lundstrøm have two children: a daughter born in 2019, and a son born in 2021.
  • **Nicoline Johansen
  • **Ferdinand Johansen
  • * Madeleine Ferner Johansen, married 17 October 2022 in Oslo, Ole-Aleksander Karlsen, and has one daughter, born in 2023.
  • **Hermine Karlsen
  • Benedikte Ferner, married firstly 30 April 1994 in Oslo Rolf Woods, without issue, and married secondly on 2 December 2000 in Oslo and separated in 2002, Mons Einar Stange, without issue.
  • Alexander Ferner, married 27 July 1996 in Holmenkollen Kapell, Oslo, Margrét Gudmundsdóttir, and has two children:
  • * Edward Ferner.
  • * Stella Ferner.
  • Elisabeth Ferner, married 3 October 1992 in Oslo, Tom Folke Beckmann, and has one son:
  • * Benjamin Ferner Beckmann.
  • Carl-Christian Ferner, married 4 October 2014 in Oslo, Anna-Stina Slattum and they have two daughters together, born in 2018 and 2021,
  • *Fay Ferner,
  • *Fam Ferner, born 28 January 2021)

Patronages

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 organisations with a focus on children and young people with dyslexia, having the condition herself.
  • Foundation 3,14 – Gallery 3,14
  • The Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association
  • The Norwegian Women’s and Family Association
  • The Norwegian Women’s Defence League
  • Oslo Art Association
  • The Norwegian Women’s Voluntary Defence Association
  • Inner Wheel Norway
  • The Norwegian Dyslexia Association
  • Dissimilis Norway
  • Foreningen for Kroniske Smertepasienter
  • Trondheim Symphony Orchestra

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

Honours

Astrid has been awarded the following orders and decorations:

National honours

Foreign honours

Honorific eponym