Norway’s Princess Astrid dies two days after brother King Harald’s funeral

Norway is grieving two cherished members of its royal family.

Princess Astrid died Sept. 11, just two days after attending the funeral of her younger brother, King Harald V, according to the Norwegian royal household.

The 94-year-old was last seen in public at Harald's funeral in Oslo on Sept. 9. Last month, as Harald's health deteriorated, Astrid was among the senior royals who rushed to be with him at his hospital bedside.

The monarch, who served for 35 years, died on Aug. 28 at the age of 89.

"Throughout her ​long life, Princess ​Astrid represented the royal ​house in a ⁠warm and dutiful manner," Norway's new monarch, ⁠King Haakon VIII, ​said in a statement posted on the official royal website.

On Haakon's orders, the flag shall be flown at half-staff from the palace balcony on Friday and on the day of Astrid's funeral, which is yet to be publicly confirmed.

New monarch Haakon, 53, described his aunt as "loyal" and as a woman who "was not afraid to speak her mind."

Astrid's five children, Cathrine, Benedikte, Alexander, Elisabeth and Carl-Christian Ferner, honored their mom in a joint statement released on Friday, describing her as "the best mother we could have."

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/entertainment/