Princess Astrid of Norway is in hospital after surgery for heart
problems.

The princess, 94, was taken to the Rikshospitalet in Oslo where
she had a temporary pacemaker.

The Norwegian royal court said the princess had suffered heart
failure.

In a short statement, the palace confirmed that Astrid had been
taken to hospital with heart problems and surgery had taken place.
It said she would remain in hospital for some time.

The palace added that Princess Astrid, only surviving sister of
King Harald, said she was in ”the best of hands”.

It’s the second hospital admission for Astrid this year. In
March, she spent several days in hospital after contracting
pneumonia. King Harald and his wife, Queen Sonja, were seen
visiting her there.

Princess Astrid was once the ‘first lady’ of Norway. In the
early years of the reign of her father, King Olav, she took the
lead in royal engagements as the new monarch was widowed and
Astrid’s older sister, Princess Ragnhild, had moved overseas
following her marriage.

The leading role for Astrid continued until 1968 when her
brother, then heir to the throne, married Sonja Haraldson and the
new Crown Princess became the first lady of the court.

In the following years, Princess Astrid continued to carry out a
wide range of engagements and she is still a working royal. She
often attends major events including State Visits and has many
patronages which she still attends to.

She has never been in the line of succession as women had no
rights to the throne at the time of her birth. Since the rules were
changed, princesses have just as much right as princes and the
second in line to Norway’s crown is now Princess Ingrid Alexandra,
eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon.

It’s expected Princess Astrid will still be in hospital when
Norway’s royals come together to celebrate the country’s National
Day on May 17. Ingrid Alexandra will take part in events in Sydney
where she is currently studying.

It’s not known whether Crown Prince Haakon’s wife, Mette-Marit,
will participate. She has serious health issues and is being
assessed for a possible future lung transplant to treat the
pulmonary fibrosis she suffers from.

The Crown Princess of Norway has also kept a low profile in
recent months after she was named many times in the Epstein files
which also revealed she stayed at the convicted sex offender’s
home. Her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borb Hoiby, is
also currently on trial for a number of offences inlcuding rape,
which he denies.