Until the very end, Wilma stayed exactly where she was happiest. The Norwegian Royal Palace has confirmed that Princess Astrid’s devoted companion died days after the princess’ death, closing a quiet and sweet chapter in the final years of King Harald’s older sister.
The news surfaced after Norwegians noticed an empty spot at Wednesday’s funeral.
Wilma had been a fixture at official engagements, exhibition openings and even state visits, so many expected her to be at Ris Church in Oslo for Astrid’s farewell, much like Queen Elizabeth II’s corgis were featured at Windsor Castle as her coffin arrived in 2022.
When broadcaster NRK asked the palace what had become of the dog, communications adviser Simen Sund gave the saddest possible answer: “Recently, Wilma lived with one of Princess Astrid’s children. Days after Princess Astrid’s passing, Wilma also fell asleep quietly, lying where she felt most comfortable: on a good lap.”
© Royal House of NorwayThe dog was 12 and had been ill for some time, as reported by the palace. Her bond with Astrid represented a rescue for both of them. The princess adopted her from Solplassen, a rehoming and retirement home for ownerless dogs, after losing her previous pet. Wilma had also experienced a loss of her own, with the woman who cared for her before reportedly dying of cancer.
“Wilma means everything to me,” Astrid told NRK. “It became a whole new world after she came home. I had lost my old dog, and there was a big void.”
That love of animals ran through the princess’s entire life, a point the Rev. Paul Erik Wirgenes made in his funeral homily.
Astrid received her first dog on her second birthday, as a gift from her parents. Since then, she was rarely seen without one afterward, whether in private or while serving official duties.
The royal website’s own biography noted that she was seldom pictured without Wilma. In her last years, the Chihuahua was a key part of the princess’s public image, tucked onto her lap at state visits, exhibition openings, Christmas concerts and events for the Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association. She was reportedly there, on that same lap, at Astrid’s final official engagement in May.
Word of Wilma’s death came hours after Astrid was laid to rest beside her husband, Johan Martin Ferner, who died in 2015. The service on Wednesday was led by her nephew, the recently crowned King Haakon VIII, who stood with his five cousins, Astrid’s children Cathrine, Benedikte, Alexander, Elisabeth and Carl-Christian Ferner. He helped carry her coffin from the church.
© Bettmann/CORBISA farewell to a princess who stepped up for her country
It was a personal farewell to a princess who served for years as Norway’s first lady. Speaking for the government, Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg recalled how Astrid stepped up after the early death of her mother, Crown Princess Märtha, in 1954. “Princess Astrid was King Harald’s big sister. He was her little brother. And you’re a little brother your whole life. She was there when he was born, and she was there when he died. Astrid always looked after Harald.”
King Harald V died on August 28 at 89. Astrid, 94, attended his state funeral at Oslo Cathedral on September 9, surrounded by royals from across Europe. It was her last public appearance, with her dying two days later.
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