Princess Astrid of Norway, the sister of the late King Harald V, has died at the age of 94, two days after attending his funeral, the country’s royal palace has announced.

The new king, Haakon VIII, said that “throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House in a warm and dutiful manner”.

Harald died last month, aged 89, after more than 35 years as king. His funeral was Astrid’s last public engagement.

The princess will be buried at state expense and flags will be flown at half-mast across Norway, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.

Astrid was the last surviving child of King Olav V, who reigned from 1957 to 1991.

She became Norway’s first lady at the age of 22 in 1954, after the death of her mother Crown Princess Märtha. Olav did not remarry and Astrid retained the title until her brother’s marriage in 1968.

“In her work, Princess Astrid was always particularly concerned with care and inclusion for the most vulnerable in society,” her nephew King Haakon said in his statement.

Her health had deteriorated in recent months and in March she received hospital treatment for pneumonia.

Dozens of European royals and heads of state attended Harald’s funeral on Wednesday, including the Prince of Wales and three Nordic kings.

Thousands of people lined the route during a procession from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon.

The non-royal leaders paying their respects included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and five foreign prime ministers.

In the final months of Harald’s life, Norway’s royal family faced personal challenges and scandal.

Earlier this year, documents revealed that King Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, had had frequent contact with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She later said she wished she had never met the late disgraced financier.

Meanwhile, her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby – who is not a royal but grew up within the family – was given a four-year jail term for two counts of rape in June.

Høiby, who is under house arrest pending appeal, was granted permission to attend the funeral.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that Sri Lanka is now creating a common dream as a nation and that the Government’s objective is to make public transport the convenient choice for the people. The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in the ceremony held to open the renovated Bambalapitiya Railway Station under the “Dream Destination” project.

The renovated Bambalapitiya Railway Station was opened to the public on 10 September under the “Dream Destination” project, jointly implemented by the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and the Sri Lanka Railways Department in line with the Clean Sri Lanka national programme. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in the occasion.

The Prime Minister also inspected the renovated railway station, as well as the new pedestrian overpass providing access to the railway station, constructed by the Road Development Authority for which the Dawoodi Bohra community in Sri Lanka contributed Rs. 60 million.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed her special appreciation to the Bohra community for taking the initiative to renovate and provide the people with improved facilities at the Bambalapitiya Railway Station, a busy and well-known location in the Colombo District.

She stated that the renovation of public spaces and the provision of improved facilities have contributed to generating greater interest and a more positive perception of public transport among the people.

The Prime Minister also expressed her appreciation to the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, the Deputy Ministers and the staff for their contribution towards improving public transport services and attracting greater public interest towards these services.

The development of a country is not determined by the number of private vehicles it has. It is determined by the manner in which people use public transport. The Government’s objective is to improve the public transport service, which has disappointed the people for many years, and create a situation where people feel that public transport is more convenient and safer than using a private vehicle. The Government’s commitment to public transport is clearly demonstrated by the increased allocation of funds for the sector. The ’Dream Destination’ programme is another significant initiative under this effort, bringing together State institutions and the private sector to contribute to national development,” the Prime Minister stated.

“A country does not belong only to the Government. A country is the home for everyone who lives in it. It is the responsibility of all of us to contribute to that home through our knowledge, labour or resources. For a long time, we did not have a common dream as a country. Today, we feel that such a dream is beginning to emerge.

“We have a collective dream. The journey towards that dream is the collective journey we have begun together to build our country, which is our common home.

“What we witness here today is the active participation of our people, our diverse communities and the private sector in this journey. Such collective participation is essential to moving a country forward. Therefore, we deeply appreciate this contribution.

“The Bohra community reminds us today of the importance of this collective spirit. We have now embarked on a collective journey. We share a common dream of what our country should be, what the future of our country should look like and what kind of experience life in our country should offer. The Clean Sri Lanka national programme further strengthens these objectives,” the Prime Minister further stated.

Addressing the gathering, Deputy Minister of Urban Development Eranga Gunasekara stated that increased funding would be allocated to the Sri Lanka Railways Department for development activities next year. He noted that public transport and railway services had not previously received sufficient attention from the Government, but that this would change moving forward.

“Our transport services are progressing step by step, and the railway system is a key component of this development. Accordingly, on the instructions of the President, we will commence the electric railway system, which has long been a dream for our country, next year. We expect to introduce electric railway services from Maradana to Makumbura, from Maradana to Panadura and from Maradana to Ragama. We will also commence work to extend the Kelani Valley railway line from Avissawella to Ratnapura.

He also appreciated the contribution made by private institutions towards the “Dream Destination” project without seeking any promotional benefits in return.

Speaking on behalf of the Dawoodi Bohra community, Khuzaimah Jefferjee stated that the Dawoodi Bohra community, which has been part of Sri Lanka’s social, cultural and economic landscape for more than 150 years, believes that being a citizen of the country means more than simply living in the country. It means contributing to the country, caring for it and leaving behind a better country for future generations.

He said that, as part of this responsibility, the community had taken steps to renovate, modernise and beautify the Bambalapitiya Railway Station. He added that the community hopes these efforts will make the daily journeys of passengers a cleaner, safer, more convenient and dignified experience.

The occasion was attended by the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Dr. Rizvie Sally, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Muneer Mulaffer, Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council Vraie Cally Balthazar, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways Padmapriya, Janab Amil Saheb Ibrahim and representatives of the Dawoodi Bohra community, officials of the Clean Sri Lanka programme and several others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that steps are being taken to reduce the use of paper in Parliament and the public sector through digitalisation.

The Prime Minister made these remarks in Parliament on Thursday (10 September) in response to a question raised regarding digitalisation and the use of paper.

The Prime Minister  further stated:

“The total expenditure incurred in 2023, 2024 and 2025 for the provision of Hansard reports, Order Books, Agendas and other parliamentary printed materials provided to Members of Parliament and Ministers for use within the Chamber is Rs. 45.3 million in 2023, Rs. 58.7 million in 2024 and Rs. 73.1 million in 2025.

All these printed materials have been produced based on requests made by Parliament. At the same time, a programme is currently being developed to reduce the use of paper.

In accordance with a request made by the Secretary to the Treasury to the Secretary-General of Parliament, the Committee on Parliamentary Business considered the possibility of submitting reports to Parliament solely in digital format in the future. It was decided to conduct a survey to ascertain the preference of each Member of Parliament. Based on the results of the survey, arrangements will be made to provide relevant documents digitally to Members who prefer digital copies, while printed copies will be provided to those who prefer printed versions.

Following the completion of this survey, arrangements will be made to implement the programme on a date to be determined by the Committee on Parliamentary Business.

Similarly, all ministries and government institutions are currently taking steps towards digitalisation while reducing their use of paper. However, this process will take some time. In this manner, particularly the exchange of files and many other such processes can be facilitated through digital systems in the future.

For example, in the Ministry of Education, applications for leave submitted by university lecturers for overseas travel were previously submitted to the Ministry in printed form. The entire process has now been digitalised. The Ministry, through the University Grants Commission, provides approval for such leave applications through a digital process. Ministries across the government are taking similar measures. We believe that once digital systems are fully established, we will be able to significantly reduce the use of paper.

Responding to a question regarding measures to reduce the weight of schoolchildren’s bags, the Prime Minister stated:

The weight of students’ books will be reduced through the activity-based learning process introduced under the new education reforms. Since the books will be kept in the classroom, students will no longer need to carry them back and forth. They will only need to take the books home at the end of the term after completing their work.

From 2027, a module-based learning process will be introduced for Grade 6. Modules will not consist of large textbooks; instead, students will be provided with modules relevant to each subject for the particular term. Therefore, this system will significantly reduce the weight of schoolchildren’s bags.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]