Johan Ferner

Johan Ferner

Johan Martin Ferner (born 22 July 1927, Asker, né Johan Martin Jacobsen) is a Norwegian sailor and Olympic medalist. He won a silver medal in the 6 metre class with the boat Elisabeth X at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, together with Finn Ferner, Erik Heiberg, Tor Arneberg and Carl Mortensen. He is the brother-in-law of King Harald V of Norway and Princess Ragnhild of Norway, the siblings of his wife.

A department store owner, he has married twice. Firstly, on 20 January 1953, to artist Ingeborg "Bitte" Hesselberg-Meyer (later Rostad), 9 July 1931 - 22 July 1997, divorced 1956. He remarried, at Asker Church outside Oslo on 12 January 1961 to Princess Astrid of Norway, the second daughter of Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden.

The couple has five children and five grandchildren together:

• Cathrine Ferner (b. 22 July 1962, Oslo), married 9 December 1989 in Oslo, Arild Johansen (b. 18 June 1961, Oslo), and has two children:
  • Sebastian Ferner Johansen (b. 9 March 1990, Oslo)
  • Madeleine Ferner Johansen (b. 7 March 1993, Oslo)
• Benedikte Ferner (b. 27 September 1963, Oslo), married firstly 30 April 1994 in Oslo (divorced 1998) Rolf Woods (b. 17 June 1963, Oslo), without issue, and married secondly on 2 December 2000 in Oslo and separated in 2002, Mons Einar Stange (b. 26 May 1962, Oslo), without issue
• Alexander Ferner (b. 15 March 1965, Oslo), married 27 July 1996 in Holmenkollen Kapell, Oslo, Margrét Gudmundsdóttir (b. 27 March 1966, Reykjavík, Iceland), and has two children:
  • Edward Ferner (b. 28 March 1996, Bærum, Norway)
  • Stella Ferner (b. 23 April 1998, Bærum, Norway)
• Elisabeth Ferner (b. 30 March 1969, Oslo), married 3 October 1992 in Oslo, Tom Folke Beckmann (b. 14 January 1963, Oslo), and has one son:
  • Benjamin Ferner Beckmann (b. 25 April 1999, Oslo)
• Carl-Christian Ferner (b. 22 October 1972, Oslo), unmarried and without issue

He is the son of tailor Ferner Jacobsen, who owned a department store in Oslo. Ferner was originally his father's given name, but was adopted as a family name by Johan Martin Ferner and some of his siblings. His grandfather was maritime pilot Johan Martin Jacobsen (1850-1907) from Tjøme, son of blacksmith Jacob Andreas Knudsen (1819-1868).