Johan Martin Ferner was born as Johan Martin Jacobsen, but shortly after his birth in 1927 the family changed their family name to Ferner, originally his father’s given name. After studies in England and France, Ferner worked in his father’s clothing firm in Oslo, and after his father’s death in 1964, he and his brother Finn Ferner took over the firm with success. Johan Martin Ferner and his brother were both members of the crew of the 6-meter “Elisabeth X”, winning the silver medal in the 1952 Olympics. In 1961, Johan Martin Ferner married Princess Astrid, sister of the present king of Norway, Harald V. The marriage became an item of discussion in Norway, since Johan Martin Ferner had been married earlier, divorcing his first wife in 1956, and only one of the bishops in Norway at that time was willing to officiate the marriage. Astrid and Johan Martin had five children, three daughters and two sons. He died after a short illness at the State Hospital in Oslo, aged 84.