Very few members of the family are considered to be working royals in Norway. Only King Harald (who, at 88 is the nation’s oldest monarch), Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra undergoing official royal duties. It means that a considerable amount is riding on the future queen’s charm offensive, which has kicked off in earnest following her return from studying at the University of Sydney.
On 9 December, the Princess marked her return to Oslo with a visit to the Norwegian Space Agency, where she met with the country’s first female astronaut, Jennicke Mikkelsen. Following in the stylish footsteps of her mother, Ingrid Alexandra wore a sharp blue suit for the occasion, which she paired with a ruffled shirt and suitably stellar crescent moon earrings.
The following day, Princess Ingrid Alexandra made an important royal debut, joining her family for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall. Joining her parents and grandparents, the young royal watched on as Ana Corina Sosa accepted the award on behalf of her mother, the Venezuelan politician, activist, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. The Princess was the picture of regal elegance at the prestigious event, dressed in navy with her hair swept back into a sleek ponytail. Earlier in the day, the royals attended a Save The Children party in honour of the event in what will have been an emotional moment for Ingrid Alexandra, who had attended the party as a child herself many years before.
King Harald, Crown Prince Hakon, Queen Sonja, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on 10 December
Per Ole Hagen
The past few months have been challenging for the Princess, who was asked about the legal case surrounding her half-brother during an interview at the University of Sydney. ‘Of course it’s difficult. Both for those of us who are around, for me as a sister and for mom and dad. And of course for everyone affected by the case,’ she told NRK. Ingrid Alexandra admitted that it was hard being so far away from her family during the case, but then declined to comment further, adding: ‘I don’t know if I want to go into it much more than that.’
The Princess, who will one day become Norway’s first female monarch in 600 years – with the first being Queen Margaret of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, who reigned from 1387 to 1412, previously attended the private English-language Oslo International School, before transferring to two more prestigious secondary schools to finish her education.