When King Haakon VIII of Norway took an oath of loyalty before Parliament, at his side stood his daughter, the heiress apparent Ingrid Alexandra, 22 years old. Her presence at this pivotal moment at the outset of her father’s reign was all the more significant given the health-related absence of Queen Mette-Marit. The young woman signed shortly afterward a written oath of loyalty that allows her to serve as regent in the monarch’s absence.
At that moment, Ingrid Alexandra paid tribute to the look of her grandmother, Queen Sonja, when she attended the proclamation of King Harald V in 1991. The choice of her outfit paid a careful homage to that striking look: the princess wore a long mourning dress with a headband styled as a headpiece with a net veil and the sash of the Order of Saint Olaf.
Ingrid Alexandra is the next in line to the throne of the Nordic country, after the country’s succession laws were amended in 1990 to include women. And someday she will make history by becoming Norway’s first queen in more than 600 years. All this while bearing the heavy burden of being «the lifeline» of a monarchy in crisis. The links of her mother with Epstein and the conviction of her half-brother on two counts of rape have caused her father’s reign to begin in a convulsive manner.
Moreover, between the recent death of King Harald and the health problems of its leading female figures, the Norwegian royal family faces a grave shortage of active members. Consequently, the country now turns to Ingrid Alexandra to steer toward a successful course a Norwegian monarchy navigating turbulent waters.
Ingrid Alexandra, the sensible princess
Despite her increasingly important position within the crown, Ingrid Alexandra has followed a relatively discreet path and has been described as a future, sensible queen with her feet on the ground. Recently she began a new semester at the University of Oslo after moving from Sydney, where she was pursuing a three-year bachelor’s degree focused on international relations and political economy.
During her first year in Australia, she used to present herself simply as “Ingrid” to feel like a normal student. However, the princess returned to Norway earlier this year to be closer to her family after her mother’s health problems. Queen Mette-Marit, afflicted with chronic pulmonary fibrosis since 2018, underwent a lung transplant in June.
Ingrid Alexandra, junto a sus padres y su hermano Sverre Magnus.
The heiress has stayed close to her father and grandmother during the royal family’s mourning period following the death of King Harald. She has attended several events in honor of her grandfather since his passing on August 28, and it is expected that during his state funeral on September 9 she will take another very visible step toward her future role as queen of Norway.
A role in which she has already fully immersed herself. At the end of January, after returning from university in Australia, she undertook a tour of Finnmark, in northern Norway, to connect with her people. The following day, she made a historic royal appearance at Oslo City Hall for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. She then joined her parents and grandparents to watch Ana Corina Sosa receive the prize on behalf of her mother, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
A new generation of heiresses
Her new role carries paramount importance for several reasons. Ingrid Alexandra is the first Norwegian heiress in modern royal history who is already an adult when her parent ascends to the throne. And she is also the first directly affected by the 1990 succession law that introduced absolute primogeniture. As a result, Ingrid remained ahead of her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, on the path to the crown.
Sentada y con vestido color berejana, Ingrid de Noruega, en su 18 cumpleaños. De pie, Amalia de Holanda y Elisabeth de Bélgica.
For the moment, the young woman is already becoming part of a new generation of heiresses across Europe. It is known that Ingrid Alexandra maintains a close relationship with Princess Elisabeth of Belgium and Princess Amalia of the Netherlands. The three even share a WhatsApp group in which they have not included Princess Leonor.
In an interview given to Tatler magazine at the beginning of this year, Princess Elisabeth stated: “We have known each other for a long time and we see each other from time to time at different events. In my generation there are several women. A similar change is observable in other monarchies. We are all in the same situation. It is an obstacle that we will face together.” Ingrid Alexandra thus counts on two good friends and allies on her shared path toward that great responsibility.
