Meet 22-year-old Princess Ingrid Alexandra, eldest child of Norway’s King Haakon, who could become the country’s first queen in over 600 years

Norway’s monarchy has entered a new era following the death of King Harald V, and much of the attention is now turning to his 22-year-old granddaughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Her father, King Haakon VIII, formally began his reign by taking the Oath of Allegiance to the Norwegian Constitution before the Storting, Norway’s parliament, on September 1. The ceremony came only days after Harald died at the age of 89 on August 28.

With Haakon now king and Mette-Marit queen, Ingrid Alexandra has become the country’s heir apparent. Her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, follows her in the line of succession.

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But her new position is more than a change in title. Ingrid Alexandra represents a different generation of the Norwegian royal family, and her path to the throne has been shaped by succession rules that were not in place when her father was born.

Who is Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra?

Ingrid Alexandra was born on January 21, 2004, to Haakon and Mette-Marit. As the eldest child of Norway’s new king, she has been raised with the expectation that she could one day become the country’s monarch.

Unlike some members of earlier royal generations, however, her education has not been limited to institutions traditionally associated with European royalty.

She recently returned to Norway to continue her studies at the University of Oslo. Before that, she studied at the University of Sydney in Australia, where she was pursuing a three-year bachelor’s degree covering international relations and political economy.

Her return to Norway came earlier this year as her mother dealt with serious health issues following a lung transplant in June.

Why is Ingrid Alexandra’s new role significant?

Her appointment as crown princess carries historical importance because she is already an adult at the moment her father became king.

That was not the case with previous generations of Norwegian heirs. Both Haakon and Harald were under 18 when their fathers became monarchs and subsequently completed the required constitutional oath after reaching adulthood.

Ingrid Alexandra’s position has also been shaped by Norway’s 1990 succession reform.

The reform introduced absolute primogeniture, meaning the monarch’s eldest child takes precedence in the succession regardless of whether that child is a boy or a girl.

That rule places Ingrid Alexandra ahead of her younger brother.

The situation was different for her father. Haakon was born before the change came into force and therefore remained ahead of his elder sister, Princess Märtha Louise, under the succession rules that applied at the time.

If Ingrid Alexandra eventually takes the Norwegian throne, she would make history again. She would become the country’s first reigning queen in more than six centuries.

The last woman to serve as Norway’s monarch was Queen Margaret, who ruled from 1388 to 1412.

A new generation of European royal heirs

Ingrid Alexandra is not alone in representing a changing European monarchy.

She belongs to a generation of young women who are first in line to their countries’ thrones. Among them are Princess Elisabeth of Belgium and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands.

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The three young royals are also known to each other personally and have reportedly stayed in contact through a WhatsApp group.

Princess Elisabeth has previously spoken about the changing role of women among Europe’s future monarchs, noting that several members of her generation are female heirs.

Their positions could eventually reshape the image of Europe’s remaining constitutional monarchies as a new generation succeeds the current rulers.

Queen Mette-Marit misses Haakon’s ceremony

While Haakon formally assumed his new role, the Norwegian royal family remained in mourning following Harald’s death.

Queen Mette-Marit made her first official appearance as queen on Monday, when she joined members of the royal family for the transfer of Harald’s coffin from the Royal Palace to the royal chapel.

She walked beside Queen Sonja, Harald’s widow, as the two women followed the coffin while holding hands.

Mette-Marit has kept a low public profile since undergoing a lung transplant in June. She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a condition that causes progressive scarring of lung tissue and can affect breathing.

She was also absent from Haakon’s oath-taking ceremony after experiencing complications connected to the transplant.

A pulmonologist at Norway’s National Hospital said such complications can occur after a lung transplant and that Mette-Marit needed to be monitored.

When is King Harald’s funeral?

Harald’s funeral is scheduled to take place on September 9.

His coffin arrived at the Royal Palace in Oslo on August 28 following his death and was kept in the Red Salon over the weekend. It was later moved to the royal chapel, where members of the public have been given an opportunity to pay their respects.

Flowers, cards and candles have been left outside the palace as Norwegians and visitors gathered to remember the late monarch.

The country is currently observing an official period of mourning as Norway prepares to say farewell to Harald and begin a new chapter under King Haakon VIII.

For Ingrid Alexandra, meanwhile, the transition has brought her one step closer to a role that could eventually make her Norway’s first queen in more than 600 years.