Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 22, Makes Historic First Appearance as Heir to the Throne
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 22, Makes Historic First Appearance as Heir to the Throne
Stephanie PetitFri, August 28, 2026 at 4:11 PM UTC
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Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway on Aug. 28, 2026Credit: LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty -
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway made her first appearance as heir to the throne hours after the death of her grandfather King Harald and the accession of her father King Haakon
She joined her father at a cabinet meeting with government officials
Ingrid Alexandra is making history as a female heir
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra is now the heir to Norway’s throne.
Upon the death of King Harald V of Norway on Aug. 28, the late monarch’s only son became King Haakon. Haakon’s 22-year-old daughter, his eldest child with Queen Mette-Marit, joined the new monarch for a cabinet meeting with government officials just hours after Harald’s death, where Haakon officially informed the Council of State about his father’s death and his accession.
“I will take the name Haakon VIII and will continue the same motto that my father, grandfather and great-grandfather chose: ‘Everything for Norway,’ “ the new King, 53, said.
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra appeared solemn at the meeting, where she sat at the head of the table next to her father, and wore a black suit as a symbol of her mourning.
King Haakon and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway at a cabinet meeting on Aug. 28, 2026Credit: LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty
Ingrid Alexandra is making history as Norway’s new heiress. She was the first royal to be affected by the country’s change to the succession laws in 1990, which introduced absolute primogeniture, which states that the eldest child inherits the throne regardless of gender, rather than favoring male heirs. Therefore, Ingrid Alexandra was not moved down in the line of succession when her younger brother, 20-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus, was born.
Queen Mette-Marit also has an elder son named Marius Borg Høiby from a previous relationship, before her marriage to King Haakon, who is not part of the monarchy’s line of succession.
King Haakon has an elder sister, Princess Märtha Louise. However, because he was born before the change in the law, Haakon moved ahead of his sister in the line of succession to the throne.
If she accedes to the throne as expected, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be Norway’s first female monarch in over 600 years. The last female head of state was Queen Margaret, who ruled from 1388 to 1412.
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King Haakon and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway at a cabinet meeting on Aug. 28, 2026Credit: LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra has support from her fellow future queens, including Princess Elisabeth of Belgium and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands. In fact, Elisabeth previously revealed that they are in a WhatsApp group chat together.
“We’ve known each other for a long time and see each other occasionally at events,” Princess Elisabeth said in the interview.
“In my generation, there are several women. You see a similar shift in other monarchies,” she added. “We are all in the same situation. It’s a hurdle we will face together.”
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, center, with her family at her 18th birthday gala in June 2022Credit: LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty
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Ingrid Alexandra recently began a new semester at the University of Oslo, where she was taking classes as a transfer student. She returned home from Australia — where she was in the midst of a three-year bachelor’s degree with a focus on international relations and political economy at the University of Sydney — earlier this year amid serious health issues for her mother, the new Queen Mette-Marit, which included a lung transplant.
On the evening of Aug. 28, King Harald’s body will be moved through Oslo from the National Hospital, where he died, to the Royal Palace. King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Queen Sonja, Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Märtha Louise will follow the transport.
Details about King Harald’s funeral will be revealed in the coming days.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
