She is probably the most unknown heiress in all of Europe. But today in her country she is celebrated for coming of age and becoming, definitively, a fundamental pawn of the institutional board of the monarchy and of the image that her country projects before the world. Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, the eldest daughter of Haakon —heir to the throne of the Nordic country, 48 years old— and Mette Marit —also 48— turns 18 this Friday, January 21, and does so as a beloved character in her country and , for the moment, protected from the public eye. But to commemorate this anniversary, his parents and grandparents - it is Harald who reigns - have decided on celebrations with a very institutional tone.
Nothing is known about massive parties, coming-outs or ostentatious celebrations for Ingrid, less in pandemic times, but the Norwegian royal house has wanted to note this change in status of King Felipe VI's goddaughter in three ways.
The first of these, the publication of a series of portraits of the young woman, some official photographs taken by the portraitist Ida Bjørvik in the White and Bernadotte rooms of the royal palace in Oslo, where she appears dressed in black, smiling and with studied poses.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway poses in the White Hall of the Royal Palace in Oslo on the occasion of her 18th birthday. Ida Bjørvik (Norwegian Royal House)
Ingrid's second birthday mark took place the day before the celebration, January 20, when the young woman enacted her immersion in Norwegian institutions. He did so with a tour of the three powers of the State, where those responsible explained their operation and main characteristics; nothing an 18-year-old heiress doesn't know, but it helped give this date change a patina of officiality. Dressed in her mother's white jacket, the young woman first went to the Storting, the Norwegian Parliament, to find out how the institution works and to greet its members; then, to the Prime Minister's office, where he learned how the Government works and how the Ministries work; and ended up in the country's Supreme Court, where he greeted Judge Toril Marie Oie. What's more,On the very day of her birthday, she received the entire Council of Ministers at the royal palace accompanied by her father and grandfather. She has also been visited by leaders from, among others, the Parliament, the church, the Oslo city council or the Armed Forces, of which, in time, she will become supreme commander. At the moment the young woman has not received military training, but she has visited various units and a few months ago she was seen on board an F16.but she has visited various units and a few months ago she was seen on board an F16.but she has visited various units and a few months ago she was seen on board an F16.
The third leg of the celebrations comes with an interview, the first that the princess officially grants, which is broadcast this afternoon on January 21 on Norwegian television. Thanks to the advances that have already been published on television channels or the
VG newspaper
, it is known that Ingrid has admitted that her coming of age will bring more media attention, but that she does not give it much more importance than the rest of her peers. She does not feel any different, she affirms, although she does feel “more responsible, but also more free”, and among the future plans she would like to make are those of driving and traveling alone. He states that he feels free and happy when he skis, for example. And he also tells how his royal education has been, guided above all by his grandfather, Harald V: “They have never sat me down and taught me in one way, I have not gone to any school for queens. But I learn a lot from him through everything he does and talks about. And then I think that, in our role, the most important thing is not to be told what to do, but to do it our way.”
King Harald of Norway (centre) and his son Haakon (left) receive Norwegian government ministers with Princess Ingrid Alexandra (right) on her 18th birthday on January 21, 2022. LISE ASERUD (AFP)
Ingrid explains that she deeply loves her country ("we have everything, snow, winter, summer"), that she eats little meat or that in her studies she likes subjects such as Geography, Chemistry and English, but she doesn't know what she wants to study — his education has oscillated between public and private schools, something highly criticized in his country, although his mother would like him to opt for Medicine. She used TikTok but has removed it because it takes up a lot of her time and she is fond of Snapchat to share images. And although she cannot enjoy social networks like a normal user, she admits that she reads what is written about her: “It is impossible to protect yourself completely. And I read a lot, although maybe I shouldn't.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity I have, and I think I can do a lot with it,” she assured the Norwegian media, although she also reflects: “Of course, one can dream and wonder what a completely different life would have been like. I also. But that's not the life I have, so it's hard to imagine not being in this role." However, he knows well how to combine both lives: he travels with his parents relatively discreetly, skis, surfs (he has won some championships) and has even worked in an Italian restaurant in Oslo, where he was washing dishes last summer.
The young Ingrid already assumes that, little by little, she will acquire a more powerful and institutional role, although that is not news for her: she has been in the public eye since the cradle, especially since in 2010 she was Victoria's maid of honor from Sweden and came to that wedding hand in hand with her parents.
Her public role was reinforced three years ago, when her mother, Mette Marit, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and she began to take on some small acts;
In fact, that year she was the host of William of England and Kate Middleton on their trip to the Nordic country.
Despite all this, in Norway there is no tradition of abdicating, so, if it follows the natural course of events, it is likely that Ingrid still has decades to go before she becomes the second woman to reign among Norwegians.