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Norway

15 facts about Princess Ingrid Alexandra on her 15th birthday

Today, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway turns 15-years-old. To celebrate the occasion, we have compiled 15 facts about the Princess which you might not have known before:

  • Following Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s birth, Germany’s leader had to go out and ask German magazines to stop spreading various rumours about the Princess and her origins.
  • The Princess was going to have another name. Crown Princess Mette-Marit said in 2018 that had she been born today, she would have had another name. The Crown Princess said: “We actually intended to call Ingrid Alexandra, Tyra Eufemia, but we thought it was so special that we did not dare to do it”.
  • The baptismal dress the Princess used was sewn by the Princess’s great-grandmother, Princess Ingeborg of Sweden.
  • Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit broke with the royal tradition when Mette-Marit’s mother, Marit Tjessem, was announced as a godmother. She was a woman from the people. This had never happened in the history of the Norwegian Royal Family until then.
  • According to the Royal Court, the princess has many activities she likes to do. This includes skiing and kickboxing. Like the rest of the Crown Prince Family, she also enjoys surfing.

The siblings on the balcony, Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen.

  • The Princess has a cake named after her. This was the cake that was made for her baptism, composed by the palace’s own chefs. The cake was called ‘Raspberry-tart Princess Ingrid Alexandra’ and was made of a classic pie crust covered with a thick layer of vanilla cream; topped with fresh raspberries, glazed with a special sauternes gel.
  • The Princess went to a state school kindergarten as a child. Not even two-years-old, on 2 January 2006, the Princess took her first trip to the local kindergarten in Asker.
  • Princess Ingrid Alexandra belonged to the green group in her kindergarten.
  • During an interview in 2012, the Princess was asked if she had many servants. The Princess said no. Her father, Crown Prince Haakon, added that they had many nice people who have helped them. Then, the Princess added that at those people became very angry if she called them servants. A slightly overwhelmed Crown Prince asked his daughter if she had ever called the helpers ‘servants’ at any time. She confirmed that she had but would not do again.
  • Maths, as well as arts and crafts, were Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s favourite subjects at school.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra is always in a good mood when she represents the Norwegian Royal Family. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen / Royal Central.

  • In 2010, Princess Ingrid Alexandra was a bridesmaid in her godmother, Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding.
  • In 2012, the Princess said that the most boring thing about being royal was the taking of pictures.
  • Princess Ingrid Alexandra has a very special part of the Palace Park named after her. This part of the park is under construction and will be dedicated to ten sculptures made by children and young people from all over Norway.
  • “When I was younger, I didn’t even know I was a princess,” said Ingrid Alexandra during an interview in 2012.
  • 22 years after her father, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra followed his footsteps with a very special Olympics role. Over 13,000 were present at the opening of the Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, and it was the young Princess who lit the Olympic flame.
About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.