It was an important year in Norway as the future queen finally came of age, but that same year, her aunt stepped away from the spotlight. Let’s take a look at the Norwegian royal year.
January
The biggest news for the Norwegian Royal Family in January was Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s 18th birthday. We covered what to expect from the celebrations—before the COVID-19 pandemic curbed some of the events—including her first official duties as an adult member of the Royal Family.
Just days before her birthday, new portraits were released of Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and it was announced that she’d received her own office at the Royal Palace to support her work. We wondered which tiara she’d receive, though we wouldn’t find out until her rescheduled gala birthday dinner in June (spoiler alert: we were right).
The day before her birthday, Princess Ingrid Alexandra visited the governmental branches of Norway and sat on the King’s throne—a seat she would one day occupy as Norway’s first queen regnant.
On Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s 18th birthday, we covered the future queen’s life, beginning with a look back at the historic nature of her birth as the first female born into a monarchy of absolute primogeniture.
We also looked at who her godparents are—covering their tributes to their godchild as well—and wondered if she was set to follow in her father’s footsteps as she began public life.
In a televised interview, Princess Ingrid Alexandra revealed her hopes for the future and joked that there’s no ‘queen school’ to study at. On her birthday, new portraits were released. Princess Märtha Louise shared a loving tribute to her niece on Instagram, King Harald granted her special honours, and the Norwegian Royal Family shared never-before-seen photos of the future queen.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s special connection to Queen Margrethe of Denmark was revealed (the Danish Queen created the princess’s cypher as a gift in 2004), and she received her driver’s license.
Good news for the Norwegian royals: their support amongst young people was high in a new poll.
On 17 January, King Harald marked 31 years on the throne. Queen Sonja attended a special concert, and hours after meeting with the royals, a government minister announced he’d tested positive for COVID-19. King Harald would go on sick leave with cold symptoms hours after the announcement, which extended into February.
Queen Sonja gave an update on her husband’s health and opened an art exhibit.
Following the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit represented the family at a memorial service honouring the late South African activist. The Crown Princess also met with her patronages virtually, and the Crown Prince celebrated a sporting first. He also shared his condolences as Tonga recovered from a tsunami and marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Princess Märtha Louise revealed that she spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve in the United States and later teamed up with Tessy Antony de Nassau for a podcast.
Elsewhere, as Queen Margrethe of Denmark celebrated her Golden Jubilee, Queen Sonja shared her praises of the Danish Queen in a special interview. The Norwegian Royal Family confirmed they would not send any representatives to the 2022 Winter Olympics.
February
Following two weeks of sick leave, King Harald returned to royal duties in early February.
Crown Prince Haakon celebrated the Year of Volunteering with a snowy engagement and later sent a special message to the Sami People on their National Day. The Crown Prince joined in a military exercise, and the Prime Minister’s relationship with the Crown Prince Couple was examined.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s future military service was questioned; the Crown Prince Couple’s visit to Sweden was rescheduled; and then Crown Prince Haakon jumped off a bridge (for a stunt, he was fine!).
Princess Astrid celebrated her 90th birthday on 12 February, and we looked back at the royal sister who has played an important role in Norwegian public life. In other birthday news, Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s postponed birthday celebrations received new celebration dates: 16-17 June; and King Harald celebrated his 85th birthday abroad.
On his birthday, 21 February, we looked back at the life of this influential monarch and the humble birthplace of a king. We also looked at the familial links that connect King Harald with Queen Elizabeth II—her great-aunt Maud was his grandmother.
Crown Prince Haakon had been on holiday abroad but returned following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and acted as regent while his father was out of the country. A few days later, King Harald and Queen Sonja returned as well.
Queen Sonja’s Art Stable opened an exhibit on royal cars, attended by Crown Prince Haakon. Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended a royal film premiere about the life of Queen Margrethe I, the medieval Scandinavian queen who ruled over Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
In happy news for the Norwegian Royal Family, their popularity within the country continued to grow.
March
Ukraine was front of mind for the Norwegian Royal Family in March. The Crown Prince Couple attended a peace service for the country, and later, Crown Prince Haakon visited humanitarian organisations supporting Ukraine. King Harald visited Ukrainian refugees settled in Oslo, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited Ukrainian refugees in Asker, her local municipality.
King Harald made his first public appearance since taking sick leave at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival. A few days later, following a government scandal, he and Crown Prince Haakon attended an extraordinary Council of State. King Abdullah of Jordan paid an official visit to Norway, welcomed by King Harald.
King Harald presented the last medals of the World Cup skiing season, and we revealed that Queen Sonja would pay a visit to Venice as COVID-19 restrictions eased.
The Crown Prince Couple met with environmental groups; later, Crown Princess Mette-Marit met with literary groups. They then visited a district in the capital city of Oslo. Crown Prince Haakon attended a NATO exercise as the situation in Ukraine escalated; Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended a library conference.
Princess Astrid gave an interview about her late mother, Crown Princess Märtha’s work and how proud she was to continue this legacy through the Crown Princess Märtha Memorial Fund.
Mere weeks after returning to royal duties following sick leave, King Harald was sidelined again with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. The diagnosis saw him take sick leave once more and forced him and Queen Sonja to cancel their attendance at a memorial service for the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in London at the end of March.
As part of a series looking at the royals who support literary causes, we focused on Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s dedication to literature. We also explored how the royals of Europe were using their soft diplomacy to take a stand against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
April
King Harald’s sick leave following his coronavirus diagnosis was extended into April; meanwhile, Queen Sonja met with Ukrainian refugees.
Crown Prince Haakon visited the town of Kirkenes, located on the border with Russia, to hear from locals what it’s like to live so close to the country. Later, he and Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited the Norwegian Arctic area of Svalbard.
Later in the month, after returning to duties, King Harald watched the installation of the new Bishop of Borg. He also attended a solidarity concert for the people of Ukraine. The electricity use at royal palaces was up, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra ‘revealed’ who her favourite hockey team is (spoiler alert: Storhamar, and yes, there was controversy).
Meanwhile, Queen Sonja opened a centre dedicated to antiques and preservation.
May
The Crown Prince Couple of Norway paid a visit to Sweden, hosted by their counterparts, the Crown Princess Couple, in a visit that saw past and present on display.
Crown Prince Haakon christened the world’s first electric and self-propelled ship; more items were added to the Queen Sonja Art Stable exhibition on royal cars, and it was announced that a new room would be open to the public when the Royal Palace in Oslo opened for summer visits.
King Harald marked Liberation Day on 8 May; Queen Sonja became the first person to be awarded the Honorary Craftsman Award from the Oslo Crafts and Industry Association, and Princess Astrid was photographed using a wheelchair for the first time in public at a dinner for the Norwegian Olympians and Paralympians.
After years of subdued public celebrations, it was announced that Norway’s National Day would have wider celebrations; the Norwegian Royal Family would be at the centre of those celebrations.
Crown Prince Haakon undertook an expedition over Greenland (we covered his arrival here and his return in early June here); Queen Sonja visited a glacier; and King Harald presented the Abel Prize.
June
The biggest news in June was that Princess Märtha Louise became engaged to her American shaman boyfriend, Durek Verrett.
King Harald and Queen Sonja paid a sombre visit to Utøya, the site of terrorist attacks, in July 2011. Later, Queen Sonja announced that she planned to display her artwork, and she came face-to-face with the past at a fashion exhibit featuring some of her gowns (she was joined by Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark).
Crown Prince Haakon joined King Felipe at a French Open tennis match, where tennis legend Rafael Nadal won another championship, and a vote on whether to abolish the monarchy—controversially raised by a new minister—failed by a vote of 134-35. The motion wasn’t popular with the public.
The Crown Prince Couple celebrated football, and Crown Prince Haakon inspected the troops.
Ahead of Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s birthday gala events, we shared that tiara debuts were in the cards for both her and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, and we looked at the guest list. We also renewed speculation over which tiara the future queen would receive.
On 17 June, we covered the first of Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s birthday celebrations; and noted that Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett carried out their first official engagement together.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra received a tiara that once belonged to her paternal great-great-grandmother, Princess Ingeborg of Sweden (whose life we covered here), and Princess Astrid couldn’t help but share her pride at seeing her great-niece wearing it.
Durek Verrett shared a special message to his future niece, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s gala birthday dinner began in earnest. We covered Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s moving speech, Princess Astrid’s front-row seat to history throughout her 90-year life, and the gala dinner in full.
Of course, with such a glittering event after being deprived for two years, we covered all the glitz and glamour; and we couldn’t help but notice the tender relationship between King Harald and Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Later, the Norwegian Royal Court shared details on Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s birthday gifts.
After the birthday celebrations, it was back to business as usual. Crown Prince Haakon opened a memorial to Utøya.
After a shooting in the capital city, King Harald led tributes from the Royal Family. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who supports LGBTQ+ causes, attended a memorial service for the victims; Queen Margrethe of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden sent their condolences to their neighbouring Scandinavian country.
Elsewhere, Princess Charlene of Monaco carried out her first overseas engagement in Norway (and they brought their children!)
July
Queen Sonja celebrated her 85th birthday in July, and we looked back at her life and love story with King Harald.
After more gun violence in Scandinavia—this time in Copenhagen—the royal families consoled each other.
Otherwise, it was a quiet month for the Norwegian Royal Family as summer holidays began.
August
Sadly, August began with more ill health for King Harald; this time, he was admitted to the hospital with a fever. Norway’s Prime Minister sent his best wishes to the King during his hospitalisation, but it was quickly announced that this would be a longer hospital stay. We covered King Harald’s release from hospital on 8 August here.
Princess Märtha Louise’s daughter, Emma Tallulah, competed in the National Junior Championships in show jumping; Queen Sonja paddled near the Russian border; and a scandal broke within the Norwegian Royal Guards when some soldiers were dismissed for illegal drug use.
Sadly, Crown Princess Mette-Marit tested positive for COVID-19 (she later made a full recovery); Princess Astrid sent a message of support to the participants in the music prize bearing her name; Queen Sonja opened a fishing festival; and Crown Prince Haakon opened an energy conference.
At the end of the month, following his hospitalisation, King Harald resumed royal duties. He spoke of optimism as he and Queen Sonja began their county tour…and how Durek Verrett’s American background caused a “culture collision” within Norway.
September
King Harald and Queen Sonja began September by speaking about the ongoing fuel crisis; Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended a literary conversation and oversaw the installation of a memorial to Norwegian Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon put on a united front after the summer holidays, with King Harald presenting the Kavli Award and Crown Prince Haakon attending the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the Norwegian Arctic University.
Queen Sonja returned to her girlhood school to celebrate its 100th anniversary; Princess Märtha Louise opened a guide dog school; and, unfortunately for the Princess, controversy continued to swirl around her future husband—with the royals refusing to comment on Durek at their engagements.
Queen Sonja was announced as the presenter of a prestigious language prize that would be presented to Queen Margrethe of Denmark (we covered the prize ceremony here), and Crown Prince Haakon learned more about food waste.
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the Norwegian Royal Family paid tribute to the late Queen in earnest. The Crown Prince Couple had been due to visit the UK during this time but cancelled their visit. We shared the story behind now-King Charles III’s name, with its Norwegian heritage and applauded King Harald for his statesmanship at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit celebrated innovation, but Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s health problems forced her to later cancel a visit to the Red Cross. The month ended with Crown Prince Haakon receiving a surprise award for his work in enterprise and innovation.
October
King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon attended the State Opening of Parliament in early October, and we began to speculate on whether Princess Märtha Louise was about to lose her royal titles.
Princess Märtha Louise paid tribute to her late husband Ari Behn on what would have been his 50th birthday, and The Queen’s Park closed for the season early in October. Queen Sonja opened a trio of art exhibits.
King Harald continued with his goal of visiting every county in Norway during his reign—the list is getting shorter and shorter! Crown Prince Haakon announced he was set to team up with Crown Princess Victoria for a working visit to Kenya.
King Harald and Queen Sonja hosted the President of Finland; later, Queen Sonja paid an official visit to Minnesota (we covered a visit to a church jubilee here). Crown Princess Mette-Marit became the patron of Norway’s state television charity broadcast benefitting Doctors Without Borders and the Drugs For Neglected Diseases Initiative.
Crown Prince Haakon paid a visit to a special kindergarten in their anniversary year and later confirmed that the Royal Family were discussing his sister’s titles.
King Harald presented the Sami Language Award; Princess Ingrid Alexandra visited the Norwegian Armed Forces to learn more about operations and her future role as head of the Armed Forces; and the Crown Prince Couple ended their lease on a summer home in Kristiansand.
With the eyes of the world on King Charles III and his succession, we ran a series on the succession laws of monarchies around the world. We covered the absolute primogeniture laws of Norway’s monarchy here.
November
The biggest news this month was Princess Märtha Louise’s announcement that she would step back from royal duties as a result of her engagement to Durek Verrett. King Harald also confirmed that there would be no title or role for Durek after the couple’s wedding and later sat for an interview where he said that Americans don’t understand how monarchy works. He also condemned the racism Durek faced.
It was confirmed, as well, that Princess Märtha Louise will keep her title, just lose her royal role and patronages. In the midst of this news, the Princess reaffirmed her dedication to alternative medicine.
Crown Prince Haakon led the Royal Family’s tributes on Armed Forces Memorial Day, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened a Scouting conference. As the ongoing energy crisis ravaged Europe, the Crown Prince Couple were said to be exploring solar power at their private residence. They later hosted a reception for Norwegian volunteers.
Here’s a headline we ran, presented without context, for you to click on and read: “How a chicken stew with King Harald got Norway’s Prime Minister into hot water.”
On a visit to the UK, King Harald and Queen Sonja popped in for a visit with King Charles III; Crown Princess Mette-Marit added her fashion to history; and, as King Harald was sidelined due to a cold at the end of the month, his son took over some of his royal duties.
We covered Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s joint visit to Kenya; Queen Sonja popped over to Denmark for a night at the ballet with Queen Margrethe; and Leah Isadora, the middle child of Princess Märtha Louise, made a surprise tiara appearance in Paris.
As part of a series on the role of the monarch in each country, we examined how King Harald plays an important role in Norwegian life.
December
The biggest royal event of December was the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, which we covered here.
King Harald’s solar power plans hit a snag when contractors revealed that the weight would be too much for the roof of the centuries-old Royal Palace.
Norwegian royals were left off the tax list—mainly the senior royals—but we got an insight into the tax situations of Princess Märtha Louise, Princess Astrid, and Marius, Mette-Marit’s eldest son.
As the holidays loomed, we put together a primer on when to expect each monarch to deliver their year-end speech. King Harald broadcasts yearly on New Year’s Eve.
Sadly, for King Harald, the year ended as it began: with a health scare. This one landed him in hospital and caused us to question how the Norwegian Royal Family’s Christmas plans would change. Thankfully, King Harald was released from hospital a few days before Christmas.
And in one of our final stories about the Norwegian Royal Family, we announced King Harald’s retirement. Just not as King!
