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Norway

A look back at the significance of Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s birth

Princess Ingrid Alexandra just turned 18-years-old, and Royal Central wishes to take this moment to take a look back at the significance of her birth. 

Fourteen years before she was born, in 1990, Norway updated its constitution to allow absolute primogeniture, meaning that the firstborn, regardless of gender, will inherit the throne. 

It was the first wind of actualisation that swept through Europe, which had also seen the same reform happen ten years earlier in neighbouring Sweden. 

But, contrary to Sweden, Norway did not implement the norm retroactively, which means that, despite Princess Märtha Louise being older than her brother, Haakon would remain the Crown Prince. 

And so, the year had just become 2004 when a royal baby was born. Crown Princess Mette-Marit gave birth at 9:13 am to a baby girl, and the future of Norway changed forever. 

The baby Princess was the first girl to be born, knowing that a younger brother would not bump her off the spot she holds in the succession line. And indeed, when her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, was born in December of 2005, she retained her place as second in line to the throne. 

Princess Ingrid Alexandra was christened on 17 April 2004 in the Royal Chapel. She had a list of godparents to rival any Queen: King Harald, then-Prince Felipe (now King Felipe of Spain), Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark all served as her godparents, alongside her maternal grandmother Marit Tjessem. 

So far, the Princess has undertaken a couple of official engagements to mark key milestones in her life, and only time will tell what the future will look like for the first female heir to the throne to not lose her position to a younger brother. 

From all of us at Royal Central, a happy 18th birthday to Princess Ingrid Alexandra!