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Norway

Princess Ingrid Alexandra receives driver’s license

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway can now drive a car on her own.

On Friday, Princess Ingrid Alexandra had the eyes of all of Norway on her in connection with her 18th birthday. The 18-year-old also gave her first interview and visited the parliament, the government and the Supreme Court. She was praised for appearing natural in the role of a more public member of the Norwegian Royal Family.

There was also speculation when her older brother, Marius Borg Høiby, published a congratulations post on Instagram. There, the two were seen on a jet ski, and he also issued a warning.

“I recommend people who live in Asker to stay away from the roads for the next few hours,” he joked.

It was not inconceivable that he meant that his little sister had taken the driver’s license exam. The day after her 18th birthday, the Princess confirmed this when she was seen driving alone in an electric Volkswagen. Several Norwegian magazines have now published the pictures.

On the morning of 25 January, the Royal Court chose to make a public comment to the Norwegian press: “Yes, we can confirm that the Princess has received a driver’s license. Beyond that, we will not comment more in this case nor confirm whether Princess Ingrid Alexandra has got her own car.”

In her first TV interview with the state channel NRK, the Princess stated that it was a goal for her to get a driver’s license, and now this goal has been reached. For almost 100 years, it has been a tradition from the Royal Norwegian Automobile Club to give the royals a car as a gift on their 18th birthday, but this tradition has now come to an end.

The Norwegian Royal Family no longer accepts large gifts from the Norwegian business community.

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.