In news that’s somehow both extremely random and extremely on-brand for Sydney, Norway’s future queen is packing up her tiaras and heading Down Under. Yup, Princess Ingrid Alexandra — the 21-year-old second-in-line to the Norwegian throne — is officially enrolling at the University of Sydney from August.
The Royal House of Norway dropped the news via a statement this week, confirming she’ll be living in student housing and “dedicating herself to her studies” for the next three years.
The palace says Princess Ingrid will be studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in international relations and political economy. That’s right: while most of us will be busy googling “what is a HECS debt“, Ingrid Alexandra was prepping to become Norway’s answer to Elle Woods, but with more constitutional responsibility.
She’ll be living on campus, which means there’s a non-zero chance she’ll end up at party or, at the very least, lining up for overpriced coffee around campus.
Princess Ingrid isn’t the first European royal to swap palaces for Paddington. Count Nikolai — nephew to Denmark’s King Frederik X and Queen Mary — did a semester at UTS last year, where he was spotted at Surry Hills cafés and even managed a trip to Tassie to visit Queen Mary’s rellos.
He and his girlfriend Benedikte Thoustrup now split their time between Australia and Europe, and were most recently seen at Australian Fashion Week, because of course they were.
Fun fact: Both the Norwegian and Danish royal families are part of the House of Glücksburg. So, if you’re keeping up with your European royal family trees, this is basically the royal version of an exchange program.
It’s been a bumpy few months for the Norwegian royals. Crown Princess Mette-Marit has had to take extended sick leave due to chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that’s sadly progressed in recent months, per CBS News. Meanwhile, Marius Borg Høiby —Princess Ingrid’s half-brother — was arrested last year on suspicion of rape, though he has no royal title or official duties.
Why did Princess Ingrid Alexandra Choose Sydney?
Apart from the obvious drawcard of a chance to avoid Norwegian winter, the move means Princess Ingrid will be stepping back from royal duties for the next three years. She’s only recently started doing the odd official appearance — like her first-ever state banquet in April. But don’t expect her to be cutting ribbons at Westfield anytime soon.
But you never know, while she’s technically on a study break from royal life, there’s always a chance she could pop home during semester breaks or show up at a Scandi-themed event in Newtown.
For now, though, Sydney can claim bragging rights as the city that’s (temporarily) home to Norway’s next queen.
Lead image: The University Of Sydney / Getty
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