Norway’s future queen Princess Ingrid Alexandra leaves school in Australia as her mother’s health worsens
The future Queen of Norway is putting her studies on hold and rushing home from Australia as her mother battles a worsening illness.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, is returning to Norway from the University of Sydney to be by Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s side, whose chronic lung disease has recently worsened, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
“Ingrid Alexandra is planning to come home soon. It has to do with the family situation. She wants to be with her mother,” said Crown Prince Haakon during his visit to Japan, a report said on Monday.
The young lady is in the middle of a three-year degree in international relations and political economy. Although he is expected to eventually return to Australia, Haakon said it is unclear how long he will stay at home.
The decision comes as Mette-Marit, 52, continues her battle with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease she was diagnosed with in 2018.
Last week, Haakon revealed the seriousness of his condition.
“The Crown Princess is very ill, and I think it just got worse,” he said, according to NRK. “So I’m worried about his health.”
“These six months have gone very well, I think. But there are different stages. So we have to try to solve it as best we can,” he added.
Norway’s royal palace announced in March that Mette-Marit’s health had “deteriorated.” A few days ago, officials again cut short Haakon’s trip to Japan due to his “health condition”.
Mette-Marit has recently been seen at public events wearing a nasal cannula, an oxygen tube that helps her breathe.
Asked if he might eventually need a lung transplant, Haakon said, “It’s a medical question. So they decide when it should happen, if it’s right.”
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, the future queen of Norway. He is second in line to the throne after his father and is expected to one day become the king of the country.
Health problems have plagued many generations of the royal family.
Haakon’s mother, Queen Sonja, 88, was hospitalized with atrial fibrillation and a heart attack on May 27.
The palace said he will take a week off from royal duties to rest and prepare his medication. He received a pacemaker in January 2025.
King Harald, 89, has also faced a series of health problems in recent years, including leg surgery, multiple infections with COVID-19 and a pacemaker operation in 2024.
In February, he was hospitalized in Tenerife with an illness and dehydration while on vacation.
The latest family troubles come days after a Sydney court issued a two-year restraining order against a man accused of stalking Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
David James Cook, 63, has been banned from contacting the princess or any member of the Norwegian royal family after he allegedly sent a letter to her residence at St Andrew’s College, 9News reported.
The guards caught the letter before it could reach him.
“I sent him a card just asking for friendship, that’s all,” Cook told reporters outside court. “I did not intentionally offend him in any way and I will not do so.
Hours later, Cook was charged with assaulting a photographer.
Police say the photographer suffered minor injuries. Cook was released from custody and is due back in court on July 17.
