Australians rejoiced when the Norwegian Palace confirmed Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra would head Down Under to commence a three-year undergraduate degree. However, the young Princess halted her studies and suddenly returned to Norway this year after her mother’s health suddenly declined.
Royal watchers will be pleased to hear Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will return to Australia to resume her degree.
She arrived in July 2025 to settle in ahead of beginning her three-year degree in Social Sciences at the University of Sydney.
“Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra will begin her studies at the University of Sydney in August, enrolling in a Bachelor of Arts program,” a statement read. “She has chosen a three-year degree with a focus on international relations and political economy.
“The Princess will be studying full-time and residing in a student residence on campus. Her Royal Highness looks forward to dedicating herself to her studies in the years to come.”
Upon arriving in Sydney, Princess Ingrid shared on Instagram: “I’m looking forward to starting my studies at the University of Sydney. It will be exciting to become a student, and I’m looking forward to gaining new perspectives on both European and international politics. I’m sure that I will learn a lot.”
Princess Ingrid returned to Norway in June 2026, temporarily putting her studies in Sydney on hold, as her mother’s health declined.
“It has to do with the family situation. She wants to be with her mother,” Ingrid’s father, the then-Crown Prince Haakon, said.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition where scarring occurs in the lungs. Her health has deteriorated quickly.
She has, however, transferred to University of Oslo for a semester: “In order to be closer to her family, Princess Ingrid Alexandra has returned to Norway and will spend the autumn semester of 2026 as an exchange student at the University of Oslo as part of her studies at the University of Sydney.”
Princess Ingrid plans to “complete her studies in Australia.” When her grandfather, King Harald passed, her future at the University of Sydney seemed unclear.
More than a month later, Norway’s Royal House confirmed the 22-year-old with return to Sydney University in February for the start of the new semester in 2027.
“Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will continue to prioritise her studies, and will participate in some official occasions until she returns to Australia to start her studies in February,” the statement read.
The heiress did spend almost a full year in Australia, during which her nose is often in a book while studying for exams, often under a particular tree due to Aussie “superstition.”
“If you haven’t started reading before the jacaranda trees are in full bloom, it means trouble in your exams,” she confessed.
During the Christmas holidays, the Norwegian princess took a break from her studies to visit some of our native animals at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.
The royal interviewed one of the zookeepers there, who explained the ethos and aim of Taronga Zoo.
Watch the reel here and below.
