Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway Stars in New Start of College Photos

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway is swapping tiaras for textbooks.

The 21-year-old royal is in Australia as she gets ready to start her studies at the University of Sydney. Although Princess Ingrid Alexandra is set to become queen of Norway one day, she looked like any other college student in new photos shared on the royal family’s Instagram page on July 25. Dressed casually in jeans, sneakers and a blue sweater, she posed for photos around the University of Sydney.

She said in a statement shared along with the images, “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.”

The palace announced in May that Princess Ingrid Alexandra will pursue a three-year Bachelor of Arts program with a focus on international relations and political economy. The palace added that she would be living in a student residence on campus.

King Harald, 87, was recently asked about his granddaughter’s decision to study abroad. He said, “You get this back with compound interest when she gets home, so I think that’s just an advantage. She must be allowed to study and get an education before she starts representing,” according to local newspaper VG.

Both King Harald and his son and heir, Crown Prince Haakon, studied abroad as young adults as well. The King studied history, economics and politics at Balliol College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, while Haakon studied at the University of California, Berkeley and the London School of Economics.

Her studies at the University of Sydney come after Princess Ingrid Alexandra completed 15 months of military service with the Engineer Battalion in Brigade North in the spring.

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Just last month, Princess Ingrid Alexandra was sporting a very different look from her latest photos. The royal joined her parents, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and grandparents, King Harald and Queen Sonja, at a gala dinner during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Norway.

For the event at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Princess Ingrid Alexandra wore a tiara paired with a red Vivienne Westwood gown and white opera gloves.

She once again chose to wear Princess Ingeborg of Sweden and Denmark’s Boucheron Pearl Circle Tiara. The Royal Watcher reports that Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, bought the accessory in Paris and gave it to Princess Ingeborg, who wore it over the next 58 years and also loaned it out to other royal women.

Princess Ragnhild of Norway inherited the tiara, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra was gifted the headpiece in 2022. She’s worn it on several occasions since, including her 18th birthday banquet.