The princess diaries: Royal in residence at Sydney University

Sydney Morning Herald

4 days ago

Esoteric European royal families are a bit like a trip to an antique store – the objects inside might seem forgotten and obsolete, yet the allure of their gilded aura is difficult to deny.
Or so it is for students and staff at the University of Sydney, who've developed an enthusiasm and protective streak for Norwegian princess Ingrid Alexandra since she arrived on campus this semester.
The 21-year-old royal, who recently did a stint of military service, can now add full-time arts student to her CV. She is living at St Andrew's College, with its 19th century buildings, long sporting tradition and vibrant party scene – believed to have been recommended to her because it could offer an authentic student experience. Ingrid is studying a bachelor of arts, majoring in international relations and political economy, and is keen to garner new perspectives on both European and international affairs.
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Like other students, she wears jeans around campus and has inconspicuously slipped into university events. But, unlike her peers, she has a security detail staying close by. Local paparazzi have taken a keen interest in her studies, capturing her quick transition to full-time-student mode, with photos showing her carrying a bottle of wine in a cardboard box back to her accommodation.
Exact details of her security are unclear, but NSW Police have said they are working with the AFP and Norwegian authorities.
'General and specialist police will provide ongoing support to the princess during her time in Australia,' they said.
If Ingrid chose St Andrew's for the Sydney student experience, she appears to be making the most of it. On Monday, she attended a boat party and made a trip to Newtown's Marly Bar; and on Wednesday she was seen at Camperdown's Alfred Hotel (known as The Grose) for its busy student night.
When it was revealed Ingrid chose to live at St Andrew's, traditionally favoured by private school students, some joked that she would not be the only princess in residence. Before her arrival this semester, the college was quick to warn her fellow students not to speak to the press.
'There may be media interest and inquiries. Please join us in respecting her privacy. We will share reminders about security on the college site ahead of Semester 2,' college principal Dr Daniel Tyler said.
Fast forward a couple of months, and students have heeded that advice. Earlier this month, a reporter from Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang waited outside St Andrew's in the pouring rain hoping to catch the princess. He got a hostile reception: 'She's gone. You can too,' one irritated student reportedly told the journalist. A security guard also told him not to speak to students.
Other members of the Norwegian media who have flown into Sydney for the start of semester have had slightly better luck, including reporter Anniken Aronsen from commercial free-to-air station TV2.
'I was talking to some students [who] said she lived there. And I was like, 'OK, I should go there and take some videos outside and see where this place is at.' And then she just suddenly showed up,' she said.
'I was so startled … And I just managed to [say]: 'Oh, there you are. Do you want to say something?''
The princess did not. And just as quickly as she appeared, she slipped inside the gates of the college and was gone. Requests for interviews made to Norway's royal court from this masthead have also so far been declined.
'I think there's a sense of understanding that she wants to be her own person and just be a normal student. And I think all the people that I've spoken to want to help her feel that way,' Aronsen said, explaining the decision to report on Ingrid's 'really far away' move.
'Princess Ingrid is the future queen of Norway, and, obviously, there's a lot of interest in the royal family in general.'
Sydney is 16,000 kilometres from Oslo, and it has been a difficult few months in the Norwegian royal court.
In June, Norwegian police revealed the princess' maternal half brother, Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway's crown princess, had been charged with rape, sexual assault and bodily harm.
Domestically, Ingrid is seen as fresh and down to earth. While other royal families struggle for popularity, a 2022 poll of young Norwegians aged 16 to 20 found 76 per cent supported the monarchy, and more than 80 per cent believed Ingrid would become queen.
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Ingrid has just finished 15 months of Norwegian military service, where fellow soldiers said she cleaned the toilet and slept in a six-bed dorm. Stationed in a remote garrison in Norway's north, she contended with sleet, hail, snow and freezing temperatures. Her weekly schedule involved running, strength training and polishing weapons.
Exactly why the princess chose to study in Sydney is not exactly clear. But her own family might provide some clues.
When Ingrid's grandfather, King Harald V, visited NSW a decade ago, he spoke fondly of his time spent sailing at Palm Beach in 1970.
'Australia and Norway have always enjoyed excellent relations due to deep-rooted people-to-people contacts, shared values and well-established business ties,' he said.
And before she married into royalty, Princess Ingrid's mother, Crown Princess of Norway Mette-Marit, spent six months at Wangaratta High in rural Victoria in 1992.
Australia might not be a destination of choice for many royals studying abroad, but there are exceptions: King Charles spent two terms at Geelong Grammar in 1966, while Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn spent time at The King's School in 1970.
More recently, Australian-born Queen Mary of Denmark's nephew, Count Nikolai of Monpezat, spent a semester at the University of Technology Sydney on exchange from Copenhagen Business School in 2023.
After an initial flurry of paparazzi interest, Nikolai was largely left alone, working as a fashion model while in Sydney.
For Princess Ingrid – who is completing a three-year degree – time will tell if Sydney provides the same sanctuary.