HRH Princess Martha Louise

Princess Märtha Louise, oldest child of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, was born on 22 September 1971, nearly two years before her brother, Crown Prince Haakon. Since she came of age the Princess has represented the royal family on various occasions and is also a goodwill ambassador for refugees. She is now a student at the Oslo College at Bislet where she is studying to become a physiotherapist.

The Princess was baptized in the Royal Chapel just under a month after her birth. She was named after her grandmother, Crown Princess Märtha, wife of King Olav V, and her great-great-grandmother, Queen Louise, mother of King Haakon VII and daughter of Carl XV of Sweden.

The Norwegian royal family has close ties to the Danish, Swedish and British royal families. King Haakon VII was the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark. His wife, Queen Maud, mother of King Olav, was the daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of England. King Olav's wife, Märtha, was the second daughter of Swedish Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg. Princess Märtha Louise's mother, Queen Sonja, comes from an Oslo family and was married to Crown Prince Harald in 1968.

Princess Märtha Louise was introduced to her future duties as a member of the royal family at an early stage. She had only just learned to walk when she appeared for the first time on the balcony of the Palace in Oslo to wave to the children's procession on 17th May, Norway's Constitution Day. The royal family's meeting with gaily-dressed, cheering crowds on this special day is one of the country's strongest traditions. Apart from this special annual event, the Princess and her brother were protected from too much public attention during their childhood. The Norwegian royal family has traditionally brought up their children as far as possible in the same way as other young Norwegians. Many people believe this is one of the reasons why the royal family is so popular in Norway.

Princess Märtha Louise and her younger brother, Crown Prince Haakon, went to a municipal nursery school and local primary and secondary schools. In 1990, the Princess received her upper secondary diploma in languages at the Kristelig Gymnasium in Oslo. In the same year, she moved to England to perfect her riding skills at the Waterstock Training Centre and to study English at Oxford University. She moved on to another riding school, Arena UK in Lincolnshire, to further hone her equestrian talents. In the autumn of1992 the Princess continued with advanced level studies at the Bjørknes Private School in Oslo. She later enrolled at theOsloCollege at Bislet, where she has chosen an education in physiotherapy.

Sport has always played an important role for the Norwegian royal family. Princess Märtha Louise's grandfather, King Olav, won an Olympic gold medal for sailing in 1928 and was an active sailor all his life. He was also an enthusiastic ski-jumper and took part in many competitions, Holmenkollen being one of them. King Harald is also a first-class sailor, and is especially proud of his 1987 World Championship victory in the 1-tonne class.

Riding is the Princesss favourite sport. With her talents in show jumping she has done well in national and international competitions. After two years of hard training in England she has developed into a very competent rider.

Princess Märtha Louise also has many cultural interests. Music and literature are very close to her heart. She has sung in two choirs, and also performed as a soloist during a concert with her school choir, the KG singers. The concert was broadcast on national television. The Princess has also played the flute in a quartet at the Bærum Music School, and for many years participated in a dance group at the Norwegian folk museum.

Since she came of age at 18, Princess Märtha Louise has performed a number of representational duties. In April 1992, as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, she visited a number of refugee camps along the border areas between Liberia and the Ivory Coast. She is also very interested in the work of the Norwegian Council for Refugees. A few years ago, she participated in a television appeal called "Women in the Third World".

Although she is two years older than her brother, it is Crown Prince Haakon who will inherit the throne. According to the Constitution, Norway has a linear succession and the right of succession was previously also agnatic (i.e. the oldest legitimate "man born of man" inherited the throne). The Constitution has now been changed so that women can also accede to the throne, but as an interim arrangement it was decided that the male line should have precedence for those children born before 1990. In practice, this means that Princess Märtha Louise would only accede to the throne if her brother were to die and at that time did not have any children or grandchildren.