Norwegians embrace Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who acts like an “ordinary Norwegian”

At 22, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra is already meeting Norway’s political leadership alongside her father, Crown Prince Haakon, sometimes as often as every week. She has completed military service and enjoys broad respect among Norwegians.

Her public image has received particular attention because the rest of the royal family has faced controversy. The royal household has sought to shield Ingrid Alexandra’s reputation while she takes a more visible place beside her father.

The crown princess’s popularity has grown further since the king’s death increased support for the monarchy. She is now moving closer to the center of public power while retaining an image that many Norwegians see as familiar and ordinary.

That impression reaches back to a childhood encounter recalled by the article’s writer. About 15 years ago, after a long flight to New York, a cheerful Ingrid Alexandra asked the writer’s spouse, who worked for Norway’s Foreign Ministry, “Do you want to see my belly button?” Her younger brother, Sverre Magnus, was loudly misbehaving beside her, and the moment passed without the promised display.

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Do you want to see my belly button?