Princess Ragnhild of Norway
Encyclopedia
Princess Ragnhild of Norway, Mrs. Lorentzen, (Ragnhild Alexandra, born 9 June 1930) is the eldest daughter of King Olav V of Norway
and Princess Märtha of Sweden. She is the older sister of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway
and of Princess Astrid of Norway
.
Princess Ragnhild married Erling S. Lorentzen, a commoner
of the High Bourgeoisie, in Asker
on 15 May 1953, after which the princess is titled Her Highness Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen. There was great controversy when the princess married Lorentzen, a business man and army officer who had served as her bodyguard
during the War
, as she was the first Norwegian Royal to marry a commoner. Soon after the couple's wedding
, it was announced that the flag of Norway would no longer be flown on the princess's birthday (9 June).
The couple moved to Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
where her husband has substantial business holdings. They still live there, but also spend some time in Oslo
. The princess has three children: Haakon Lorentzen
, Ingeborg Lorentzen
(Mrs. Paulo Ribeiro), and Ragnhild Lorentzen
(married to the American Aaron Matthew Long and living in San Francisco, California
). Her grandchildren are Olav (born 1985), Christian (born 1988), Victoria (born 1988), Sophia (born 1994), Alexandra (born 2007) and Elizabeth (born 2011).
A staunch conservative, Princess Ragnhild publicly criticized her niece and nephew, Princess Märtha Louise
and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, for their choice of spouses, on TV 2
, a Norwegian television network, in 2004. Among her comments was her belief that the younger generation's controversial marriages could bring down the Norwegian monarchy and her hope that she would be dead before her nephew's wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit
became queen. In a fruitless effort at damage control, the princess's husband reportedly approached TV 2, asking that his wife's scathing comments be edited.
As she is the great-granddaughter of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, she is also in the line of succession to the British throne. She is a second cousin to Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret and also a maternal first cousin to Baudouin of Belgium and his successor Albert II of Belgium
.
Princess Ragnhild is Patron
of the Norwegian Organisation for the Hearing Impaired.
in her honour. The Jahre Line (later Color Line) cruiseferry was named in her honour. Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal House Centenary Medal Olav Vs Commemorative Medal of 30. January 1991 Olav Vs Jubilee Medal 1957-1982 Olav Vs Centenary Medal Royal Family Order
of King Haakon VII of Norway
Royal Family Order
of King Olav V of Norway
Royal Family Order
of King Harald V of Norway
Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Portugal) Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star
Olav V of Norway
Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...
and Princess Märtha of Sweden. She is the older sister of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway
Harald V of Norway
Harald V is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991...
and of Princess Astrid of Norway
Princess Astrid of Norway
Princess Astrid of Norway, Mrs. Ferner, is the second daughter of King Olav V of Norway and his wife, Princess Märtha of Sweden...
.
Princess Ragnhild married Erling S. Lorentzen, a commoner
Commoner
In British law, a commoner is someone who is neither the Sovereign nor a peer. Therefore, any member of the Royal Family who is not a peer, such as Prince Harry of Wales or Anne, Princess Royal, is a commoner, as is any member of a peer's family, including someone who holds only a courtesy title,...
of the High Bourgeoisie, in Asker
Asker
Asker is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Viken traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Asker. The municipality is a suburb of Oslo, the national capital...
on 15 May 1953, after which the princess is titled Her Highness Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen. There was great controversy when the princess married Lorentzen, a business man and army officer who had served as her bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
during the War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as she was the first Norwegian Royal to marry a commoner. Soon after the couple's wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
, it was announced that the flag of Norway would no longer be flown on the princess's birthday (9 June).
The couple moved to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
where her husband has substantial business holdings. They still live there, but also spend some time in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. The princess has three children: Haakon Lorentzen
Haakon Lorentzen
Haakon Lorentzen is the son of Princess Ragnhild of Norway and Erling Sven Lorentzen. Princess Ragnhild was the older sister of King Harald V and Princess Astrid of Norway....
, Ingeborg Lorentzen
Ingeborg Lorentzen
Ingeborg Lorentzen is the daughter of Erling Sven Lorentzen and his wife, Princess Ragnhild of Norway, the expatriate sister of King Harald V of Norway and Princess Astrid of Norway....
(Mrs. Paulo Ribeiro), and Ragnhild Lorentzen
Ragnhild Lorentzen
Ragnhild Alexandra Lorentzen was born in Amparo Feminino Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, the youngest daughter of Princess Ragnhild of Norway and Erling Lorentzen. Her grandfather was the late King Olav V of Norway...
(married to the American Aaron Matthew Long and living in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
). Her grandchildren are Olav (born 1985), Christian (born 1988), Victoria (born 1988), Sophia (born 1994), Alexandra (born 2007) and Elizabeth (born 2011).
A staunch conservative, Princess Ragnhild publicly criticized her niece and nephew, Princess Märtha Louise
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway is the only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. She is fourth in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, after her brother and his two children.-Early life:...
and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, for their choice of spouses, on TV 2
TV 2 (Norway)
TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
, a Norwegian television network, in 2004. Among her comments was her belief that the younger generation's controversial marriages could bring down the Norwegian monarchy and her hope that she would be dead before her nephew's wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit
Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway , is the wife of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.-Background and education:...
became queen. In a fruitless effort at damage control, the princess's husband reportedly approached TV 2, asking that his wife's scathing comments be edited.
As she is the great-granddaughter of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, she is also in the line of succession to the British throne. She is a second cousin to Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret and also a maternal first cousin to Baudouin of Belgium and his successor Albert II of Belgium
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
.
Princess Ragnhild is Patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of the Norwegian Organisation for the Hearing Impaired.
Honours
A 540 000 km² area in Antarctica is named Princess Ragnhild CoastPrincess Ragnhild Coast
Princess Ragnhild Coast is the portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land in Antarctica lying between 20° E and the Riiser-Larsen Peninsula, at 34° E. All but the eastern end of the coast is fringed by ice shelves. It was discovered by Capt. Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen and Capt. Nils Larsen in aerial...
in her honour. The Jahre Line (later Color Line) cruiseferry was named in her honour. Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal House Centenary Medal Olav Vs Commemorative Medal of 30. January 1991 Olav Vs Jubilee Medal 1957-1982 Olav Vs Centenary Medal Royal Family Order
Royal Family Order
The Royal Family Order is an order awarded by the sovereign of the United Kingdom to female members of the royal family . The order is a personal memento rather than a state decoration...
of King Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
Royal Family Order
Royal Family Order
The Royal Family Order is an order awarded by the sovereign of the United Kingdom to female members of the royal family . The order is a personal memento rather than a state decoration...
of King Olav V of Norway
Olav V of Norway
Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...
Royal Family Order
Royal Family Order
The Royal Family Order is an order awarded by the sovereign of the United Kingdom to female members of the royal family . The order is a personal memento rather than a state decoration...
of King Harald V of Norway
Harald V of Norway
Harald V is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991...
Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
Order of the Southern Cross
The National Order of the Southern Cross is a Brazilian order of chivalry founded by Emperor Pedro I on 1 December 1822. This order was intended to commemorate the independence of Brazil and the coronation of Pedro I...
Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
Order of the Crown (Netherlands)
The Order of the Crown is a house order of the Dutch Royal House of Orange-Nassau. The order came into being as a result of Queen Juliana's reorganization of The House Order of Orange in 1969. The 18 classes of the House order were no longer felt to be appropriate in the ever more egalitarian...
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Portugal) Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star
Order of the Polar Star
The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....