Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen
| Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen | |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Erling Lorentzen |
| Issue | |
| Haakon Lorentzen Ingeborg Lorentzen Ragnhild Lorentzen |
|
| Full name | |
| Ragnhild Alexandra | |
| House | House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Lorentzen family (by marriage) |
| Father | Olav V of Norway |
| Mother | Princess Märtha of Sweden |
| Born | 9 June 1930 Royal Palace,[1] Oslo, Norway |
| Died | 16 September 2012 (aged 82)[2][3] Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Burial | Asker Church[4] |
Ragnhild Alexandra Lorentzen, Princess of Norway (9 June 1930 – 16 September 2012) was the eldest child of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden, and by birth a Princess of Norway and a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. She was the older sister of King Harald V of Norway and Princess Astrid of Norway.
Following her marriage to industrialist Erling Lorentzen, of the Lorentzen family, her honorific style was changed from Royal Highness to Highness, and she became known as Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen. The princess and her husband settled in Brazil shortly after their wedding in 1953, where her husband founded Aracruz Celulose. Before the birth of her younger brother, it was assumed she would become Queen of Norway in the absence of a male heir, although this would have required a constitutional amendment, as women could not inherit the throne at the time.[2]
She was the great-granddaughter of Edward VII of the United Kingdom and thus a third cousin to Queen Elizabeth II.[5] At the time of her death she was no. 77 in the line of succession to the British throne. Princess Ragnhild's maternal aunt was Queen Astrid of Belgium, which also made Princess Ragnhild a first cousin of Baudouin of Belgium and his brother (and successor) Albert II of Belgium.[6]
Several ships, including MS Prinsesse Ragnhild, were named for her.
She died at her home in Rio de Janeiro on 16 September 2012,[7] following a period of illness, aged 82.[3]
Contents |
Biography [edit]
Early life [edit]
Princess Ragnhild was the first Norwegian princess born on Norwegian soil for 629 years.[8] She grew up at the royal residence of Skaugum near Asker, west of Oslo. During World War II, the Princess fled the German invasion of Norway with her family in 1940,[2] spending the wartime years in exile with her mother and siblings in Washington, D.C..
Marriage and family [edit]
Princess Ragnhild married Erling Lorentzen, a commoner of the Norwegian merchant upper-class (see Lorentzen family), 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 businessman 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, originally as a temporary residence, but they eventually settled there, and remained there in until her death in 2012.[3]
The princess had three children:
- Haakon Lorentzen
- Ingeborg Lorentzen (Mrs. Paulo Ribeiro)
- Ragnhild Lorentzen (Mrs. Aaron Long, of San Francisco, California)
| Styles of Princess Raghnild of Norway |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Reference style | Her Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
Activities [edit]
As a member of the Norwegian royal family, Princess Ragnhild carried out no official state duties, but did attend family events such as royal weddings.
A conservative, Princess Ragnhild publicly criticized her niece and nephew, Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, for their choice of spouses, in 2004.[9]
Princess Ragnhild was Patron of the Norwegian Organisation for the Hearing Impaired.
Titles and styles [edit]
- 9 June 1930 – 15 May 1953: Her Royal Highness Ragnhild, Princess of Norway
- 15 May 1953 – 16 September 2012: Her Highness Ragnhild Lorentzen, Princess of Norway
She was commonly known as Princess Ragnhild, Mrs Lorentzen.
Honours [edit]
See also List of honours of the Norwegian Royal Family by country
A 540 000 km² area in Antarctica is named Princess Ragnhild Coast in her honour. The Jahre Line (later Color Line) cruiseferry MS Prinsesse Ragnhild was named in her honour.
Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav- The Royal House Centenary Medal
- Olav V's Commemorative Medal of 30. January 1991
- Olav V's Jubilee Medal 1957-1982
- Olav V's 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
Ancestry [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Kongehuset
- ^ a b c Solveig Husøy (16 September 2012). "Prinsesse Ragnhild er død" (in Norwegian). NRK. Unknown parameter
|visitied=ignored (help) - ^ a b c Lohne, Jenny-Linn (16 September 2012). "Prinsesse Ragnhild er død" (in Norwegian). VG. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
- ^ Kongehuset
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/9561327/Princess-Ragnhild-of-Norway.html
- ^ http://www.thepeerage.com/p10125.htm#i101244
- ^ "Prinsesse Ragnhild er død" (in Norwegian). The Royal House of Norway. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ http://trondni.blogspot.com/2010/06/on-this-date-princess-ragnhild-is-80.html
- ^ Here's what Princess Ragnhild said
External links [edit]
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- 1930 births
- 2012 deaths
- Norwegian princesses
- House of Glücksburg (Norway)
- Lorentzen family
- Norwegian expatriates in Brazil
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
- Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Southern Cross
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit (Portugal)
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands)
