Ingrid Alexandra Wears Amethyst Tiara to First Stortingsmiddag as Crown Princess
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, attended the Stortingsmiddag at the Royal Palace in Oslo, wearing an amethyst tiara with a family history of its own. The Stortingsmiddag is an official dinner for members of the Storting, Norway's parliament, and Hello Magazine reported that she sat with King Haakon and Queen Sonja.
The evening was the first official dinner of King Haakon's reign. King Harald died on 28 August, and his son took the oath as King of Norway on 1 September. Ingrid Alexandra is now first in line to the throne and is known as the Crown Princess, a title that goes to the heir to the Norwegian throne.
Her gown was deep purple with an off-shoulder neckline. The King wore white tie, the formal evening dress for men, with the Order of St Olav and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, both decorations awarded by the monarch.
The tiara has passed through several hands. Queen Sonja received it from King Harald V as a gift for her 60th birthday. In 2004 she gave it to Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Ingrid Alexandra's mother, to mark Princess Ingrid's birthday. In 2010 it was lent to Princess Martha Louise for the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Mette-Marit has worn it before, at state visits and at the Stortingsmiddag.
Queen Mette-Marit was not at the dinner. Hello Magazine reported that she is still recovering from a lung transplant she had in June. She was also absent from the King's swearing-in before the Storting in September.
The Royal House has published an article about the October dinner, titled "Stortingsmiddagen: Tradisjon og forandring", which means "Tradition and change". It also lists the King's speech at the dinner as dated 22 October, and it has published the menu.
Ingrid Alexandra has a further public engagement on the calendar. The Royal House website says she is to receive representatives of Operasjon Dagsverk in audience on 28 October. The Royal House describes it as her first audience alone as Crown Princess.
For readers new to Norwegian royal events, the pattern is simple. The monarch and heir appear together at set occasions, and each one is recorded in the Royal House's published announcements. The dinner, the dress and the tiara made the evening's coverage.
