Norwegian princess puts Sydney University studies on hold to return home

Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra has put her Sydney University studies on hold to return home as her mother’s health worsens.

The 22-year-old, who moved to Australia in July 2025, will be back in Norway “soon”, her father, Crown Prince Haakon, confirmed on Monday.

“It has to do with the family situation. She wants to be with her mother,” the heir apparent told Norwegian media while on a state visit in Japan.

Ingrid Alexandra’s mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has a chronic lung condition and is being considered for a transplant.

Recently, her health has deteriorated faster than her medical team had been expecting.

The Norwegian Royal House has not commented about Princess Ingrid Alexandra leaving Australia, nor has it given a timeline. Nine.com.au has contacted the palace for comment.

Haakon said his daughter, who is studying a Bachelor of Arts focusing on politics and international relations at Sydney University, “has plans to complete her studies in Australia”.

“But how long she will stay home, we will have to come back to that.”

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The Crown Prince cut short his own state visit to return home to his wife.

Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary cystic fibrosis in 2018 and has recently begun wearing a nasal breathing tube, connected to an oxygen tank, at public engagements.

Last week, Haakon told the media: “The Crown Princess is seriously ill, and I think she has gotten a little worse lately, so I am worried about her health”.

The news comes after a 63-year-old Sydney man was issued with an AVO this week, accused of stalking Princess Ingrid Alexandra.

A suspicious letter was reportedly sent to the young royal, and was intercepted by her security detail at St Andrew’s College, the on-campus residence where she lives.

A Glebe man has been issued with an AVO and will front court on Wednesday.

During her first-ever interview with Norwegian media, given from Sydney University in November, Princess Ingrid Alexandra admitted she had been “so sheltered” in Norway.

Despite her place as eventual heir, the princess began carrying out regular appearances at public events in Norway in mid-2025.

Ingrid Alexandra made her first public appearance in Australia on May 17, joining Sydney’s Norwegian community in celebrating its national day, Constitution Day.