Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway took advantage of a gift from the army, on the occasion of her 50th birthday, to spend a day with her daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who continues her military service in the north of the country.
Read also: Princess Ingrid Alexandra extends her military service: the future queen of Norway specializes in machine gun shooting (PHOTOS)
Crown Princess Mette-Marit was invited to spend a day with the Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces have the habit of offering gifts to members of the royal family on the occasion of certain major events such as special birthdays. In 2023, Crown Prince Haakon and his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, celebrated their 50th anniversary. On this occasion, the Armed Forces decided to offer a day of military observation to the daughter-in-law of King Harald V.
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Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who has just emerged from a few weeks of convalescence due to the restrictive side effects of her recurrent treatment for pulmonary fibrosis, took part in her observation day last week. A year after receiving her gift, Crown Princess Mette-Marit finally headed to the Skjold camp in the north of the country. The choice of this barracks is not due to chance. Her daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, has been completing her compulsory military service there since the beginning of January 2024.
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Princess Ingrid Alexandra reunites with her mother at Skjold camp
If military service is compulsory, in reality, only 8,000 to 10,000 young people are enlisted each year, which corresponds to approximately 1 in 6 young people. Only the fittest and most motivated are enlisted. Princess Ingrid Alexandra, eldest daughter of the heir couple and therefore future queen of the country, chose to extend her service for a few months. Conscription involves a total commitment of 19 months for each citizen. This conscription is divided into several parts, including a first period of enlistment, known as the first service, which is a minimum of 12 months. This period may be extended or additional months may be served during recalls.
Read also: Princess Ingrid Alexandra becomes “recruit Alexandra”: her first moments in the army
Crown Princess Mette-Marit was able to learn more about how the military works. During her day, which she described as “exciting”, Crown Princess Mette-Marit was also interested in issues related to the mental health of conscripts. In the Northern Brigade, Princess Ingrid Alexandra chose to join the 2nd Engineer Battalion, where she specializes as a shooter. It is being improved to fire aboard CV90 armored tanks and performs all the functions assigned to engineering teams, whose task is to clear minefields and build obstacles. In particular, it handles the 12.7 machine gun which is on board the armored vehicles.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who is currently upset by the family drama caused by her son Marius, has happily reunited with her daughter. She can thus better imagine what Princess Ingrid Alexandra's training looks like.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
