Princess Ragnhild of Norway
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| Template:House of Oldenburg (Glucksburg-Norway) |
Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen is the sister of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway and the eldest daughter of His Majesty King Olav V of Norway and his wife, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, born Princess of Sweden.
Princess Ragnhild Alexandra was born on 9 June 1930 and married Erling S. Lorentzen, a commoner, on 15 May 1953, since which the princess has been addressed as Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen. The couple live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and have 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, where she owns two tapas bars).
A staunch conservative, Princess Ragnhild publicly criticized her niece and nephew, Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, their commoner spouses, and their love lives, 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.
How many of her negative comments can be traced to sour grapes regarding her own position and the popularity of her nephew and niece in Norway is unknown. There was great controversy when the princess married Lorentzen, her former bodyguard, with the result that the couple went to live in Brazil. 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). Reportedly, it was the first time that a princess of a ruling European royal family had married a commoner.
| Preceded by: Leah Isadora Behn | Line of Succession to the British throne | Followed by: Olav Lorentzen |