After Crown Princesses Elisabeth of Belgium and Leonor of Spain, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway is now also learning to stand at attention: The daughter of the Norwegian heir to the throne, Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit, began her military training on January 11th. Bad luck: The royal celebrates her 20th birthday on Sunday – and instead of flowers and gifts, the celebrant can expect shooting training and very special push-ups.
It’s a step out of the comfort zone, but Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 19, has no other choice: On the night of January 11, 2024, the daughter of Prince Haakon, 50, and Princess Mette-Marit, 50, is at her base, the Camp Skjold, arrived. The Royal has to go on duty at the weapon. Not a novelty in Europe’s royal families: the Belgian heir to the throne, Princess Elisabeth, 22, and Princess Leonor of Spain, 18, are the latest examples of how candidates for the throne as future commanders-in-chief of the armed forces are first crawling through uneven terrain and learning fighting techniques have to practice. But for the young Norwegian, the training begins just before her big birthday. Not a piece of cake, more of a bitter pill to swallow.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra has to prepare for hard times
“In 2024, the Princess will do a 12-month initial service with the Engineer Battalion of the Northern Brigade. In January, Princess Ingrid Alexandra will go to Camp Skjold in Indre Troms, the home base of the 2nd Battalion and the Engineer Battalion. After the recruitment phase, the Princess will be assigned a duty station assigned and she completes a professional phase with more specific training, followed by a departmental training and practical phase,” it said in a press release from the Court dated June 26, 2023.
Ingrid Alexandra will have to prepare for tough conditions in the coming weeks. The Skjold camp is known for its lack of comfort, and not just because of the low outside temperatures. The weather conditions in the camp in Øverbygd are challenging: the lowest recorded temperature was 20 degrees below zero in March 2023.
According to documents available to the armed forces magazine “Forsvarets forum”, a lack of space and problems with nosebleeds have now led to several changes, reports “Se og Hør”. There were also problems with the indoor climate, so at times only six to four soldiers were accommodated in each barracks room. Personal clothing and equipment in the rooms were also reduced, which is said to have had a positive effect on improving the indoor climate. In short: The conditions have obviously improved, but Ingrid Alexandra will have to search for a long time to find the comfort she is used to.
Special serenade for your birthday
According to research by “VG”, the recruits live in barracks. There is a common bathroom in the hallway that is shared by ten rooms. “The girls’ wardrobe is down in the basement,” reports soldier Frida Berge-Urgård. “We set it up so that one of the bathrooms is for the girls. It’s not very luxurious, but it’s easy to clean because it’s so small.” Unusual: women and men live under the same roof; there is no separation of the sexes. “At first it was very unusual, not many people are used to living like that.” Some recruits are luckier than others: “There are differences in the mattresses. Some barracks are known to have slightly better mattresses. I had a thick one, but some people had to sleep on very thin mattresses.” They are woken up in the morning by a bell called “Bella” which has been used for generations. It’s quite loud, explains 19-year-old Berge-Urgård.
Ingrid Alexandra’s 20th birthday on January 21st will not be quiet and quiet with her troop. On the contrary: The comrades will celebrate the princess loudly – but in their own unique way: “We sing the birthday song while the birthday child does push-ups, and it is important that we sing as slowly as possible so that the person can do many laps have to do.” Oops! Sounds like a breathless start to the new year.
Discipline and team spirit
From now on, tight structures and a tradition that probably initially seemed strange to her will dominate Ingrid Alexandra’s everyday life. The granddaughter of King Harald, 86, and Queen Sonja, 86, will have to salute in front of a picture of her grandparents before she is allowed to eat. And she will also have to get used to unfamiliar routines, as “NRK” found out: the alarm clock rings at six o’clock. After she gets dressed, the first step is to stand at attention. At 6:30 the recruits have breakfast together. They have half an hour to do this before they have to get their rooms and common areas in shape. All of this must be completed within 15 minutes. Then a strict inspection is carried out. From eight o’clock the newcomers are trained in shooting, fighting techniques and field exercises.
The equipment for the 300 new arrivals is significant: According to information from “VG,” this included shoe polish, name tags, adhesive tape to prevent chafing – and poop bags. Sounds like it takes some getting used to.
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In short: the new routine requires discipline and team spirit. Ingrid Alexandra has to fit in. But the doors are apparently wide open for her. There is great interest among prospective soldiers in their royal comrade. Many people are already asking about the princess, reports Berge-Urgård. However, she will not have a special position: “When you come here as a recruit, you are just as new as everyone else who comes. Everyone looks the same in the green uniform,” says the soldier. “This is a good place to disappear into the crowd.” A new experience for the young woman who has been under observation from an early age and who will one day be the Queen of Norway.
“The constitution says that title or rank plays no role when joining the armed forces,” explains Lars Erik Brustad, a private in the engineer battalion. “You’re on equal footing with everyone else.” He has some good advice for the princess: “Always be ready. Things change quickly and there are steep learning curves. If you do what you’re told, you’ll be fine.” Her new title summarizes her status in the armed forces: “She will be addressed as recruit Alexandra,” confirmed company commander Hågen Vangsnes from the recruit company to “NTB”.
The soldiers who arrive at the camp twice a year have the lowest rank, corporal or corporal, in their first service in the Norwegian army. The supreme commander is General King Harald. The first training program for new conscripts is called recruit training. The program is intensive.
“I do not regret it”
“They receive basic training in survival, weapons and combat techniques,” explains the commander of the engineer battalion, Bjørn Kråkstad. He explains that the soldiers of the Ingeniørbataljonen are among those who have the broadest range of expertise in the Norwegian armed forces. “The Princess is treated the same as all other soldiers,” Kråkstad is quoted by “NRK” as saying, “We are incredibly proud that the Princess chose the Engineer Battalion as the unit for her first service.”
And Ingrid Alexandra also seems to have come to terms well with the challenge that has just begun. At the first press event after arriving at her battalion, she appeared ready for the new adventure. When asked by her commander whether she regretted her decision to join the engineer battalion, she replied straight out: “I don’t regret it.” Recruit Alexandra is ready for duty.
Sources used: kongehuset.no, forsvaretsforum.no, seer.no, vg.no, nrk.no, ntb.no