View source for Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen

{{Short description|Norwegian princess (1930&ndash;2012)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Princess Ragnhild
| title =
| image = 
| full name = Ragnhild Alexandra
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1930|6|9}}
| birth_place = [[Royal Palace, Oslo]], Norway<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kongehuset.no/c27291/pdf/vis.html?tid=28752|title=Princess Ragnhild|website=kongehuset.no}}</ref>
| death_date = {{death date and age|2012|9|16|1930|6|9|df=yes}}<ref name="nrk1">
{{Cite web|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.8077585|title=Prinsesse Ragnhild er død|author=Solveig Husøy|publisher=[[NRK]]|date=16 September 2012|access-date=16 September 2012|language=no}}</ref><ref name="vg1">{{cite web|last=Lohne|first=Jenny-Linn|title=Prinsesse Ragnhild er død|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/artikkel.php?artid=10045713|publisher=VG|access-date=20 September 2012|date=16 September 2012|language=no}}</ref> 
| death_place = [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil
| burial_date = 28 September 2012
| burial_place = [[Asker]] Church,<ref name="Burial">{{cite web|url=http://www.kongehuset.no/c27031/artikkel/vis.html?tid=27577|title=Prinsesse Ragnhild, fru Lorentzen|website=kongehuset.no}}</ref> Oslo, Norway
| house = [[House of Glücksburg|Glücksburg]]
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Erling Lorentzen]]|15 May 1953}}
| issue = {{plainlist|
*Haakon Lorentzen
*Ingeborg Lorentzen
*Ragnhild Lorentzen}}
| father = [[Olav V of Norway]]
| mother = [[Märtha of Sweden]]
}}

'''Princess Ragnhild, Mrs Lorentzen''' (Ragnhild Alexandra; 9 June 1930 – 16 September 2012), was the eldest child of King [[Olav V of Norway]] and [[Princess Märtha of Sweden]]. She was the older sister of [[King Harald V]] and [[Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner|Princess Astrid]]. She was the first Norwegian royal baby to have been born in Norway since the Middle Ages. In 1953 she married the industrialist [[Erling Lorentzen]], a member of the [[Lorentzen family]] of shipping magnates. In the same year they moved to [[Brazil]], where her husband was an industrialist and a main owner of [[Aracruz Celulose]]. She lived in Brazil until her death 59 years later.

Although she was the King's eldest child, she was never in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, owing to Norway's then-law of [[agnatic succession]]. She was in the line of [[succession to the British throne]], and occupied the 16th and 17th places in that succession line during her childhood and youth.<ref>Roger Reynolds (1982), ''Who's who in the royal family: the first one hundred and fifty in line of succession to the British throne'', p. 7, Proteus</ref><ref>[https://lineofsuccession.co.uk/1937-01-01 Line of succession] (1937)</ref><ref>[https://lineofsuccession.co.uk/1950-01-01 Line of succession] (1950)</ref>

==Early life==
Princess Ragnhild was the first Norwegian princess to have been born on Norwegian soil for 629 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trondni.blogspot.com/2010/06/on-this-date-princess-ragnhild-is-80.html|title=Trond Norén Isaksen: On this date: Princess Ragnhild is 80 today|first=Trond Norén|last=Isaksen|date=9 June 2010}}</ref> She grew up at the royal residence of [[Skaugum]] near [[Asker]], west of [[Oslo]]. She was christened in the [[Slottskapellet (Oslo)|Palace Chapel]] on 27 June 1930 and her godparents were: her paternal grandparents, the [[Haakon VII|King]] and [[Maud of Wales|Queen of Norway]]; her maternal grandparents, the [[Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland|Duke]] and [[Princess Ingeborg of Denmark|Duchess of Västergötland]]; her great-uncle, the [[Gustaf V|King of Sweden]]; her great-aunt, [[Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom]]; her maternal aunt, [[Princess Margaretha of Sweden|Princess Axel of Denmark]]; and the [[George VI|Duke of York]].

In 1940, during [[World War II]], she and her family fled the German [[Operation Weserübung|invasion of Norway]],<ref name="nrk1"/> and she spent the wartime years in exile with her mother and siblings in [[Bethesda, Maryland]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Kelly |first=John |date=8 May 2021 |title=The secret to keeping the Norwegian royals safe in World War II? The U.S. Secret Service. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/atlantic-crossing-norway/2021/05/08/4396830e-af43-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html |work=[[The Washington Post]] |location=Washington, DC |access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref> located northwest of [[Washington, D.C.]] Before the birth of her younger brother, it was assumed she would accede to the throne in the absence of a male heir, although this would have required a constitutional amendment, as women could not inherit the throne at the time.<ref name="nrk1"/>

Her [[Confirmation]] took place on 11 May 1947 in the Palace Chapel.

Following the royal family's return to Norway she attended [[Hartvig Nissen School|Nissen's Girls' School]], obtaining her school leaving certificate in 1948. She later spent four semesters, between 1948 and 1949, studying at a finishing school in [[Lausanne]], Switzerland.

==Marriage and family==
[[File:Prinsessebryllup 15. mai 1953. - L0013 242Fo30141604150092 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Princess Ragnhild and Lorentzen on their wedding day]]
Princess Ragnhild married [[Erling Lorentzen]], a member of the Norwegian merchant upper class (see [[Lorentzen family]]), in Asker Church<ref>[https://royaltyrobertwriter.home.blog/2023/02/11/princess-ragnhild-of-norway-a-life-of-contrasts/ Royalty]</ref> on 15 May 1953. Lorentzen was a businessman and army officer who had served as her bodyguard shortly after the [[World War II|war]].

Following her marriage, the couple moved to [[Rio de Janeiro]], where her husband had substantial business holdings. Their residence in [[Brazil]] was originally temporary, but they eventually settled there, and remained in Rio until Ragnhild's death in 2012.<ref name="vg1"/> In Brazil, her husband founded [[Aracruz Celulose]].

The couple had three children:

* Haakon Lorentzen (born 23 August 1954), married Martha Carvalho de Freitas (born 1958) on 14 April 1982, and has three children:
** Olav Alexander Lorentzen (born 11 July 1985), married Ingrid Kraus de Andrade Nogueira (born 1988) on 4 December 2021, and has one son, born in 2023
** Christian Frederik Lorentzen (born 23 May 1988) married Mariah de Oliveira Pedrosa (born 1991) on 19 March 2022, and has one son, born in 2022
** Sophia Anne Lorentzen (born 28 June 1994)
* Ingeborg Lorentzen (born 27 February 1957), married Paulo César Ribeiro Filho (born 1956) on 4 June 1982, and has one daughter:
** Victoria Ragna Lorentzen Ribeiro (born 19 December 1988), married Felipe Sampaio Octaviano Falcão on 9 August 2014, and has two children: a son born in 2016, and a daughter born in 2022<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj-4dhIMEuh/ Victoria Ragna Lorentzen Ribeiro Falcão on Instagram: "Seja muito bem-vinda filha 21/10/2022"]</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/CkLx0hTKWrv/ Victoria Ragna Lorentzen Ribeiro Falcão on Instagram: "Nossa Alice Eva Lorentzen Falcão"]</ref>
* Ragnhild Alexandra Lorentzen (born 8 May 1968), married Aaron Matthew Long on 21 November 2003, and has two daughters, born in 2007 and 2011

==Public life==
Princess Ragnhild opened the [[1952 Winter Olympics]] in [[Oslo]], Norway, as her father and grandfather were attending the [[Death and state funeral of George VI|funeral]] of King [[George VI]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://olympic.org/oslo-1952-winter-olympics|title=Oslo 1952 Winter Olympics - results & video highlights|date=23 October 2017}}</ref>

A conservative, Princess Ragnhild publicly criticized her niece and nephew, [[Princess Märtha Louise of Norway|Princess Märtha Louise]] and [[Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway|Crown Prince Haakon Magnus]], for their choice of spouses, in 2004.<ref name="Here's what Princess Ragnhild said">[http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article727598.ece Here's what Princess Ragnhild said] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609194907/http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article727598.ece |date=2007-06-09 }}</ref>

Princess Ragnhild was [[patron]] of the Norwegian Organisation for the Hearing Impaired.

Several ships, including [[MS Bahamas Celebration|MS ''Prinsesse Ragnhild'']], were named for her.

Although a private person, in 1995 Ragnhild decided to write her autobiography (this was penned with the help of author Lars O. Gulbrandsen) published under the title, ''Mitt liv som kongsdatter'' [My Life as a King's Daughter].

==Death==
Princess Ragnhild died of [[lung cancer]] at her home in Rio de Janeiro on 16 September 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kongehuset.no/c26939/nyhet/vis.html?tid=100179|title=Prinsesse Ragnhild er død|date=16 September 2012|publisher=The Royal House of Norway|access-date= 16 September 2012|language=no}}</ref> aged 82.<ref name="vg1"/> Her body arrived in [[Oslo]] on 24 September 2012, where her brother King [[Harald V]] and her sister [[Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner|Princess Astrid]] were present to greet her alongside her spouse [[Erling Lorentzen|Erling]] and their children. The funeral of Princess Ragnhild was held on 28 September 2012 in the chapel of the Royal Palace of Oslo. She was later cremated and privately interred in the church of [[Asker]].<ref name="Burial"/>

==Titles, styles and honours==
===Titles===
{{infobox hrhstyles|
royal name=Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen|
image=[[Image:Royal Monogram of Princess Ragnhild of Norway.svg|80px]]|
dipstyle=[[Highness|Her Highness]]|
offstyle=Your Highness|}}

* 9 June 1930 – 15 May 1953: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Ragnhild of Norway
* 15 May 1953 – 16 September 2012: ''Her Highness'' Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen

===Honours===

====National honours====
* {{flag|Norway}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Olav]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild">{{cite web |url=http://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=34899&sek=34889 |title=Photo |website=royalcourt.no|format=JPG}}</ref><ref name="ODM">{{cite web |url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/80/0a/63/800a63db9ab56f1b50d4f968e6ffcdec.jpg |title=Photo |website=s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com|format=JPG}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://judytravelsabroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/King-Olav.jpg|title=Photo |website=judytravelsabroad.com|format=JPG}}</ref><ref name="OD">{{cite web|url=http://realeza.forosactivos.com/t94p25-casa-real-de-noruega|title=Casa Real de Noruega - Página 2|website=realeza.forosactivos.com}}</ref><ref name="OD1">{{cite web |url=http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_magd5zj8aC1r6jme9o1_500.jpg|title=Photo |website=66.media.tumblr.com|format=JPG}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a6/0c/b4/a60cb4a30a173d146bcca7ad6b60b3e4.jpg|title=Photo |website=s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com|format=JPG}}</ref>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Dame of the [[Royal Family Order of Haakon VII|Royal Family Decoration King Haakon VII]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/prince-bernhard-escorts-princess-ragnhild-of-norway-at-the-banquet-picture-id466705755?s=594x594|title=Photo |website=media.gettyimages.com}}</ref>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Dame of the [[Royal Family Order of Olav V|Royal Family Decoration of King Olav V]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref name="OD"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/70/8a/b7/708ab71172aa033217de5f6969b3fd3d.jpg |title=Photo |website=s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com|format=JPG}}</ref>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Dame of the [[Royal Family Order of Harald V|Royal Family Decoration of King Harald V]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref name="ODM"/><ref name="OD1"/>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Recipient of the [[King Haakon VII 1905–1955 Jubilee Medal|King Haakon VII Golden Jubilee Medal]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref name="ODM"/>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Recipient of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway|Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Haakon VII]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref name="ODM"/>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Recipient of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway|King Olav V Silver Jubilee Medal]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref name="ODM"/>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Recipient of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway|King Olav V Commemorative Medal]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref name="ODM"/>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Recipient of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway|Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Olav V]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref name="ODM"/>
* {{flag|Norway}}: Recipient of the [[Royal House Centennial Medal|Royal House Centenary Medal]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/>

====Foreign honours====
* {{flag|Brazil}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Southern Cross]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref name="OD"/>
* {{flag|Netherlands}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Orange-Nassau]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/>
* {{flag|Netherlands}}: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Crown (Netherlands)|Order of the Crown]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d2/27/26/d22726cdd5f894813436da5a93d13844.jpg|title=Photo |website=s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com|format=JPG}}</ref>
* {{flag|Portugal}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit (Portugal)|Order of Merit]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/4c/e0/58/4ce05894d0e7d9dcb43a2da8cbed31ab.jpg|title=Photo |website=s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com|format=JPG}}</ref>
* {{flag|Sweden}}: Member Grand Cross of the [[Royal Order of the Polar Star]]<ref name="OrdersOfPrincessRaghnild"/>
* {{flag|Sweden}}: Recipient of [[Swedish Royal Jubilee Commemorative Medals|90th Birthday Badge Medal of King Gustav V]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/73/fe/58/73fe58b010c45746f65be677e9e43b22.jpg|title=Photo |website=s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com|format=JPG}}</ref>

==Honorific eponym==
A 540,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> area in [[Antarctica]] is named [[Princess Ragnhild Coast]] in her honour. The [[Jahre Line]] (later [[Color Line (ferry operator)|Color Line]]) cruiseferry {{MS|Prinsesse Ragnhild}} was named in her honour.

==Ancestry==
She was a great-great-granddaughter of [[Queen Victoria]] of the United Kingdom and great-granddaughter of [[Edward VII]] of the United Kingdom, thus a second cousin to Queen [[Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/9561327/Princess-Ragnhild-of-Norway.html|title=Princess Ragnhild of Norway|date=23 September 2012|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> At the time of her birth she was 17th in the line of [[succession to the British throne]], and 77th at the time of her death. Princess Ragnhild's maternal aunt was [[Queen Astrid of Belgium]], which also made Princess Ragnhild a first cousin of kings [[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]] and [[Albert II of Belgium]] and of [[Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium]], Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. Through her maternal grandmother, Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, she was also a second cousin of Queen [[Margrethe II of Denmark]] and Queen [[Anne Marie of Greece]] as well as a second cousin once removed of King [[Carl XVI]] Gustaf of Sweden through her maternal grandfather Prince Carl of Sweden.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.kongehuset.no/c27291/artikkel/vis.html?tid=28752 Official biography at kongehuset.no]
* [http://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kronikker/Prinsessen-vi-ikke-kjente-7003388.html Aftenposten article about her life] (Norwegian)

{{Norwegian princesses by birth}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ragnhild Of Norway, Princess}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:Norwegian princesses]]
[[Category:House of Glücksburg (Norway)]]
[[Category:Lorentzen family]]
[[Category:Norwegian expatriates in Brazil]]
[[Category:Norwegian emigrants to Brazil]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Orange-Nassau]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands)]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands)]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit (Portugal)]]
[[Category:Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star]]
[[Category:Daughters of kings]]