Royalty has arrived in Australia as the future Queen of Norway prepares to begin her studies at the University of Sydney.

The arrival of Princess Ingrid Alexandra in Sydney was announced on the official Norwegian royal family’s Instagram account, accompanied by photos of the 21-year-old on the university’s famous sandstone campus.

“I’m looking forward to starting my studies at the University of Sydney,” the young princess said.

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“It will be exciting to become a student, and I’m looking forward to gaining new perspectives on both European and international politics.

“I’m sure that I will learn a lot.”

The royal will be studying a Bachelor of Arts degree, starting in August.

The down-to-earth princess will live at the university’s campus in Camperdown, not far from the Harbour City’s CBD.

In an earlier announcement from the royal house, it was revealed she had chosen a three-year degree with a focus on international relations and political economy.

“Her Royal Highness looks forward to dedicating herself to her studies in the years to come,” they said at the time.

Born in 2004, Princess Ingrid has largely grown up out of the spotlight, attending local schools in Oslo and completing her upper secondary education in 2023.

She is the granddaughter of Norway’s current monarch, 88-year-old King Harald V.

She is currently second in line to the throne after her father, Crown Prince Haakon, 51 and made history as the first female heir to the Norwegian throne.

The Princess is set to take a step back from official appearances while she studies.

She had gradually stepped into public life in recent years, taking on more royal duties and representing Norway at official events.

The royal certainly isn’t the first to study in Australia.

Recently, Danish Count Nikolai of Monpezat studied at the University of Technology, Sydney.

King Charles also famously spent time two terms at Geelong Grammar in Victoria at the age of 17.

Stepbrother facing charges

Princess Ingrid’s older half-brother Marius Borg Høiby is currently facing multiple charges including rape, sexual assault and bodily harm after a months-long investigation of a case that involved a “double-digit” number of alleged victims.

The charges included one case of rape involving intercourse and two cases of rape without intercourse, four cases of sexual assault and two cases of bodily harm.

“I cannot go into further detail about the number of victims in the case beyond confirming that it is a double-digit number,” Oslo Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski said.

Defence attorney Petar Sekulic said Høiby was “absolutely taking the accusations very seriously, but doesn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing in most of the cases — especially the cases regarding sexual abuse and violence”.

Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon.

He has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape, and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage.

Høiby remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise.

Norway’s future queen made headlines in 2001 when she married Haakon because she was a single mother who had lived a freewheeling life with a companion who had been convicted on drug charges.

- With AP