8 November 2019 - Queen Maud 150th Anniversary

Queen Maud’s status as a British princess undoubtedly factored into Parliament’s decision to offer Prince Carl the Norwegian throne in 1905. 

 

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NK 2017

In June 1905, Parliament dissolved the union between Norway and Sweden. King Oscar II then abdicated the Norwegian throne, and it was offered to Prince Carl. After a referendum, he said yes, and the British princess became Norway’s first queen following the dissolution of the union with Sweden. The king took the name Haakon VII, and his son Alexander became Crown Prince Olav. 

Queen Maud took on her obligations with great enthusiasm. As queen, representation was naturally a large part of her duties, and for this reason she was often very well-dressed. Her personal and elegant clothing style has been the subject of several exhibitions over the past few years.

She could appear shy in public, but in private she was warm and cheerful. Even if she was not the most visible public figure, she undertook a number of social and cultural assignments, such as the establishment of an assistance fund in 1914 to help those struggling after World War I.

Queen Maud was the daughter of (later) King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. She maintained her strong ties to the United Kingdom throughout her entire life and spent some time in England every year. The ties of the Norwegian royal family to the United Kingdom would prove to be invaluable during World War II.