A Scandinavian princess has temporarily left her studies in Australia to return home after her mother was taken seriously ill.
Norwegian Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, will return home after the worsening of Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s condition, after moving across the world last July to study politics and international relations at the University of Sydney.
“She plans to come home soon. It has to do with the family situation. She wants to be with her mother,” crown prince Haakon, who has cut short an official visit to Japan due to the illness, said in a Tokyo press conference.
He said his daughter, who is second in line for the throne, “plans to complete her studies in Australia” but that he does not know how long she will stay at home for.
Princess Ingrid’s return came in the same week that a 63-year-old man was banned from contacting her or her family for two years during her studies.
David James Cook appeared in court on Wednesday where he was issued with a two-year Apprehended Violence Order, preventing him from entering the Sydney University campus, searching the 22-year-old royal online or contacting her or her family.
The order is intended to prevent an individual from subjecting others to acts of violence, intimidation or harassment.
As he left the Newtown Courthouse in Sydney, the Glebe resident claimed that the order stemmed from a card he sent to Princess Ingrid.
“I sent her a card just asking for friendship, that’s all,” Cook told Nine News television. He added: “I did not intentionally upset her in any way and I wouldn’t do so. She’s a nice person. I bumped into her at an event and I followed up with the card.”
Princess Ingrid will return home to be with her mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a degenerative condition which creates scar tissue stiffening the lungs, making it difficult to breathe and for oxygen to enter one’s bloodstream.
Last autumn, tests showed a “clear worsening of her health”.
The crown princess has been seen using supplemental oxygen during public appearances. Haakon told the press last week that she is “seriously ill” and has “gotten a bit worse lately”.
He added, according to Norwegian outlet NRK: “These six months have gone pretty well, I think. But there are different phases. So we just have to try to solve it as best we can.”
Doctors have suggested that a lung transplant might be necessary, but a decision is yet to be made.