Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway, the 20-year-old younger son of King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit, has traded a state funeral for a college campus in the span of a few weeks. Days after saying goodbye to his grandfather, the beloved King Harald, at a full state funeral, the brother of Crown Princess Ingrid has settled into Lisbon to begin a degree in Business Management at Forward College. It's the same school where Infanta Sofía of Spain has been studying for the past couple of years.
© WireImageDon't expect the two to cross paths on campus, though. Infanta Sofía is already a second-year student, and this academic year has taken her out of Lisbon and into Paris. Forward College runs its programs across three rotating campuses: Lisbon, Paris and Berlin. Students move cities each year.
The youngest daughter of King Felipe and Queen Letizia is studying Political Science and International Relations, and this fall it's Paris that's home for her.
© Paolo BloccoSverre spends his free time in Lisbon's Bairro Alto neighborhood, which is where the outlet Dagbladet tracked him down for a few questions about this new chapter. "Yes, I'm really looking forward to living in Lisbon," he said, confirming his classes are already underway.
The reporters also mentioned they'd been asking his classmates how they felt about having a prince among them. His answer leaned into the fact that royalty on this particular campus isn't exactly a novelty: "Yes, no, I don't think they think that. They had Princess Sofía of Spain here, so it's not that strange. There's a very relaxed atmosphere."
Will Sverre make it home for Princess Astrid's funeral?
© Per Ole HagenThat relaxed atmosphere may be interrupted this week by a far more solemn occasion back home. Sverre's presence in Portugal raises the question of whether he'll make it to Norway for the funeral of his great-aunt, Princess Astrid, this Wednesday, September 23. Astrid, King Harald's older sister, died on September 11, just two days after attending her brother's state funeral and roughly two weeks after his death on August 28.
Norway's royal house has confirmed that King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Ingrid and Queen Sonja will represent the family officially at the ceremony. Other relatives of Princess Astrid are expected to attend as well, a group that could include Prince Sverre Magnus, though the palace has not confirmed his presence one way or the other.
© CORNELIUS POPPE
