Princess Märtha Louise of Norway: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born September 22, 1971) is the only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. She is third in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, after her brother Crown Prince Haakon and his daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra (Märtha's niece).

In 1990 the Norwegian constitution was altered, granting cognatic primogeniture to the Norwegian throne, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of gender, takes precedence in the line of succession. This was not, however, done retroactively (as, for example, Sweden had done in 1980), meaning that her younger brother still takes precedence over her in the line of succession.

Princess Märtha Louise is a certified physiotherapist, following education in Oslo and internship in Maastricht, Netherlands. She has not practised her profession, however, choosing instead, from her fascination in traditional Norwegian folk tales as well as a love of music, to establish her own commercial entertainment business based on giving public and televised performances reciting folk tales and singing with well-known Norwegian choirs. In December 2003, she took part in Oslo Gospel Choir's Christmas concert with a solo performance, included on the companion CD album.

On February 1, 2002, the King issued a royal edict that retraced the title Her Royal Highness from Märtha Louise (1), in a move to try to dampen the connections between the Norwegian royal family and her business activities.

On May 24, 2002 she married author Ari Behn (born 1972 as Ari Bjørshol; he later took his grandmother's name).

On April 29, 2003 she gave birth to a daughter, Maud Angelica Behn.

After several postponements due to family births and her father's illness, during which the Princess took on some representation duties, Princess Märtha Louise and her husband will move to New York City in the fall of 2004.