Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus has begun university at last, with the death of his great-aunt, Princess Astrid, having postponed his move to Forward College in Portugal.
The 20-year-old royal said he was “looking forward to living in Lisbon” as he started the first term of a bachelor’s degree in Business Management at the international college.
Speaking to Norwegian publication Se og Hør, the son of King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit described the Bairro Alto campus as “very relaxed.” He also said his royal background had not made him feel out of place, particularly because Spain’s Infanta Sofia is studying at the €20,885-a-year institution.
Asked whether fellow students considered it exciting to have a Norwegian prince in Lisbon, Sverre Magnus replied: “No, I don’t think they think that. They had Princess Sofia from Spain here, so it’s not that strange. It feels very relaxed.”
The Norwegian royal household announced in August that Sverre Magnus would attend Forward College. His planned start was later delayed as the country mourned the death of Harald V.
The palace statement said: “Prince Sverre Magnus will start a bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Forward College this fall. The subjects in this degree include, among other things, an introduction to economics, statistics and accounting.”
While studying in Lisbon, the prince will leave Skaugum Estate and live in Forward College’s residence halls in Benfica. Students have described the accommodation as basic but adequate, although the rooms do not have air conditioning.
Images published on the college website show private single rooms ranging from 13 to 20 square metres. Accommodation costs as much as £792, or 10,000 kroner, per month, with each room featuring a private bathroom. Residents also have access to a gym, media room and on-site laundry facilities.
Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus has started university after the death of his great-aunt, Princess Astrid, delayed his arrival at Forward College in Portugal.
The degree’s first year takes place in Lisbon. Sverre Magnus and his classmates will then continue their studies in Paris and Berlin.
Students can join clubs focused on interests including surfing, reading and photography. Those activities may suit the prince, who launched his own film production company last year.
Infanta Sofia is a year ahead of Sverre Magnus. The Spanish princess is due to begin the second year of her bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations in Paris this month.
The start of university marks a new chapter for Sverre Magnus after a painful period for his family, which lost both Harald V and his sister, Princess Astrid, within less than a month.
Harald V died last month at the age of 89, following more than 35 years on the throne. His elder sister, Princess Astrid, died two days after the former monarch’s funeral on September 9, aged 94.
The late king was remembered at a memorial service marked by intense emotion, as world leaders and senior members of royal families travelled to Oslo to honour him.
Harald, who was succeeded by his son Haakon VIII, had been receiving treatment for haemolytic anaemia, a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed more quickly than the body can replace them.
The new monarch’s wife, Mette-Marit, 53, has also faced heightened scrutiny after the release of the Epstein Files. The documents revealed that she stayed at convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach residence in 2013, after he had been found guilty of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
Prince Sverre Magnus pictured with his older sister, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, during Norway’s World Cup match against Brazil.
One of the released emails suggested that she remained in contact with the billionaire financier just months before his death.
Mette-Marit said this year that Epstein had misled her as she attempted to address the controversy and limit its impact.
Fresh scandal also came in June when Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted on two counts of rape and jailed for four years following a six-week trial that laid bare allegations of violence, drug abuse and sexual misconduct.
An Oslo court also found him guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, Nora Haukland, issuing threats and committing traffic offences, although he was acquitted of two other rape charges.
Høiby, who denied the most serious allegations, including rape, while admitting to some lesser offences, was not physically present in court for the verdict and instead joined proceedings via video link.
The 29-year-old had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.
Høiby, 29, who has no royal title or duties, is currently serving a four-year prison sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum Estate while he appeals his conviction for two counts of rape.
Høiby previously joined his relatives to carry the coffin of Harald from the Royal Palace to the palace chapel last week while temporarily released, sparking fierce backlash from royal fans.
