Princess Märtha of Sweden

Princess Märtha of Sweden was Crown Princess of Norway as the wife of the future King Olav V from 1929 until her death in 1954. As Olav only became king in 1957, Märtha never became Queen of Norway. Her son, Harald V, was the king of Norway until his death on 28 August 2026.

Princess Märtha was also an elder sister of Queen Astrid of Belgium and a maternal aunt of Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg and Kings Baudouin and Albert II of Belgium.

In 1940, Crown Princess Märtha and her family were immersed in World War II as Germany invaded Norway. After escaping to her home country of Sweden, and then being evacuated to America by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she effectively advocated for Norway and did fundraising until the end of the war.

In 1942, King Haakon VII of Norway, Märtha's father-in-law, invested her as a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav.