This Modern Princess Will Break a 600-Year-Old Tradition When She Takes the Throne

When it comes to future European monarchs, the future is female—and Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway is one of the young women leading the way. The 21-year-old daughter of the country's future king, Crown Prince Haakon, and his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is set to inherit the throne one day. While there have been several female monarchs in recent history—like Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years, or Queen Margrethe of Denmark, who recently abdicated the throne to her son King Frederik—it turns out Norway is a different story.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra will become the first reigning queen of Norway in 600 years if she takes over the throne from her father as planned. Queen Margaret I was the first—and last—queen regnant of the country, ruling from 1388 to 1412, and also served as queen of Denmark and Sweden.

Norway's current king is Ingrid Alexandra's grandfather, King Harald, who follows a long line of male rulers for the Scandinavian country. She has one brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, 19, and a controversial half-brother, Marius Borg Høiby, 28. Borg Høiby, who was born to Crown Princess Mette-Marit before she met her royal husband, has experienced a series of legal troubles over the past year and was arrested on suspicion of rape in November.

The future queen is having a busy April. At the beginning of the month, she finished 15 months of military training, graduating from her service in the Engineer's Battalion of Brigade Nord of the Norwegian Army.

And on April 8, she joined her family for her first official state visit, attending both a formal welcome event and a state banquet in honor of Iceland's president Halla Tómasdóttir and her husband, Björn Skúlason.

At the glamorous evening event, Princess Ingrid Alexandra showed off a historic diamond tiara and one of her mom's old evening gowns. She borrowed the blue dress Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore to Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden's royal wedding, pairing it with the Boucheron Pearl Circle tiara, a 125-year-old piece she received for her 18th birthday.

As for the 21-year-old royal's future plans, the palace hasn't yet announced whether Ingrid Alexandra will be attending college, starting a job or stepping right into full-time royal duties. Either way, she joins a group of women set to take over Europe; Sweden, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands all currently have princesses set to take the crown one day