Catherine, Crown Princess of Norway

Full name
	Catherine Charlotte Lauren Charles Frederick

Catherine
Catherine
Princess Royal; Crown Princess of Norway
Born	Catherine Charlotte Lauren Charles Frederick; 28 January 1969 (age 55); Buckingham Palace, London
Spouse	Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (m. 1996)
Issue; Detail	Prince Olav;
Full name
Full name
	Catherine Charlotte Lauren Charles Frederick
House	Hanover (by birth); Glücksburg (by marriage)
Father	Charles III
Mother	Lauren Bacall
Religion	Protestant

Catherine, Crown Princess of Norway (Catherine Charlotte Lauren Charles Frederick; born 28 January 1969) is the Crown Princess of Norway by marriage to Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway and a member of the British royal family. She is also a noted Norwegian Olympic swimmer, having chosen to represent the country following her marriage.

Early Life

Catherine was born on the 28th of January 1969 as the eldest daughter of Charles III and Lauren Bacall. In line with royal customs, she was styled as a Princess Royal. In addition to her given name, she was subsequently named after her third-great grandmother Charlotte, then accompanied with that of her own mother and father.

As with her mother's wish, Catherine and her siblings' upbringing were solely tasked under the former herself. Despite the initial hardship, Catherine and in particular her sister Alexandra became particularly close with their mother. While she enjoyed warm relations with her brothers, she occasionally exemplified a certain degree of rivalry towards her younger sister in an unofficial competition for their mother's affection. Regardless, the two princesses shared common interests which included the likes of swimming, football and horse riding.

Since Catherine was only a year apart from her younger sister, the two enrolled together at the Brentford School for Girls and were said to had performed "exceptionally well" in their studies, with Catherine herself possessing a sizable degree of advantage in Physical Education.

Adulthood

While her sister unexpectedly pursued a career in the Royal Navy upon completing her secondary education, Catherine however chose to continue furthering her studies, when she then graduated with a degree in International Relations from Cambridge University. Soon after, she was chosen by her brother, who became king upon the death of their father in 1989 to represent the country abroad on his behalf. In 1990, despite her personal opposition against the Tiannamen Square crackdown by the Chinese government, she visited the country and met with Chinese president, Yang Shangkun.