Maud of Wales (Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria; 26 November 1869 – 20 November 1938) was Queen of Norway as the wife of King Haakon VII. The youngest daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom and a sister of King George V, she was known as Princess Maud of Wales before her marriage, as her father was the Prince of Wales at the time.
A daughter of Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark, Maud was the youngest of six children. She grew up in a warm and informal environment under the supervision of her mother, contrasting with the stricter upbringing of her older siblings. From an early age, Maud showed a spirited and lively nature, enjoying outdoor pursuits and sports; she was among the first British princesses to ride a bicycle and often spent time in the gardens and grounds of Sandringham House. Her education, was primarily conducted at home, under the supervision of private tutors.
In 1896, Maud married her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark. Following the dissolution of the union with Sweden in November 1905, Prince Carl was elected king of Norway as Haakon VII of Norway, and Maud became the first queen consort of an independent Norway in more than five centuries. Stepping into her new role, she combined her British upbringing with her Norwegian duties: while keeping strong ties to Britain, Maud embraced Norwegian national life, supported charitable causes particularly those connected to children, women, and the arts and took part in outdoor pursuits such as skiing.
Despite her reserved public demeanour, Maud played a steady and stabilising role in the early 20th-century Norwegian monarchy, acting as a bridge between British and Norwegian royal traditions. She was widely admired for her dignity, charitable work, and quiet influence at court. Maud died in London on 20 November 1938, six days before her 69th birthday.
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