Norway's Prince Sverre-Magnus is off to university! Royal says he is 'looking forward to living in Lisbon' as he joins same £55,000 college as Spain's Infanta Sofia

Norway's Prince Sverre Magnus has finally kicked off university life after the death of his great-aunt Princess Astrid delayed his arrival at Forward College in Portugal.Sverre Magnus, 20, said he is 'looking forward to living in Lisbon' while pursuing a bachelor's degree in Business Management, as he began his first semester at the international school yesterday.Speaking to Norwegian outlet Se og Hør, King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit's son said the campus in Bairro Alto feels 'very relaxed' and added his royal status is 'not that strange' considering Spain's Infanta Sofia is also enrolled at the elite €20,885-a-year European college.Asked whether he feels his classmates 'think it's great to have a Norwegian prince in town,' Sverre Magnus said: '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 house confirmed Sverre Magnus would be attending the Forward College in a statement this August before the death of Harald V plunged the country into mourning.The statement read: '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.'During his time in Lisbon, Sverre Magnus will swap Skaugum Estate for the university's residence halls in Benfica, which fellow students described as being adequate and simple - but lacking air conditioning.According to photos posted on Forward College's website, the rooms are all private singles between 13 and 20 square metres, cost up to £792 (10,000 kroner) per month and have their own bathrooms. Amenities include a gym, media room and on-site laundry. Norway's Prince Sverre Magnus has finally kicked off university life after the death of his great-aunt Princess Astrid delayed his arrival at Forward College in PortugalThe first year of the degree is taught in Lisbon before Sverre Magnus and the rest of his cohort continue their studies in Paris and Berlin. Forward College also has student-run clubs for a variety of hobbies, including surfing, reading and photography, which will likely be appealing to the prince who set up his own film production company last year. Infanta Sofia is one year ahead of Sverre Magnus, with the Spanish princess set to begin the second year of her bachelor's degree in political science and international relations in Paris this month. Sverre Magnus will be starting a new chapter after an especially difficult time for his family, including losing both Harald V and his sister, Princess Astrid, in less than one month. Harald V died last month, aged 89, after more than 35 years on the throne before his older sister Princess Astrid passed away two days after the late monarch's funeral on September 9 at the age of 94. He was laid to rest in a memorial service that evoked profound displays of raw and unfiltered emotion as global leaders and senior royals from around the world descended on Oslo to pay tribute to Harald V. Harald, who is succeeded by his son Haakon VIII, was being treated for haemolytic anaemia, a disorder that causes red blood cells to be destroyed at an abnormally fast rate.The new monarch's wife, Mette-Marit, 53, has faced intense scrutiny following the release of the Epstein Files, which revealed she stayed at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach residence in 2013 – after he was convicted for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. Prince Sverre Magnus with his older sister, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, at Norway's World Cup match against Brazil One email released suggested she was still in contact with the billionaire financier just months before his death.The new queen claimed this year that she had been misled by the late sex offender as she sought to contain the fallout.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.