Richard Andvord (born 1886)
Encyclopedia
Richard Andvord was a Norwegian cavalry officer, diplomat and aide-de-camp for the Norwegian Royal Family
.
and Oxford
. In 1911 he was employed as a cavalry officer, and between 1916 and 1927 he served as Norwegian military attaché
in Bern, Vienna
, Helsinki
and London
. From 1927 to 1930 he was an aide-de-camp
of King Haakon VII of Norway
. He held the titles of horse captain (rittmester) from 1930, and from 1949 kammerherre.
, Andvord was arrested in December 1944 in Hamar
for "hostile behaviour" towards Germans. He was imprisoned in Grini concentration camp from 18 December 1944 to the liberation of Norway
. In 1945 he was hired as director of the Royal Stables, and stayed in this position until 1960. He was succeeded by Erik Blankenborg Prydz. Curiously, the head of the Royal Stables had no responsibility for horses or equipages, but the motor vehicles owned by the Norwegian Royal Family
as well as all car driving in connection with events at the Royal Palace
. Andvord also acted as driver for foreign dignitaries, guiding them on their way to royal audience. In 1958 the entire Court of the Norwegian Royal Family consisted of as few as seven people; Richard Andvord, Ingvald Smith-Kielland
, Odd Grønvold
and Ellinor Grønvold, Else Werring
, Ingeborg von Hanno and Vincent Bommen.
in a family grave; other family members resting there include Sevald Theodor Richard Andvord
(1839–1913) and Richard Andvord
(1920–1997).
Norwegian Royal Family
The Royal Family of Norway is the family of King Harald V of Norway. In Norway there is a distinction between the Royal House and the Royal Family. The Royal House includes only the King and his spouse, the Queen, the King's eldest son with spouse, being the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and the...
.
Early life and career
Andvord was educated in commerce in LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. In 1911 he was employed as a cavalry officer, and between 1916 and 1927 he served as Norwegian military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Bern, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. From 1927 to 1930 he was an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
of King Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
. He held the titles of horse captain (rittmester) from 1930, and from 1949 kammerherre.
Later career
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi GermanyOccupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
, Andvord was arrested in December 1944 in Hamar
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
for "hostile behaviour" towards Germans. He was imprisoned in Grini concentration camp from 18 December 1944 to the liberation of Norway
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
. In 1945 he was hired as director of the Royal Stables, and stayed in this position until 1960. He was succeeded by Erik Blankenborg Prydz. Curiously, the head of the Royal Stables had no responsibility for horses or equipages, but the motor vehicles owned by the Norwegian Royal Family
Norwegian Royal Family
The Royal Family of Norway is the family of King Harald V of Norway. In Norway there is a distinction between the Royal House and the Royal Family. The Royal House includes only the King and his spouse, the Queen, the King's eldest son with spouse, being the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and the...
as well as all car driving in connection with events at the Royal Palace
Royal Palace, Oslo
The Royal Palace in Oslo was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of Norwegian and Swedish king Charles III and is the official residence of the present Norwegian Monarch. The crown prince couple resides at Skaugum in Asker west of Oslo...
. Andvord also acted as driver for foreign dignitaries, guiding them on their way to royal audience. In 1958 the entire Court of the Norwegian Royal Family consisted of as few as seven people; Richard Andvord, Ingvald Smith-Kielland
Ingvald Smith-Kielland
Ingvald Marillus Emil Smith-Kielland was a Norwegian military officer, diplomat, sports official and royal servant....
, Odd Grønvold
Odd Grønvold
Odd Grønvold was a Norwegian royal servant.He was born in Kristiania, and was a grandnephew of the former private secretary to King Haakon VII of Norway, Hans Aimar Mow Grønvold. He was hired as secretary to Crown Prince Olav of Norway in 1954, and when Olav ascended the monarch's throne in 1957,...
and Ellinor Grønvold, Else Werring
Else Werring
Else Werring, née Wilhelmsen was a Norwegian royal servant.She was a daughter of ship-owner Halfdan Wilhelmsen and Ragnhild Oppen . She was a granddaughter of the founder of Wilh. Wilhelmsen Wilhelm Wilhelmsen , an aunt of Tom Wilhelmsen and a niece of businessmen Finn, Axel and Wilhelm Wilhelmsen...
, Ingeborg von Hanno and Vincent Bommen.
Legacy and death
In 1959 Andvord was decorated as a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, and he also held four royal medals and several foreign orders of knighthood. He died in January 1965, 79 years old. He was buried at Vår Frelsers gravlundVår Frelsers gravlund
Vår Frelsers gravlund is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It was created in 1808 as a result of the great famine and cholera epidemic of the Napoleonic Wars. Its grounds were extended in 1911. The cemetery has been full since 1952...
in a family grave; other family members resting there include Sevald Theodor Richard Andvord
Richard Andvord
Sevald Theodor Richard Andvord was a Norwegian businessperson, known for founding the company Rich. Andvord.He was born in Lom as the son of bailiff Paul Thorsteinson Andvord. He moved to Christiania in 1855 to work as an assistant in his uncle's shop. He also spent one year in Germany. In 1865 he...
(1839–1913) and Richard Andvord
Richard Andvord (born 1920)
Richard Andvord was a Norwegian businessperson and resistance member.-Career:Already before World War II he worked in the family company Rich. Andvord in Oslo, founded by Richard Andvord in 1865...
(1920–1997).