Else Werring

Else Werring, née Wilhelmsen (29 April 1905 – 23 November 1989) was a Norwegian royal hostess.

She was born in Tønsberg as a daughter of ship-owner Halfdan Wilhelmsen (1864–1923) and Ragnhild Oppen (1869–1952). She was a granddaughter of the founder of Wilh. Wilhelmsen Wilhelm Wilhelmsen (1839–1910), an aunt of Tom Wilhelmsen and a niece of businessmen Finn, Axel and Wilhelm Wilhelmsen.

She had middle school, and also attended school for two years in England and one year in France. In March 1926 she married ship-owner Niels Werring. The couple had three children; the daughter Ragnhild (who married Henning Astrup) and the sons Niels, Jr. and Morten. The Werring couple lived at the Munkebakken estate in Lysaker is a residence designed by Arnstein Arneberg . The family led a social life which included royals.

In January 1958 she was appointed by Olav V of Norway as Chief Court Mistress (overhoffmesterinne) for the Norwegian Royal Family. When assuming the position, royal-friendly newspaper described her as "representative, highly cultivated, as beautiful as her predecessor in the office, mrs. Borghild Anker, and as eminent a hostess as her". Her main assignment was to assist the Crown Princess in her tasks as a hostess at the court. As such she played an important role in the social life at the Royal Palace. In 1958 the entire Court of the Norwegian Royal Family comprised as little as seven people; Richard Andvord, Ingvald Smith-Kielland, Odd Grønvold and Ellinor Grønvold, Ingeborg von Hanno and Vincent Bommen. In 1985 she retired and was replaced by Ingegjerd Løvenskiold.

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