Else Werring
{{Short description|Norwegian royal hostess}}
Else Werring, née Wilhelmsen (29 April 1905 – 23 November 1989) was a Norwegian royal hostess.
Personal life
She was born in Tønsberg{{cite encyclopedia|year=1973|title=Werring, Else|encyclopedia=Hvem er hvem?|editor=Steenstrup, Bjørn|publisher=Aschehoug|location=Oslo|url=https://runeberg.org/hvemerhvem/1973/0586.html|page=586|language=no|access-date=14 December 2011}} as a daughter of shipowner Halfdan Wilhelmsen (1864–1923) and Ragnhild Oppen (1869–1952).{{cite encyclopedia|title=Niels Werring|encyclopedia=Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=Bård|last=Kolltveit|editor=Helle, Knut|editor-link=Knut Helle|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Niels_Werring/utdypning|language=no|access-date=7 March 2009}} 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.{{cite encyclopedia|year=2007|title=Wilhelmsen|encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon|editor=Henriksen, Petter|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/Wilhelmsen|language=no|access-date=22 June 2009}}
She had middle school, and also attended school for two years in England and one year in France. In March 1926 she married shipowner Niels Werring. The couple had four children; the daughters Ragnhild (who married Henning Astrup) and Gina "Else Catharine" and the sons Niels, Jr. and Morten.{{cite news|title=Fru Else Werring utnevnt til overhoffmesterinne|date=29 April 1985|work=Aftenposten|page=10|language=no}}
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.{{cite web|url= https://snl.no/Wilhelmsen|title= Wilhelmsen|publisher = Store norske leksikon |author= Jon Gunnar Arntzen|access-date= July 1, 2017}}{{cite web|url= http://www.nsw.no/portfolio-item/munkebakken-baerum/ |title= Munkebakken, Bærum|publisher=Narud Stokke Wiig Architects
|access-date= July 1, 2017}}{{cite web|url= http://wikimapia.org/14806169/Munkebakken |title= Munkebakken |publisher =wikimapia.org
|access-date= July 1, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://nkl.snl.no/Arnstein_Rynning_Arneberg |title= Arnstein Rynning Arneberg|publisher = Norsk kunstnerleksikon |author= Jens Christian Eldal|date= 20 February 2017|access-date= July 1, 2017}}
Career
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.{{cite news|title=Notre Dame med blink i øyet|date=12 April 1975|author=Bistrup, Rie|work=Aftenposten|page=22|language=no}} 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.{{cite news|title=VG presenterer Det norske hoff – ett av verdens mest beskjedne|date=27 September 1958|work=Verdens Gang|page=4|language=no}}
In 1985 she retired and was replaced by Ingegjerd Løvenskiold.{{cite news|title=Til topps i Kong Olavs hoff|date=20 April 1985|author=Bistrup, Rie|work=Aftenposten|page=25|language=no}}
She was also a council member in the Nansen Academy from 1948 to 1962 and in the Filharmonisk Selskap from 1952 to 1960. She was a board member of several philanthropic institutions in Tønsberg. As a godmother in the baptising of ships belonging to her family's shipping company Wilh. Wilhelmsen, she donated "godmother gifts" to nonprofit organizations.{{cite news|title=Wilhelmsens hittil største|date=11 February 1974|author=Gilbo, Ole S.|work=Aftenposten|page=13|language=no}}{{cite news|title=Stor gave til Sjømannsmisjonen|date=13 February 1974|work=Aftenposten|page=11|language=no}} She was an active churchgoer, and was fond of art collecting, literature, skiing, tennis and horseriding.
She was decorated as a Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 1967, and upgraded to Commander with Star in 1980.{{cite book|last=Torgersen|first=Rolf Normann|author-link=Rolf Normann Torgersen|title=Ordener|year=1987|publisher=Nye Atheneum|location=Oslo|language=no|isbn=82-7334-148-8|page=189}} She also held the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog and the Order of the Polar Star.{{cite news|title=Overhoffmesterinne Else Werring 70 år|date=29 April 1985|work=Aftenposten|page=10|language=no}} She died in November 1989.{{cite news|title=Else Werring (obituary)|date=29 November 1989|author=Smith-Kielland, I.|author-link=Ingvald M. Smith-Kielland|work=Aftenposten|page=15|language=no}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Werring, Else}}
Category:Norwegian expatriates in the United Kingdom
Category:Norwegian expatriates in France
Category:Norwegian women philanthropists
Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog
Category:Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star
Category:Mistresses of the Robes (Norway)