Ingvald Smith-Kielland

Ingvald Marillus Emil Smith-Kielland (9 August 1890 – 29 January 1984) was a Norwegian military officer, diplomat, sports official, and royal servant.

He was born in Egge Municipality as the son of Colonel Ingvald Mareno Smith-Kielland (1863–1949) and Ragnhild Johanne Duborgh (1869–1961). He was a brother of painter Per Smith-Kielland. Through his grandmother Maren Elisabeth Bull Kielland (1821–1899), he was a first cousin once removed of people like Alexander Kielland.

He finished his secondary education in 1908, and graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1911 and the Norwegian Military College in 1913. After some years in the military he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1920, where he helped to negotiate Norwegian fishing rights near Eastern Greenland ("Erik the Red's Land"). He also negotiated with Spain and Portugal when these wine-exporting countries complained about the prohibition in Norway, in effect since the prohibition referendum of 1919. The temperance movement had won the referendum, and Smith-Kielland had been a part of this movement, but he withdrew due to the difficult situation for Norway. From 1944 he worked for the Czech government-in-exile, and after the war's end he became ambassador to the Czechoslovak Republic. He also had responsibility for Austria from 1946, but after the Communist coup in 1948 he returned to Norway. As lord chamberlain he was the highest economic and administrative officer in the Royal Palace, and also had responsibility for Oscarshall, Skaugum, Kongsseteren and Bygdø Kongsgård. In 1958, one year after King Haakon's death, the entire court of the Norwegian royal family consisted of as few as seven people; Smith-Kielland, Richard Andvord, Odd Grønvold (who eventually had succeeded Smith-Kielland as court marshal) and Ellinor Grønvold, Ingeborg von Hanno and Vincent Bommen. He died in January 1984 in Oslo.