Fredrik Wedel Jarlsberg was born in Christiania (now
Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Baron Frederik Joachim Wedel Jarlsberg and Baroness
Juliane Wedel Jarlsberg. On both his father's and mother's side, he was a member of a branch of Norway's foremost nobility. He maintained the title of baron in
Denmark, which had not abolished nobility titles following the separation of
Denmark-Norway. Earlier in
Norway, his family was officially recognised as barons. He studied law at the
University of Christiania and graduated
Cand.jur. in 1879. He first became a professor and then entered diplomacy service. He was Norwegian-Swedish Minister in Madrid 1891–1897 and 1902–1905. In 1882 Wedel became secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Stockholm. He came to
Vienna in 1885 and in 1888 to
London as
Chargé d'affaires. He became a Swedish-Norwegian minister in the Spanish court in 1891. He was active in Norwegian-Swedish diplomacy and played a central role in the 1905 dissolution of the union between these countries. He was offered the post as minister of foreign affairs three times. He played a key role in securing the
Svalbard Treaty of 1920, which granted Norway sovereignty over
Svalbard. On the 17th of April 1906, he is accredited the first Ambassador of Sweden to France. From 1898 to 1908, he established residence at Palsgård on the east coast of the
Jutland. In his time as owner, a large park was built between 1898 and 1900 by the English landscape architect
Edward Milner. In 1908 he sold Palsgård and in 1909 he bought
Skaugum in
Asker.The estate had a large main building, which Wedel redesigned in French architectural style. He donated it to
Crown Prince Olav at the time of his wedding to
Princess Märtha of Sweden in 1929. ==Personal life==