Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway

Crown Prince Haakon

Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway (born on July 20, 1973 in Oslo) and is styled HRH The Crown Prince. He is the heir apparent to the throne of Norway, and will eventually become King. Upon his birth he was named Prince Haakon Magnus, but became Crown Prince Haakon when his father ascended to the crown as Harald V.

Early Life and Family

Haakon Magnus was born on July 20 1973 as only son of Crown Prince Harald of Norway (later King Harald V) and of his wife Crown Princess Sonja. His godparents are King Olav V of Norway, Princess Astrid of Norway, Prince Carl Bernadotte, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and The Princess Royal. As a descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Haakon is currently the 61st in line to the British crown.

Haakon has one sibling, Princess Märtha Louise (born 1971). In 1990 the Norwegian constitution was altered, granting cognatic primogeniture to the Norwegian throne, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of gender, takes precedence in the line of succession. This was not, however, done retroactively (as, for example, Sweden had done in 1980), meaning that Haakon continues to take precedence over his older sister.

Education and Military Life

Haakon served in the Royal Norwegian Navy undertaking his first-level officer's education at the Norwegian Naval Academy, followed by a year aboard missile torpedo boats and other vessels. He then went abroad, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1999. Haakon later attended lectures at the University of Oslo and the London School of Economics, as well as completing the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' civil servant introductory course in 2001.

Marriage and Children

Haakon married commoner and single mother Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby on August 25, 2001, at the Oslo Cathedral, who has since then been known as Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Their relationship met with controversy due to Mette-Marit's status as a single mother and because the couple had openly lived together before even announcing their engagement.

Styles of Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
File:Roynorw.JPG
Reference style	His Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Royal Highness
Alternative style	Sir

Their daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, was born on January 21, 2004, and is second in succession to the Norwegian throne. Mette-Marit gave birth to her third child, Prince Sverre Magnus, on December 3, 2005, who is third in the line to the Norwegian throne after his sister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra.

Royal Duties

In addition to his official duties, Haakon has a strong interest in cultural matters.

Beginning Tuesday afternoon November 25, 2003, and ending in the evening of 12 April, 2004, Haakon was the country's regent, during the King's treatment for cancer and the following convalescence period. Likewise, Haakon was Norway's regent from 29 March, 2005 until the King had fully recovered from the heart surgery he underwent on 1 April. This period ended on 7 June.

In January 2006 Haakon (along with the Norwegian Royal Family) revised his patronage list. He now will have twelve patronage roles in his portfolio including the annual Bjørnson literary festival. The patronage roles will last for five years, after which they will be up for renewal and other groups can apply for royal support.

External links

• Official biography
• The Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav - Crown Prince Haakon a recipent of the Grand Cross with Collar