Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway

Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973) is the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne. He is the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.

Haakon represents the fourth generation of the sitting Norwegian royal family of the House of Glucksburg. He married Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, with whom he has two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.

Haakon has been a member of the Young Global Leaders network, its Foundation, a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations, and a philanthropist. He is a trained naval officer and, as crown prince, top military official in the Norwegian Armed Forces. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MSc in Development Studies from the London School in Economics.

Family and Early Life

Haakon was born on 20 July 1973 at The National Hospital in St Hanshaugen, Oslo, the only son and younger child of Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja. His father was the son of the reigning Norwegian monarch, Olav V. At birth he was named Haakon Magnus, and it was stressed in the announcement that he would go by the name Haakon.

He was baptized in the Church of Norway on 20 September 1973 in the chapel of the Royal Palace.

He was named in honor of his paternal great-grandfather, Haakon VIII, and his maternal uncle Haakon Haraldsen. When Haakon was only 17 his grandfather Olav died on 17 January 1991, leading to the ascension of his father as King Harald V and himself as crown prince.

Haakon has one sibling, Princess Martha Louise of Norway (born 1971). In 1990, the Norwegian constitution was altered granting absolute 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

Haakon served in the Royal Norwegian Navy. He graduated from the Norwegian Naval Academy in 1995, followed with a year aboard missile torpedo boats and navy vessels.

He attended and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1999. Haakon later attended lectures at the University of Oslo and took the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' civil servant introductory course in 2001. He completed his education in 2003 at the London School of Economics, where he was awarded an MSc in development studies, specializing in international trade and Africa.

As of 15 November 2013, in the Royal Norwegian Navy his officer rank is Admiral, and in the Norwegian Army and the Royal Norwegian Air Force his rank is General.

In 2016 he completed the Norwegian Army's paratrooper course and was certified as a military paratrooper. The course attended was administered by the Special Operations Commando.

Marriage and Children

Haakon married a commoner and single mother, Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, on 25 August 2001, at Oslo Cathedral. Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark was the best man. When the engagement between Crown Prince Haakon and Hoiby was announced, many Norwegians felt that his choice of wife was inappropriate. This was primarily about her being a single mother, but information concerning her involvement in the rave scene in Oslo, which included a significant drug-subculture, also added to the controversy. In addition, the father of her child was convicted of drug-related offences. In a heartfelt press conference before the wedding the bride explained her past, saying among other things that her youthful rebelliousness might have been stronger than most young people. The issue of Mette-Marit's past was an ongoing discussion in Norwegian public discourse in the early years after their engagement and marriage.

The couple have two children together: Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004 at Oslo University National Hospital in Oslo) and Prince Sverre Magnus (born 3 December 2005 in Oslo University National Hospital in Oslo). Haakon is also the stepfather to Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Hoiby. The Skaugum Estate, situated in the area of Semsvannet, is their official residence.

Activities

From 25 November 2003 to 12 April 2004, Haakon was regent during the King’s treatment for cancer and the subsequent convalescence period. Likewise, Haakon was 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 addition to his official duties, Haakon has a strong interest in cultural matters. He also has given patronage to a number of organizations.

In 2006, Haakon was one of three founders of Global Dignity, alongside Pekka Himanen and John Hope Bryant.

In 2003, the Crown Prince was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In 2013, Crown Prince Haakon established the SIKT conference. The Crown Prince attends the annual conference of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), and met the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) for an introduction in the Tripartite cooperation in 2006.

Crown Prince Haakon was a member of the Young Global Leaders network from 2005 until 2010. From 2010 until 2017, the Crown Prince served as a member of the Young Global Leaders Foundation Board.

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit established The Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s Foundation. He is a patron of 4H Norge, ANSA, The Ibsen Stage Festival, Nordland Music Festival, and several other organizations. In 2017, he became a patron of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

In May 2022 Haakon joined an expedition from the University of Tromso aimed at disseminating knowledge about polar history and the critical research taking place in the Arctic for two weeks and crossed the Greenland ice sheet using a snowflake.

In response to the 2022 Oslo shooting, Haakon told reporters, "We must protect the right in Norway to love whomever we want."

Personal Interests

Haakon was involved in several sports and seemed to take a particular liking to windsurfing and surfing, although he has not engaged in serious competitions. Haakon is known as a big music fan. When he was younger, he attended music festivals all over Europe, including the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, Norway.

He has also been part of Olympics ceremonies. In 1994, the Crown Prince and his father played roles during the opening ceremony in Lillehammer: while the King declared the Games opened, the Crown Prince lit the cauldron, paying tribute to his father and grandfather having served as Olympians. In 2016, his daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra did the same at the II Winter Youth Olympics, which was also held in Lillehammer. In 2010, Haakon attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

He accompanied the band Katzenjammer in their recording of the song "Vi tenner vare lykter" ('We light our lanterns' for the 2011 Christmas-themed album of the same name). Proceeds benefited "Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Prince and Crown Princess funds."

Titles, Styles, Honors and Awards

Titles

20 July 1973-17 January 1991: His Royal Highness Prince Haakon of Norway

17 January 1991-present His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Norway

National Honors and Medals

-Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Saint Olav

-Grand Cross of Order of Merit

-Defense Service Medal with Laural Branch

-Royal House Centennial Medal

-Olav V's Commemorative Medal

-Olav V's Jubilee Medal

-Olav V's Centenary Medal

-King Harald V's Jubilee Medal 1991-2016

-Royal Norwegian Navy Service Medal

-Norwegian Reserve Officers' Association Badge of Honor

-Naval Society Medal of Merit in Gold

-Oslo Military Society Badge of Honor in Gold

Foreign Honors

-Austria: Grand Decoration in Gold with Sash of the Order of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria

-Brazil: Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross

-Bulgaria: Grand Cross of the Order of the Balkan Mountains

-Denmark: Knight of Order of the Elephant (20 July 1991)

-Estonia: Member 1st Class of Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (10 April 2002), Member 1st Class of Order of the White Star (26 August 2014)

-Finland: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose

-Germany: Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

-Iceland: Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon

-Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (20 September 2004)

-Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum

-Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance

-Latvia: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars (20 September 2000), Recipient of the 1st Class of Cross of Recognition (12 March 2015)

-Lithuania: Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (23 March 2011)

-Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau

-Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross with Swords of the Order of Orange-Nassau, HM King Willem-Alexander Investiture Medal

-Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (16 September 2003)

-Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Henry (13 February 2004)

-Slovenia: Recipient of Golden Order for Merits (6 November 2019)

-Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (26 May 2006)

-Sweden: Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim

Awards

-14 August 2011: Committee’s Bridge Building Prize

-Olympic Games: Lighter of the Olympic Cauldron; 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, opened by his father, King Harald V.

-A horse race bears his name, Kronprins Haakons Pokallop. It is held every year in June, at Drammen Travpark.

House: Glucksburg

Religion: Church of Norway

(https://en.wikipedia.org)