Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973) is the

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the

Norwegian throne The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingdoms ...

. He is the only son of

King Harald V Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991. Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the lin ...

and

Queen Sonja Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway since 17 January 1991 as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relation ...

. Haakon represents the fourth generation of the sitting Norwegian royal family of the

House of Glücksburg The House of Glücksburg (also spelled ''Glücksborg'' or ''Lyksborg''), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a collateral branch of the German House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at various times ...

. He married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, with whom he has two children,

Princess Ingrid Alexandra Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004) is the eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and the grandchild of King Harald V. She is second in line of succession to the Norwegian throne after her fat ...

and

Prince Sverre Magnus Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway (born 3 December 2005) is the younger child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. He is third in line to succeed his grandfather King Harald V, after his father and elder sister Princess Ingri ...

. Haakon has been a member of the

Young Global Leaders Forum of Young Global Leaders, or Young Global Leaders (YGL), was created by Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum. The YGL, a non-profit organization managed from Geneva, Switzerland, is under the supervision of the Swiss government ...

network, its Foundation, a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations, and a philanthropist. He is a trained naval officer and, as crown prince, a top military official in the

Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces ( no, Forsvaret, , The Defence) is the military organization responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal ...

. He holds a BA in Political Science from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, and an MSc in Development Studies from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

Family and early life

Haakon was born on 20 July 1973 at The National Hospital in St Hanshaugen,

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

, 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 Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Norw ...

. At birth he was named Haakon Magnus, and it was stressed in the announcement that he would go by the name Haakon. He was baptised in the Church of Norway on 20 September 1973 in the

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

of the Royal Palace. He was named in honour of his paternal great-grandfather,

Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick ...

, 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 Märtha Louise of Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a member of the Norwegian royal family, a businesswoman and a self-described clairvoyant. The only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, she is fourth in the line of success ...

(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 The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...

. He graduated from the

Norwegian Naval Academy The Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (RNoNA, ''Sjøkrigsskolen'' in Norwegian) is located at Laksevåg in Bergen. It was formally established 27 October 1817 in Frederiksvern. The institution educates officers for the Royal Norwegian Navy. History ...

in 1995, followed with a year aboard missile

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

s and navy vessels. He attended and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from the

in 1999. Haakon later attended lectures at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

and took the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' civil servant introductory course in 2001. He completed his education in 2003 at the

, 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 An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

is Admiral, and in the

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army ( no, Hæren) is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway ...

and the

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...

his rank is

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

. 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 Høiby on 25 August 2001, at

Oslo Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Oslo Cathedral.jpg , imagesize = 230px , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = Oslo Cathedral from Sto ...

. Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark was the

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be ...

. When the engagement between Crown Prince Haakon and Høiby was announced, many

Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...

felt that his choice of wife was inappropriate.''Hello'' profile of the Crown Princess
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 Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004) is the eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and the grandchild of King Harald V. She is second in line of succession to the Norwegian throne after her ...

(born 21 January 2004 at Oslo University National Hospital in Oslo) and

(born 3 December 2005 in Oslo University National Hospital in Oslo). Haakon is also the stepfather to Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby. The Skaugum Estate, situated in the area of

Semsvannet Semsvannet is a lake in Asker municipality in Viken county, southwest of Oslo, in Norway. The lake is situated close to, for the Norwegians, famous places such as the ridge Skaugumsåsen, the old cultural house Tangen and Skaugum the official res ...

, is their official residence.

Activities

From 25 November 2003 to 12 April 2004, Haakon was

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

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 organisations. In 2006, Haakon was one of three founders of Global Dignity, alongside

Pekka Himanen Pekka Himanen (born 19 October 1973) is a Finnish philosopher. Professional career Pekka Himanen studied philosophy (and computer science as a minor) at the University of Helsinki, under professor Esa Saarinen. In 1994, with his thesis on the ...

and

John Hope Bryant John Hope Bryant (born February 6, 1966) is an American financial literacy entrepreneur and businessman. Bryant is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of nonprofit Operation HOPE, chief executive officer of Bryant Group Ventures a ...

. In 2003, the Crown Prince was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (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 The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions ( no, Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO) is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national union ...

(LO) for an introduction in the Tripartite cooperation in 2016. Crown Prince Haakon was a member of the

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 Tromsø The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (Norwegian: ''Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet''; Northern Sami: ''Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta'') is a state university in Norway an ...

aimed at disseminating knowledge about polar history and the critical scientific research taking place in the Arctic for two weeks and crossed the Greenland ice sheet using a snowkite. 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 Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

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 The Quart Festival was an annual popular music festival that took place in Kristiansand, Norway in the beginning of July, from 1991 to 2008. It was the most visited music festival in Norway. It was first named ''Qvadradurmusivalen'' in 1991, but ...

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...

, 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

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 våre lykter" (for the 2011

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

-themed album of the same name). Proceeds benefited "Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Prince and Crown Princess funds."

Titles, styles, honours and awards

Eesti suursaadik Norras andis üle volikirja 01 (cropped)

Titles

*20 July 1973 – 17 January 1991: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Haakon of Norway *Since 17 January 1991: ''His Royal Highness'' The Crown Prince of Norway

Arms

File:Coat of Arms of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Norway.svg,

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

File:Royal Monogram of Prince Haakon of Norway.svg, Monogram

Honours and medals

National honours and medals

* Grand Cross with Collar of the

Order of Saint Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav I ...

° * Grand Cross of Order of Merit ° * Defence Service Medal with Laurel Branch ° *

Royal House Centennial Medal The Royal House Centennial Medal ( no, Kongehusets 100-årsmedalje) is a Norwegian award established by Harald V of Norway to commemorate the centennial of the Norwegian Royal Family. The day that it was established marks the hundredth anniversa ...

° * Olav V's Commemorative Medal ° * Olav V's Jubilee Medal ° * Olav V's Centenary Medal ° *

King Harald V's Jubilee Medal 1991-2016 King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

* Royal Norwegian Navy Service Medal ° * Norwegian Reserve Officers' Association Badge of Honour ° * Naval Society Medal of Merit in gold ° * Oslo Military Society Badge of Honour in Gold ° St Olavs Orden storkors stripe

Den kongelige norske fortjenstorden storkors stripe

Olav Vs jubileumsmedalje 1957-1982 stripe

Kong Harald Vs jubileumsmedalje 1991-2016

Vernedyktighetsmedaljen Sjøforsvaret med 3 stjerner

Norske reserveoffiserers forbunds hederstegn stripe

Sjømilitære Samfunds fortjenstmedalje stripe

Oslo militære samfunds hederstegn stripe

Foreign honours

* : Grand Decoration in Gold with Sash of the Order of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
– website typischich.at * : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Southern Cross Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 18 ...

* : Grand Cross of the Order of the Balkan Mountains * : Knight of Order of the Elephant ° (20 July 1991) * : Member 1st Class of

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of t ...

° (10 April 2002) * : Member 1st Class of Order of the White Star (26 August 2014) * : Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. T ...

° * : Grand Cross 1st Class of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

° * : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon ( is, Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. N ...

. * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

° (20 September 2004) * : Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the Collar of the Order was added on 4 January 1888. Unlike its European counterparts, the order may be conferred posthumously. Apart fr ...

* : Grand Cordon of the

Supreme Order of the Renaissance The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (, "Medal of the Nahda") is the second knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan. History The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the ...

* : Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvija ...

(20 September 2000) ° * : Recipient of the 1st Class of

Cross of Recognition The Cross of Recognition ( lv, Atzinības krusts) is a state decoration of Latvia. History The decoration was established in 1710 in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia by Duke Frederick William as a symbol of the then-established Order of Re ...

° (12 March 2015) * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Vytautas the Great The Order of Vytautas the Great is the Lithuanian Presidential Award.''Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucija. 84 straipsnis''. Priimta 1992 It may be conferred on the heads of Lithuania and foreign states, as well as their citizens, for distinguished ...

° (23 March 2011) ° * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Adolph of Nassau The Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau (french: Ordre de Mérite civil et militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau) is an order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for meritorious service to the Grand Duke, the Grand-Ducal House ...

° * : Knight Grand Cross with Swords of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

° * : HM King Willem-Alexander Investiture Medal * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident a ...

° (16 September 2003) * : Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Henry ° (13 February 2004) * : Recipient of Golden Order for Merits ° (6 November 2019) * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III ( es, Real y Distinguida Orden Española de Carlos III, originally es, Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III) was establ ...

° (26 May 2006) * : Knight of the

Royal Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...

Awards

* 14 August Committee's Bridge Building Prize 2011Crown Prince wins Pakistani prize
– website Views and News from Norway * Olympic Games : Lighter of the Olympic Cauldron;

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...

in Lillehammer, opened by his father,

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

References

External links

Haakon's biography on the Royal Court's official website

Haakon, Norges kronprins
NRK interview for his 18th birthday
(translation of title: – The couple, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, are doing political work) "- ''Kronprinsparet driver politisk arbeid''"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haakon of Norway, Crown Prince House of Glücksburg (Norway) Regents of Norway Royal Norwegian Naval Academy alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics University of Oslo alumni 1973 births Living people Crown Princes of Norway UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni Norwegian people of German descent Norwegian people of English descent Norwegian people of Danish descent Norwegian people of Swedish descent Norwegian people of French descent Norwegian Lutherans Olympic cauldron lighters Royal Norwegian Navy admirals Norwegian Army generals Royal Norwegian Air Force generals Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon Grand Crosses of the Order of Vytautas the Great Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Cross of Recognition Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 1st Class Sons of kings Heirs apparent