Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway

Early life and family

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 baptised in the Church of Norway on 20 September 1973 in the chapel of the Royal Palace. He was named in honour of his paternal great-grandfather, Haakon VII, his maternal uncle Haakon Haraldsen, and Magnus for the Norwegian saint and martyr. When Haakon was 17, his grandfather Olav died on 17 January 1991, leading to the accession of his father as King Harald V and his own advancement to crown prince.

Haakon has one sibling, Princess Märtha 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 sex, 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.

In the Netflix documentary Rebel Royals, his brother-in-law Durek Verrett accused Haakon and his parents of not "knowing what racism was." Multiple sources:

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.

Relationships, marriage and children

Early relationships

Haakon's first official girlfriend was cosmetics heiress Celina Midelfart, with whom he was in a relationship from 1994 to 1996. Midelfart later dated Donald Trump. Midelfart was a friend, according to some sources a one-time girlfriend, of Jeffrey Epstein, who claimed that he had "given" her to Trump as his girlfriend. Haakon met Epstein once in St. Barts, but his then-wife Mette-Marit was a close friend of Epstein over several years, met him many times after his release from prison and is mentioned several hundred times in released Epstein files.

Marriage

Haakon married a commoner and single mother, Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, on 25 August 2001 at Oslo Cathedral. Frederik (then Crown Prince, and now King) of Denmark was the best man.

When the engagement between Haakon and Mette-Marit was announced in December 2000, public and media reaction was negative, with many Norwegians being "horrified" and feeling that the Crown Prince's choice of partner was questionable. The controversy primarily centered on Mette-Marit's status as a single mother. In addition, the father of her child was convicted of drug-related offences. Also, Mette-Marit's lack of education, previous relationships with convicted felons and socialization in a milieu "where drugs were readily available" were often cited by critics. The couple's eight-month-long engagement included a period of cohabitation in an Oslo apartment, which was disapproved of by the conservative Church of Norway. 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 that of 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 Høiby. 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. Haakon served as regent a third time during 2024 during the King's hospitalization due to an infection and pacemaker implantation surgery.

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 and John Hope Bryant.

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 (LO) for an introduction in the Tripartite cooperation in 2016.

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 Tromsø 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 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 våre lykter" (i.e., '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, honours and awards

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

Honours and medals

National honours and medals

• Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav °
• Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit °
• Defence Service Medal with Laurel 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 Honour °
• Naval Society Medal of Merit in gold °
• Oslo Military Society Badge of Honour in Gold °

Foreign honours

• Austria: Grand Decoration in Gold with Sash of the Order of Honour 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)Official website of the President of Estonia (Estonian)
• Estonia: Member 1st Class of the ((Order of the White Star)) Estonian State Decorations – Kroonprints Haakon
• Estonia: Member 1st Class of Order of the White Star (26 August 2014)
• Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (15 October 2024) °
• France: Grand Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (23 June 2025)
• 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) °
• Latvia: 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 Adolph of Nassau °
• Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross with Swords of the Order of Orange-Nassau °
• Netherlands: 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 °
• Sweden: Recipient of the Golden Jubilee Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Awards

• 14 August Committee's Bridge Building Prize 2011
• Olympic flag.svg 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 Pokalløp. It is held every year in June, at Drammen Travbane.

References

References

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