"We have a son," announced a beaming Crown Prince Haakon of Norway on Saturday, hours after his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, gave birth to their second child together. The heir to the throne assured well-wishers that both mother and child were doing well. The little boy, who made his big debut at Oslo's Rikshospital at 10.45 local time on Saturday morning, weighed in at 8lbs 11oz.
The new arrival is third in the line of succession after his father and his elder sister, Norway's first-ever female heir to the throne Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who turns two in January.
Haakon is also stepfather to Mette-Marit's son by a previous relationship, eight-year-old Marius. Though a fully integrated member of the royal family since his mother married the crown prince in 2001, Marius has no rights in the line of succession.
The name of the princess' second son is expected to be announced on Monday. The announcement of a royal child's name is traditionally made by the prime minister after a specially-convened Cabinet meeting. In this case, Mr Jens Stoltenberg was away at his country retreat when the new prince arrived, which has led to a short delay. The prime minister has delayed his Monday journey to India by a few hours in order to make the announcement in traditional style.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
