The monarchy of Norway dates back to 872 and is currently helmed by the House of Glücksburg, which also fronts the Danish royal family, and the royal house has produced monarchs for the country since the time of King Haakon VII in 1905.
The monarchy has seen a lot of change over the past few decades with the previous system of agnatic primogeniture being disbanded, meaning that while Harald's sisters were never in the line of succession, his eldest daughter, Princess Märtha Louise, is in line, as is Crown Prince Haakon's daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who is set to become the country's second-ever queen.
Read on to find out all you need to know about Norway's royal family below…
King Harald V
© CORNELIUS POPPEBorn on 21 February 1937, King Harald was the youngest child of King Olav V and Princess Martha. His two sisters, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid, were excluded from being in line to the throne at the time due to agnatic primogeniture rules.
Following the outbreak of World War II, Harald was evacuated from Norway alongside his mother and sisters, with the family settling in both Sweden and the United States. Following the war, Harald returned to his homeland and he became the first Norwegian royal to attend a state school. At the age of 17, Harald was dealt some personal heartbreak when his mother died at the age of 53.
In his youth, Harald was quite the sportsman and the royal represented his country in the sailing event at three separate Olympic Games, carrying the flag at his first event in 1964.
In 1959, Harald met Sonja Haraldsen at a party and the pair dated for nine years before Harald proposed marriage. The couple's union was initially objected by Harald's father, King Olav, but Harald pointedly told his father that he would not marry if he wasn't allowed to marry Sonja, which would have effectively ended the Norwegian royal family. The pair have since welcomed two children: Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon.
Harald ascended to the throne on 17 January 1991 following the death of his father at the age of 87. Harald and Sonja made the modernisation of the monarchy their priority during their reign, becoming a lot more open to the idea of marrying commoners and increasing the transparency of the royal family.
In recent years, Harald's health has declined, with the monarch dealing with urinary bladder cancer and an aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the left ventricle, from 2003 to 2005. In 2020, he was hospitalised and underwent heart surgery, with the requirement of a replacement heart valve. He has also been hospitalised with fevers and infections before being forced to go on "sick leave" on 31 January 2024 after picking up an infection in Malaysia. He was given a permanent pacemaker on 12 March 2024.
Queen Sonja
© Rune Hellestad - CorbisBorn as Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937, Queen Sonja married the then Crown Prince Harald on 29 August 1968. Their union prompted controversy with Harald's father, King Olav, against the union due to her status as a commoner, but following Harald's threats to remain unmarried, Olav relented.
Sonja was born to clothing merchant Karl August Haraldsen and Dagny Ulrichsen, and had three siblings: Haakon, Gry and Karl, the latter of whom sadly died in an accident during his youth.
Alongside her husband, Sonja has endeavoured to make the Norwegian royal family more modern, but she also has humanitarian causes close to her heart and was instrumental in setting up the Princess Märtha Louise's Fund, which helps disabled children in the country. Sonja also has an interest in cultural issues and is a professional printmaker, holding exhibitions with several artists in the country. In 1988, she founded the Queen Sonja International Music Competition.
Princess Ragnhild
© Alex WongBorn on 9 June 1930, Princess Ragnhild was the first child of King Olav and Princess Martha and was King Harald's eldest sister. However, when Ragnhild was born, the Norwegian monarchy operated under agnatic primogeniture, meaning women were excluded from the line of succession.
On 15 May 1953, Ragnhild walked down the aisle with merchant banker and former World War II serviceman Erling Lorentzen and shortly after their union, the couple moved to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The duo welcomed three children: Haakon (b. 1954), Ingeborg (b. 1957) and Ragnhild (b. 1968).
Ragnhild remained in Brazil until her death at the age of 82 after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Her body was transported back to Norway and she was buried in her homeland.
Princess Astrid
© Nigel WaldronBorn on 12 February 1932, Princess Astrid is the middle child of King Olav and Princess Martha, but like her older sister, she was not included in the line of succession due to agnatic primogeniture rules.
Due to the death of her mother at a young age and Ragnhild's move to Brazil, Astrid has oftentimes filled in as the 'First Lady of Norway' and would often be by her father's side during official royal duties. Due to all of this work, in 2002 Astrid was granted a pension by the Norwegian government.
On 12 January 1961, Astrid walked down the aisle with Olympic silver medalist Johan Ferner, and together they have welcomed five children: Cathrine (b. 1962), Benedikte (b. 1963), Alexander (b. 1965), Elisabeth (b. 1969) and Carl-Christian (b. 1972).
Crown Prince Haakon
© Rune HellestadBorn on 20 July 1973, Haakon is the current heir to the Norwegian throne and has held the title of Crown Prince of Norway since he was 17.
Haakon entered into the navy following his studies and spent a year on torpedo boats and navy vessels, ascending to the rank of Admiral; he is also a General in the Norwegian Air Force and Army. He also holds an MSc from the London School of Economics, after specialising in international trade and Africa.
On 25 August 2001, Haakon walked down the aisle with Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, who at the time was a single mother. The royal had the then Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark as his best man, and Haakon and Mette-Marit have welcomed two children, Crown Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre; Haakon is also the stepfather to Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit
© Rune Hellestad - CorbisBorn on 19 August 1973 as Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, she is the wife of Crown Prince Haakon. Prior to her marriage to the Crown Prince, Mette-Marit had a son, Marius Borg Høiby, from a previous relationship.
Mette-Marit first met Haakon at a garden party at the Quart Festival, the largest music festival in Norway, later meeting him again at a separate party. The pair married on 25 August 2001 and have welcomed Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre; her son from before her marriage lives as a private citizen and conducts no royal business.
The royal is not as active as other members of the royal family following a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. At the time of her diagnosis, Mette-Marit said: "Although such a diagnosis will at times put limitations on my life, I am glad that the disease was discovered so early. My goal is still to work and participate in official programs as much as possible."
Princess Ingrid Alexandra
© HandoutBorn on 21 January 2004, Princess Ingrid is the eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Due to previous agnatic and male-favoured primogeniture rules, Ingrid is set to be Norway's second-ever queen, following Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who ruled from 1388 to 1412.
Ingrid is currently undertaking a 12-month military training course with the Engineer Battalion in Brigade Nord. The royal hasn't undertaken many public duties but ahead of her 18th birthday, like her father, she toured important constitutional locations in the country including the Parliament and Supreme Court.
Prince Sverre
© Per Ole HagenBorn on 3 December 2005, Prince Sverre is the youngest child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit and is third in line to the throne. Following the change to absolute primogeniture rules, Sverre became the first male not to come ahead of his sister in the line of succession.
Princess Märtha Louise
© Rune Hellestad - CorbisBorn on 22 September 1971, Princess Märtha Louise is the eldest child of King Harald and Queen Sonja and is fourth in line to the throne. At the time of her birth, Märtha Louise was not in line to the throne due to agnatic primogeniture rules, but following a change of the primogeniture rules in 1990, Märtha Louise entered the line of succession. Despite the change to absolute primogeniture, it was not applied retrospectively, meaning Märtha Louise was still behind her brother in the line of succession.
Märtha Louise was named after her grandmother, who died at the age of 53.
On 22 May 2002, Märtha Louise married playwright and author Ari Behn and the pair welcomed three daughters: Maud, Leah and Emma, all of whom do not use royal titles. On 5 August 2016, the Royal Court confirmed the pair were seeking divorce and this was finalised in 2017. Ari took his own life in 2019.
In May 2019, Märtha Louise confirmed she was dating American shaman Durek Verrett. The couple became engaged in 2022 and are due to marry on 31 August 2024 in a ceremony that will be covered exclusively by HELLO! and HOLA!.
Durek Verrett
© Frazer HarrisonBorn on 17 November 1974, Californian shaman Durek is due to marry Märtha Louise on 31 August 2024. He is a sixth-generation shaman and aims to bring the ancient practice of shamanism into the mainstream to help people love and accept themselves and others.
He has nearly half a million Instagram followers and boasts a number of Hollywood connections, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Selma Blair, Nina Dobrev and Rosario Dawson.
Maud Behn
© Rune Hellestad - CorbisBorn on 29 April 2003, Maud is the eldest daughter o Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn and is fifth in line to the throne. Maud carries no royal title and generally lives her life as a private citizen.
Like her father, Maud has entered into the world of publishing and in 2021 she published Threads of Tears, a book about a girl living a dark life who learns to weave the threads that she cries. Maud has been outspoken about mental health following the death of her father by suicide and in 2020, she received the Acute Psychiatry Prize. Maud has also appeared on Maskorama, the Norwegian version of The Masked Singer.
Leah Behn
© dana/ShutterstockBorn on 8 April 2005, Leah is the middle daughter of Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn and is sixth in line to the throne. Leah carries no royal title and generally lives her life as a private citizen.
Without the constraints of royal life, Leah has pursued modelling, photography and vlogging and is a personality on YouTube and TikTok where she creates makeup tutorials and speaks openly about her life. In 2022, she became the first Norwegian at the Bal des débutantes, a debutante ball held in Paris.
Emma Behn
© dana/ShutterstockBorn on 29 September 2008, Emma is the youngest daughter of Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn and is seventh in line to the throne. Emma carries no royal title and generally lives her life as a private citizen.
Emma is a keen equestrian and in 2022 she made her professional showjumping debut, having ridden horses since the age of two. Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK ahead of the event, she said: "In the last few months, almost all the time has been spent on training, so there hasn’t been much time for anything else."
Line of succession
- Crown Prince Haakon
- Princess Ingrid Alexandra
- Prince Sverre
- Princess Märtha Louise
- Maud Behn
- Leah Behn
- Emma Behn
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