The king is dead, long live the King. Minutes after Harald of Norway was officially declared deceased, his son, and until now crown prince, Haakon, according to the Norwegian constitution, has automatically assumed the head of state, becoming the fourth king of modern Norway after his great-grandfather, Haakon VII, his grandfather, Olav V, and his own father. This Friday, Haakon VIII will convene the Council of State to sign the acceptance act and deliver his first message to the nation. The until now crown prince, who has just turned 53, receives the Viking throne at the worst moment for the Norwegian monarchy weakened by the situation faced by the until now princess Mette-Marit, who, besides recovering from a lung transplant, has to overcome the situation of her eldest son Marius Borg, who is serving house arrest after being convicted of rape and abuse, and her own crisis after her connections with the sexual criminal Jeffrey Epstein were revealed.
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Shortly after the official announcement of King Harald’s death, the president of the Norwegian parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, issued a statement saying: “With the death of Harald V, Haakon has reclaimed for the Norwegian crown a name full of history. The new monarch becomes Haakon VIII, a numbering that directly connects his reign with the medieval sovereigns who bore this name. His Majesty King Haakon VIII must now make the role of king his own. Our new king must know that the Storting and the entire nation stand by him.”
In the coming days, the new king will have to swear allegiance to the Norwegian constitution before the parliament (Storting) and, later, once the role that the until now princess Mette Marit will assume is resolved, a solemn religious ceremony will be held. Between these two ceremonies, the funeral for King Harald will take place, and in the next few hours, he will be displayed at the Royal Palace in Oslo to receive the homage of the citizens. Later, he will be buried, like his grandparents and parents, in the royal pantheon of Akershus Fortress, on the outskirts of Oslo.
Haakon was born on July 20, 1973, in Oslo, during the reign of his grandfather Olav V. He already had an older sister, Princess Märtha Louise, born on September 22, 1971, but from his birth, according to Norwegian succession laws, he was placed second in the line of succession. In 1990, the Norwegian constitution was amended to end discrimination against women in access to the throne, but its application was not retroactive, and Haakon Magnus officially became heir to the throne after his father ascended in 1991. Now, his eldest daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, will be the new heir.
Prince Haakon was educated in Norwegian public schools and later earned a degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley (1999) and, after completing a master’s in Development Studies at the London School of Economics (2004), completed his education at the University of Oslo. During his time as heir, he has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is a member of the Young Global Leaders network of the World Economic Forum and has represented his father in activities both inside and outside the country.
Considered a prudent but highly prepared prince, Haakon has earned popular affection for what apparently seems like a lack of character. Since the late 1990s, when he began his relationship with Mette Marit Tjessem, he defended their relationship despite the difficulties of pairing with a single mother who, as she herself admitted, had “a wild past.” Harald and Sonia, who had fought for their love, gave their son freedom to choose a wife, and the young Mette Marit became crown princess consort after her wedding to Haakon, held in Oslo on August 25, 2001, exactly 25 years ago. The image of the couple on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Oslo with little Marius in arms went around the world and confirmed the image of modernity and tolerance of the Norwegian monarchy.
The couple has had two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, born August 21, 2004, and Prince Sverre Magnus, who was born on December 3, 2005. Marius, Mette Marit’s son, was raised in the palace alongside his siblings.
After years of relative calm, during which the heir couple has won the affection of Norwegians, Mette Marit’s fragile health has kept her away from her official duties at the same time as accusations against her son Marius appeared, who was ultimately sentenced to four years for rape and abuse offenses. Both Haakon and his wife stood by the victims and, at the same time, showed compassion for the convicted. Currently, Marius is serving his sentence at the family home.
The emergence of documents related to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein revealed her connection with Princess Mette Marit, who had to regret that “error of judgment” in a public appearance alongside the good Haakon, who, as he has done throughout his life, once again highlighted his understanding and tolerant character and, above all, his total support for the people he loves. That is, among all his qualities, the one Norwegians appreciate the most. It remains to be seen now if, as king, they will continue to support him and, above all, if Mette Marit will be accepted as queen or will have a secondary role in the new stage of the Norwegian monarchy.
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