Prince Harald of Norway was born on 21 February 1937 in Skaugum, the residence of his parents Crown Prince Olav & Crown Princess Märtha in Asker (outside Oslo). He was the first Prince born in Norway since 1370 and was second in line to succeed his grandfather, King Haakon VII (b. Pince Carl of Denmark), who was chosen by 3/4 of Norwegians as King upon the dissolution of Norway's Union with Sweden in 1905. Prince Harald's two older sisters, Princesses Ranghild & Astrid could not succeed The throne of Norway, but all children were in line of succession to the British throne through their paternal grandmother, Queen Maud (b. a Princess of The United Kingdom; d. 1938). Harald was baptized into the Lutheran Church of Norway on 31 March 1937.
Upon
the Nazi Germany's invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, Crown Princess Märtha
and her children were evacuated to Sweden, where the authorities initially
refused their entrance despite Märtha being the niece of the then Swedish King.
After several months with his maternal grandparents, Prince Harald joined his
mother and siblings as a refugee in the United States upon the invitation of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They stayed as The President's guests in The
White House, before moving to their own residence, while King Haakon &
Crown Prince Olav led a government in exile from London. From the US the Royal
family kept tight contact with the Norwegian diaspora and visited Little Norway
training camp in Canada, to support Norwegian Troops.
The Royal Family were reunited in London in May 1945, and reached Norway's shore (Oslofjord) through cruiser Norfolk on 7 June. King Haakon & Crown Prince Olav (née Alexander) were warmly welcomed back forty years after establishing The House of Glücksburg over Independent Norway. Prince Harald, aged 8, enrolled to Smestad school in Asker, and then at Oslo Cathedral School (1950-55) & Cavalry Commander's School in Trandum (1956-57). He was confirmed to The Church of Norway (which back then The Norwegian Monarch was Head of) in May 1953 at The Royal Chapel of Oslo's Royal Palace. From 1957 to 1959 Harald attended The Norwegian Military Academy becoming a General of Both Armed & Air Forces & Admiral of The Norwegian Navy.
Crown
Princess Märtha died on 5 April 1954 after a long illness, and the loss of his
mother at age 17 deeply stuck Harald. His eldest sister Princess Ragnhild was
already married, and thus his other sister Princess Astrid took over as First
Lady of Norway serving under two widowed Kings (her grandfather & father).
King Haakon VII died on 21 September 1957 and Harald's father became King Olav
V. According to then legislation Crown Prince Harald reached his majority on
his 21st Birthday (in 1958) and signed his Constitutional Oath, being able to
represent his father as Regent. He enrolled to Balliol College in Oxford, where
he studied history, economics and politics, in 1960.
Harald
began a romance with Sonja Haraldsen, daughter of a clothing merchant and
dressmaking-tailoring student, in Summer 1959. She was his age, and later would
also obtain a diploma in accounting, fashion design and social sciences from a
Swiss finishing school. Royal conventions of the time expected that Harald
should have an equal marriage to a princess of Royal blood, hence their
engagement kept delaying for nine years. After Harald made it clear that he did
not intend to marry anyone else but Sonja, King Olav, after consulting The
Prime Minister & President of Storting (Parliament) gave his consent and
the couple became engaged on 19 March 1968. Their Royal Wedding took place at
Oslo's Cathedral on 29 August 1968, making Sonja the first commoner to become
Crown Princess & First Lady of Norway. Harald & Sonja welcomed two
children: Princess Märtha Louise (*1971) & Prince Haakon (*1973).
Crown
Prince Harald developed his love for sports from an early age. An avid sailor,
he got his first boat in 1948 and represented Norway in the yachting sports of
Summer Olympics in 1964 (Tokyo), 1968 (Mexico City) & 1972 (Munich). In
1964 he carried The Norwegian flag at the opening ceremony. In 1970 he
co-established Norwegian Sailing Association, and participated in world
championships, winning Silver (1982), Gold (1987) & Bronze (1988) medals in
sailing, as well as in a gold winning European championship (2005). Harald was
also an huge fan of Ski, chairing the main committee of World Ski Championship
in Oslo (1982) and actively involved in the committee organizing the 1994
Olympics in Lillenhamer. He presided over the Norwegian branch of World Wilflife
Found as Crown Prince from 1970.
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King Olav V died on 17 January 1991 and Crown Prince Harald, who served as Regent from June 1990, succeeded the throne as King Harald V, the Norwegian-born Monarch since (Olav IV's death) 1387 & first Harald to reign as King since 1136. He took his Constitutional Oath in The Storting on 21 January and was alongside Queen Sonja consecrated in a blessing ceremony at Nidaros Cathedral on 23 June (following the suit of his father, after the Coronations in Norway had been abolished in 1908). Succession law was changed to absolute primogeniture in 1990, however it wasn't applied retrospectively, thus his son, Haakon, became Crown Prince, preceding his older sister Märtha Louise, according to the male-preferenced law, adopted in 1971. The gender neutral law, however, applied to Haakon's children.
As King Harald V adopted the motto: 'Alt For Norge' (Everything for Norway), used by both his father's & grandfather's Reigns. For Harald, it meant inclusion, presence, and frequent connection with all parts of Norway. The King took his Official duties seriously, from Parliament Openings and Councils of State, to Appointing a Cabinet & signing bills (always upon the council's advise; to Representing Norway during incoming & outgoing State Visits and hosting Nobel Peace Prize laureates. In his 35 years of Reign he visited 353 out of 357 Norwegian municipalities (the last four were scheduled for September & October 2026), enjoyed connecting with locals and formally apologized to Sámi minority for centuries of repression in 1997. From 2000 The Royal Palace opened for public tours, although its renovation was too costly.
In
moments of national joy and sorrow alike, King Harald was always present;
sharing the National sentiment. After tragedy stuck in domestic terrorist
attacks of 22 July 2011, King Harald openly wept for the deceased, expressing
his hope that "freedom is stronger than fear" and belief in
"Norwegian democracy and civic life". When Norway came together every
May 17, celebrating its Constitution; The King proudly greeted people &
children parading in beneath The Royal Palace; and joined the nation in
celebrating its football team after successfully competing in The World Cup
(most recently in July 2026). In his annual New Year's Eve Addresses, King
Harald reflected poignant interactions; including with children who experienced
domestic violence and cried out for help.
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Perhaps
the most memorable of King Harald V's Speeches would become that of 1 September
2016 from The Royal Palace's Park, where His Majesty defined the Norwegian
identity by including refugees, people of different orientations, origins &
faiths who "love this country" and build it up "on trust,
community and generocity". For King Harald family was of immense
importance, and regardless of crises and controversies they always acted as a
team. Both his children were allowed to marry commoners (Mette-Marit Tjessem
Høiby - 2001 & late Ari Behn - 2003 (and later self proclaimed Shaman Durek
Verrett in 2024), respectively). The King's time with his five grandchildren
was the most precious, especially while on holidays or in the countryside. But
his particular care & connection to Norway's children earned him the
nickname: "All Norway's Grandfather".
An active outdoorsman, hunter & fisherman, King Harald has been a lifelong environmentalist and actively campaigned for the preservation of wildlife around the world. He visited Amazon's Rainforests, spent time with Yanomami tribe in Brazil, and took part in an extensive expedition to The Poles, visiting Alaska, Svalbarg and Antarctica. King Harald ceased to be Head of The Church of Norway in 2012, however he remained close to the Lutheran Faith & would attend new Bishops' Consecrations all across Norway. A down-to-earth and simple mannered gentleman, His Majesty was known for his sense of humor and spontaneous jokes, be it in a family table or in an official reception at The Royal Palace. As a "sports' nut", The King had a major skiing event for the public organized outside the Palace for his & The Queen's Silver Jubilee on the throne (in January 2016).
King
Harald V was fortunate enough to see his children settle with their lives and
almost all grandchildren become adults. In 2022 his granddaughter Princess
Ingrid Alexandra turned 18, an unprecedented milestone of two generations of
adult heirs to the throne of Norway. King Harald faced several health issues
over the years, including bladder cancer, heart valve issues & Covid. He
was hospitalized while on holidays in Malaysia (2024) - after which he had a
pacemaker implanted & Tenefire (Canary Islands) earlier this year. Yet,
every time His Majesty made a full recovery and returned to official duties
after periods of Regency by Haakon. Having ruled out abdication, and stated
that his Constitutional Oath in Storting is "for life"; Harald
considered age only "a number". In 2024 he became Norway's
longest-living Monarch, having surpassed his father's death age; while since
2025 he has been the oldest Sovereign Head of State in Europe (& second
oldest Sovereign Monarch worldwide).
King
Harald V died at the age of 89, on Friday 28 August 2026, at 6:35'am; in the
Oslo National University Hospital (Rigshospitalet) where he had been admitted
11 days earlier with complications for treating hemolytic anemia. His condition
significantly deteriorated in the final days & his entire family gathered
on his bedside in the hours before he died. He was succeeded on the throne by
his son, King Haakon VIII; and is survived by his wife of nearly 58 years (one
day short) Queen Sonja, two children, children-in-law, five grandchildren &
an elder sister (Princess Astrid); a family that he kept United and steered
popularity from his activity in recent period of crises & personal
challenges. King Harald V will be laid to rest in Akershus Fortress' Royal
Mausoleum, underneath a special Tomb / Sarcophagus, prepared in advance for him
and Queen Sonja.
https://royalcentral.co.uk/royal-news/remembering-king-harald-the-king-who-was-always-there-i-have-never-known-another-monarch-and-norway-will-miss-him-218860/
https://www.kongehuset.no/nyheter/kong-harald-kavalerist-i-sitt-hjerte
https://www.newsinenglish.no/2026/08/28/harald-v-1937-2026-unifier-comforter-and-the-peoples-king/
https://www.kongehuset.no/nyheter/norges-konge-i-35-ar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_V
https://www.kongehuset.no/nyheter/kong-harald-og-idretten
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/28/king-harald-v-of-norway-obituary
https://www.kongehuset.no/nyheter/familiemannen-kong-harald
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clykn5p5172o
https://www.kongehuset.no/nyheter/kong-haralds-miljoengasjement
https://royalcentral.co.uk/royal-news/obituary-king-harald-v-of-norway-a-popular-king-who-reshaped-his-countrys-monarchy-179383/
https://www.kongehuset.no/nyheter/kong-harald-og-barna
