Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
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Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (born Haakon Magnus on July 20, 1973 in Oslo) is the heir apparent to the throne of Norway. On birth he was named Prince Haakon Magnus but it was stressed in the announcement that he would go by the name Haakon. He became Crown Prince Haakon when his father ascended to the crown as Harald V in 1991. If Prince Haakon becomes king as expected, he will be known as King Haakon VIII of Norway.
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[edit] Family and heritage
Haakon's godparents are King Olav V of Norway, Princess Astrid of Norway, Prince Carl Bernadotte, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Princess Anne, The Princess Royal. As a descendant of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Haakon is currently the 62nd in line to the British crown. He is a third cousin to The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne.
Haakon has one sibling, Princess Märtha Louise (born 1971). In 1990 the Norwegian constitution was altered, granting cognatic primogeniture to the Norwegian throne, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of gender, 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.
[edit] Education and Military Life
Haakon served in the Royal Norwegian Navy undertaking his first-level officer's education at the Norwegian Naval Academy, followed by a year aboard missile torpedo boats and other vessels. He then went abroad, receiving 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 the London School of Economics, as well as completing the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' civil servant introductory course in 2001.
[edit] Marriage and Children
Haakon married commoner and single mother Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby on August 25, 2001, at the Oslo Cathedral, who has since then been known as Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Their relationship met with controversy due to Mette-Marit's status as a single mother and because the couple had openly lived together before announcing their engagement.
| Styles of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway |
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| Reference style | His Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Their daughter, Princess Ingrid, was born on January 21, 2004, she is second in succession to the Norwegian throne. Mette-Marit gave birth to her third child, Prince Sverre Magnus, on December 3, 2005, he is third in the line to the Norwegian throne after his sister, Princess Ingrid. The Crown Prince's stepson, Marius Borg Høiby, is not in line for the throne.
[edit] Royal Duties
In addition to his official duties, Haakon has a strong interest in cultural matters.
Beginning Tuesday afternoon November 25, 2003, and ending in the evening of 12 April 2004, Haakon was the country's regent, during the King's treatment for cancer and the following convalescence period. Likewise, Haakon was Norway's 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.
In January 2006 Haakon (along with the Norwegian Royal Family) revised his patronage list. He now will have twelve patronage roles in his portfolio including the annual Bjørnson literary festival. The patronage roles will last for five years, after which they will be up for renewal and other groups can apply for royal support.
[edit] Trivia
- Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, was the best man at Haakon's wedding to Mette-Marit.
- 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.
- His favourite disc jockey is Fat Boy Slim [1].
- He owns a Technics 1200 MKII Record Player, and has an extensive record collection.
- A horse race bears his name, Kronprins Haakons Pokalløp. It is held every year in June, at Drammen Travpark.
- At the 1994 Winter Olympics he was the person who lit the Olympic Flame.
[edit] External links
- Official biography
- The Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav - Crown Prince Haakon a recipent of the Grand Cross with Collar
| Preceded by first in line |
Line of succession to the Norwegian Throne | Succeeded by HRH Princess Ingrid |
| Preceded by King Harald V of Norway |
Line of succession to the British throne | Succeeded by Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway |
| Preceded by Antonio Rebollo Barcelona 1992 |
Final Olympic Torchbearer Crown Prince Haakon of Norway Lillehammer 1994 |
Succeeded by Muhammad Ali Atlanta 1996 |
[edit] References
- ^ "Kronprins Haakons favoritt-DJ", VG-nett, 29 April 2000. Retrieved 31 October 2006.
