Since you’re living in this country, why not learn more about its Royal Family? (At least you will be able to recognize who those people are in the magazines!)
The Royal Family of Norway is the extended family of King Harald V of Norway.
In Norway there is a distinction between the Royal House and the Royal Family. The Royal House includes only the King, Queen, those directly in line to the throne and their spouses. Members of the Royal House hold the style of either Majesty (HM) or Royal Highness (HRH) and their birthday is an official flag-flying day.So who makes up the Royal Family?
HM The King (21 February 1937)
King Harald V, Son of King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha, Succeeded his father as king of Norway on 17 January 1991.
HM The Queen (4 July 1937)
Queen Sonja, born Sonja Haraldsen. Married then Crown Prince Harald in Oslo Cathedral on 29 August 1968. Became queen of Norway on 17 January 1991.
They have two children, a son and a daughter:
HRH The Crown Prince (20 July 1973)
Crown Prince Haakon Magnus. Son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. Heir to the throne of Norway
HH Princess Märtha Louise (22 September 1971)
Daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. Fourth in line for the Norwegian throne after her nephew Prince Sverre Magnus.
The Crown Prince Haakon’s Family
The Crown Prince Haakon’s Family (from left to right):
HH Prince Sverre Magnus (3 December 2005)
Prince Sverre Magnus. Son of Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Third in line for the Norwegian throne after his sister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
HRH The Crown Princess (19 August 1973)
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby. Married Crown Prince Haakon Magnus in Oslo Cathedral on 25 August 2001.
HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra (21 January 2004)
Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Daughter of Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Second in line for the Norwegian throne after her father.
Crown Prince Haakon Magnus
Marius Borg Høiby (13 January 1997 )
Marius Borg Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon. He is the eldest of the children in the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s family.
Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise’s family
Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise’s family (from left to right):
Miss Leah Isadora Behn (8 April 2005)
Second daughter of Princess Märtha and Mr Ari Behn. Sixth in line for the Norwegian throne after her sister, Miss Leah.
Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise
Miss Emma Tallulah Behn (29 September 2008)
Youngest daughter of Princess Märtha and Mr Ari Behn. Seventh in line for the Norwegian throne after her sister, Miss Maud.
Miss Maud Angelica Behn (29 April 2003)
Oldest daughter of Princess Märtha and Mr Ari Behn. Fifth in line for the Norwegian throne after her mother, Her Highness Princess Märtha.
Mr Ari Mikael Behn (30 September 1972)
Married Princess Märtha Louise in Nidaros Cathedral 24 May 2002.
The King’s sisters:
HH Princess Ragnhild (9 June 1930) *photo to left
Princess Ragnhild, Mrs Lorentzen. Daughter of King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha. Sister of King Harald V. Married Mr Erling Sven Lorentzen in Asker on 15 May 1953.
Mr Erling Sven Lorentzen (28 January 1923)
Mr Erling Sven Lorentzen. Married Princess Ragnhild in Asker Church on 15 May 1953.
HH Princess Astrid (12 February 1932) *photo to right
Princess Astrid Mrs Ferner. Daughter of King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha. Sister of King Harald V. Married Mr Johan Martin Ferner in Asker Church on 12 January 1961.
Mr Johan Martin Ferner (22 July 1927)
Mr Johan Martin Ferner. Married Princess Astrid in Asker Church on 12 January 1961.
Constituational Monarchy
Norway is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the King is formally the head of state but that his duties are mainly representative and ceremonial. The legislative and executive powers lie with the country’s elected bodies. When the Constitution states that: “the executive power is vested in the King”, this now means that it is vested in the Government.
History of the monarchy
Harald I was the son of one of Norway’s regional rulers, descended from Sweden’s Yngling royal family. He defeated the other rulers to unite the country and become its first king. The Hereditary Kingdom of Norway, established by at least three separate genealogical lines of monarchs each allegedly descending from Harald I the Fairhair, was the only realm of medieval Scandinavia which was officially hereditary, not elective.
After the death of Haakon V of Norway, the crown passed to his grandson Magnus IV of Sweden. In 1397, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden formed the Kalmar Union under Queen Margaret I of Denmark who was married to Haakon VI of Norway and Sweden. She unofficially ruled all three countries until her death.
Sweden seceded from the Kalmar Union ultimately in 1523. In 1469, the Norwegian king pledged Orkney and Shetland to the crown of Scotland as mortgage for a dowry debt. In 1814, Denmark ceded Norway (but not its dependencies Iceland, Greenland and the Faroese) to Sweden; in 1905, Norway became independent. Its new government offered the crown to Prince Carl, second son of Frederick VIII of Denmark. After being approved in a popular vote, Carl was crowned Haakon VII of Norway.
The Royal Residences
The Royal Palace in Oslo is the most important of the King’s residences, and most official functions take place here. However there are a number of other Royal residences in other parts of the country, some of which are official while others are owned by the Royal Family themselves. Stiftsgården in Trondheim, Gamlehaugen in Bergen and Ledaal in Stavanger are used by the King as official residences when he visits those areas. The Royal Yacht Norge transports the King and other members of the Royal Family on many of their journeys in Norway and abroad.
Line of Succession
Article 6 of the Norwegian Constitution:
The order of succession is lineal, so that only a child born in lawful wedlock of the Queen or King, or of one who is herself or himself entitled to the succession may succeed, and so that the nearest line shall take precedence over the more remote and the elder in the line over the younger.
An unborn child shall also be included among those entitled to the succession and shall immediately take her or his proper place in the line of succession as soon as she or he is born into the world.
The right of succession shall not, however, belong to any person who is not born in the direct line of descent from the last reigning Queen or King or a sister or brother thereof, or is herself or himself a sister or brother thereof. When a Princess or Prince entitled to succeed to the Crown of Norway is born, her or his name and time of birth shall be notified to the first Storting in session and be entered in the record of its proceedings.
For those born before the year 1971, Article 6 of the Constitution as it was passed on 18 November 1905 shall, however, apply. For those born before the year 1990 it shall nevertheless be the case that a male shall take precedence over a female.
In practice this means that Princess Märtha Louise, despite being older than the Crown Prince, is placed after him and his children in the line. Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid are not in the line of succession: they were born before 1971, so Salic Law applies to them. However, Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be placed before her brother, because she was born after 1990.
The current line of succession includes:
1.His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon
2.Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra
3.His Highness Prince Sverre Magnus
4.Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise
5.Miss Maud Angelica Behn
6.Miss Leah Isadora Behn
7.Miss Emma Tallulah Behn
In 2002, the King (with Princess Märtha Louise’s consent) removed Princess Märtha Louise’s style of Her Royal Highness. This was meant to loosen connections with the Royal Family so she could build up her business. However, she retains her title as a Norwegian Princess and her place in the line of succession and still carries out Royal duties on behalf of the King (though they are reduced).
Royal Upbringing
The Norwegian Royal Family has traditionally brought up their children as far as possible in the same way as other young Norwegians. Many people believe this is one of the reasons why the Royal Family is so popular in Norway.
Back in the days, King Harald’s decision to marry Queen Sonja triggered a debate on the future of the monarchy in Norway. This was because his forefathers (King Haakon and King Olav) have always married princesses and Queen Sonja was a commoner. King Harald and Queen Sonja dated in secrecy for 9 years before they obtained permission from King Harald’s father, King Olav, to get married. However, there was much less criticism than many had feared. From the very start, Queen Sonja was accepted by the entire Norwegian population as a member of their beloved Royal Family.
Both Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise attended normal schools, and the Crown Prince was a regular at rock festivals. He felt that being part of the society and culture was a vital part of being himself. Crown Prince Haakon’s courtship of Mette-Marit was initially a subject of controversy due to her past and status as a single mother. The couple met at a rock festival in Kristiansand through mutual friends. The media was glued to the prince’s every move as the relationship progressed. The Crown Prince’s decision to cohabit with Mette-Marit before they got engaged or married sparked reactions from many.
Mette-Marit soon won the public around, however, and their 2001 nuptials (where Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was the best man) were greeted with widespread celebration. In 2004 Mette-Marit gave birth to daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra who becomes Norway’s first ever female heir to the throne. To date, they have 3 children, including the Crown Princess’ son from a previous partner.
Princess Märtha Louise is a certified physiotherapist, following education in Oslo and internship in Maastricht, the Netherlands. She has not practiced her profession, however, choosing instead, from her fascination in traditional Norwegian folk tales as well as a love of music, to establish her own commercial entertainment business based on giving public and televised performances reciting folk tales and singing with well-known Norwegian choirs.
She dated and married a commoner as well, Norwegian author Ari Behn, in 2002. To date, they have 3 daughters.
Did you know?
The Norwegian Royal Family is in the line of succession for the British throne. Ranking from 63rd to 70th position are King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon, Prince Sverre Magnus, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Princess Märtha Louise, Maud Angelica Behn, Leah Isadora Behn and Emma Tallulah Behn. (Note here that Prince Sverre Magnus comes before his elder sister Princess Ingrid Alexandra).
Pictures and more information from Kongehuset.
Do you have more to add about the Norwegian Royal Family?
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About Cynthia Myrnes
Cynthia is a Singaporean who has been living in Stavanger since Feb 2008 with her Norwegian husband. She works as a physiotherapist here and also owns her own petsitting service, Stavanger Petsitter, for the residents of Stavanger. In addition, she manages the Stavanger International Moms group. She loves hanging out with friends, spending time with animals, travelling and watersports such as scuba diving and wake boarding. Most of all, she is enjoying the experience of being a first time mom!
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