Haakon VIII: Who is Norway’s new king?

TEXT: CELINA TRAN & SIGNE HANSEN

Following the recent passing of Norway’s beloved King Harald V, affectionately known as the People’s King, his son, King Haakon VIII, has taken his place on the throne. But beyond his royal upbringing and inherited title, who is Norway’s new king? We take a look at seven interesting facts you might not know about the new face of the Norwegian monarchy.

The passing of King Harald V has sent waves of grief through Norway. The first Norwegian-born king in 567 years, Harald was a progressive and unifying figure through changing times, known for speaking up for those in need. The reaction to his death is a measure of the legacy he leaves behind – and the enormous shoes his son must now fill.

Christmas full family photo. Photo: Ola Vatn, The Royal Court

After several periods of stepping in for his father, Haakon VIII, the younger child and only son of King Harald and Queen Sonja, has now succeeded his father as Norway’s monarch.

Many will know the story of his marriage to Queen Mette-Marit, who was a commoner and single mother when they met, and of their daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who is set to become Norway’s first female monarch since 1412.

Crown Princess Ingrid-Alexandra. Photo: Ola Vatn, The Royal Court.

Yet beyond his public role as a devoted husband and father, Haakon has kept a fairly low private profile through the years. So here are some surprising and interesting facts you might not know about Haakon VIII.

The royal family hiking on Svalbard in 2008. Photo: Anette Ask, The Royal Court

Second-born, but first in line

Haakon is the only son and youngest child of then Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja. Despite having an older sister, Princess Märtha Louise, he remained ahead of her in the line of succession. Norway introduced absolute primogeniture – giving the eldest child precedence regardless of sex – in 1990, but the change was not retroactive.

When his grandfather, King Olav V, died in 1991 and Harald became king, the 17-year-old Haakon became crown prince. The new succession rules applied from the next generation, meaning Haakon’s eldest child, Ingrid Alexandra, took precedence over her younger brother, Sverre Magnus.

King Haakon VIII. Photo: Dusan Reljin, The Royal Court

From state school to Berkeley boy

Despite the royal roles they were born into, King Harald and Queen Sonja wanted Haakon and Märtha Louise to experience as normal a childhood as possible. They attended ordinary state kindergarten and schools, learning and playing alongside other Norwegian children.

After high school, Haakon served in the Royal Norwegian Navy before breaking with the family tradition of studying at Oxford University and instead enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley. Reportedly, one of the first things the young prince did after arriving was simply sit outside with a coffee and a newspaper, enjoying the experience of being in public without anyone recognising him.

King Haakon VIII leading the row. Photo: Anette Ask, The Royal Court

A focus on international trade and Africa

If anyone thinks that being royal allows you to be aloof about how the world works, think again. At least, that is not how Norway’s new king appears to see the role. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science at Berkeley, Haakon returned home, attended lectures at the University of Oslo and completed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ trainee programme. He later rounded off his education with a Master of Science in development studies from the London School of Economics, specialising in international trade and Africa.

Recording artist

While King Haakon VIII is not exactly Beyoncé, he is known to be quite the music lover. He plays electric guitar, has been spotted at numerous festivals over the years and even fell for his future wife, Mette-Marit, at the Quart Festival in Kristiansand in 1999.

His musical interests have occasionally spilled over into royal duties, too. During a visit to Leknes in 2014, Haakon picked up an electric guitar and joined a young rock band for a rendition of AC/DC’s T.N.T. The king can even call himself a recording artist. In 2011, he joined Norwegian band Katzenjammer for a recording of the Christmas song Vi tenner våre lykter. Proceeds from the project benefited the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s Fund.

The king and queen in 2023. Photo: Dusan Reljin, The Royal Court

Defiant romantic

Much like his father, who famously defied royal convention to marry commoner Sonja Haraldsen, King Haakon was not particularly interested in European nobility. Instead, he found himself head over heels in love with a woman he fell for at a music festival in 1999, and the two soon began dating. To the dismay of some in Norway, they moved in together a year later.

Much like his father before him, the young prince faced criticism from both the press and public over his choice of partner. Dubbed Cinderella of Kristiansand, Mette-Marit was a single mother and had become known for a controversial wild past before meeting the prince – something she was open and honest about from the outset. Nonetheless, King Harald, despite some initial concerns, approved of the marriage.

Three generations. Photo: Ola Vatn, The Royal Court

Doting family man

When Mette-Marit gave birth to Princess Ingrid Alexandra in 2004, Haakon stepped out to meet the waiting press and proudly declared her the “most beautiful and wonderful baby girl in the whole wide world.” Conveniently, while the new father kept everyone busy, Mette-Marit and their newborn daughter quietly slipped out through a back entrance and headed home to Skaugum, away from the glare of camera flashes and the clamour of the waiting press.

Haakon then took matters – and the camera – into his own hands. The very first photos released of Norway’s tiny future queen were taken by her father himself, providing an early sign of the caring, hands-on dad he would become.

Alongside Ingrid Alexandra and his stepson Marius, Haakon is also father to Prince Sverre Magnus, now second in line to the Norwegian throne.

The royal family in 2026. Photo: Ola Vatn, The Royal Court

Alt for Norge – We give our all for Norway

In Norway, real political power rests with the elected parliament and government, while the monarch operates within the restrained traditions of a constitutional monarchy. Even so, Haakon’s own interests and experience are likely to bring a different character to the reign.

Much of his public life has been dedicated to international development, youth, and environmental issues, while his education and travel abroad make him a distinctly worldly king with an international outlook.

As he strives to preserve the stability and public appeal his father built, while also finding his own footing and identity as Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon VIII has taken on the same motto as the three monarchs before him: Alt for Norge – We give our all for Norway.