The groom:

HRH Crown Prince Haakon

Publisert 23.08.2001 14:14 - Oppdatert 02.04.2002 11:49

Born 20th July 1973 at Rikshospitalet in Oslo. Second child and only son of King Harald and Queen Sonja. His sister, Princess Märtha Louise, was born on 22nd September 1971.

As heir to the throne from birth his name was Prince Haakon Magnus; he became Crown Prince Haakon on his 18th birthday in 1991.

He represents the fourth generation of the Norwegian Royal family, which line began when his great grandfather, Haakon VII, came to Norway in 1905 after the dissolution of the union with Sweden. His grandfather was Olav V, who died in January 1991.

Skaugum 1979: King Olav V, Prince Haakon and Crown Prince Harald. Photo: Scanpix

Although the Constitution has been amended so that women also have succession rights to the throne, the male line has precedence for those born before 1990.

This means that his older sister would only accede to the throne if the crown prince were to die before having any children or grandchildren.

Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise grew up at their father’s childhood home, the Skaugum estate in Asker. Today they both have their own apartments in Oslo.

Engagement

He met Miss Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby (b. 19th August 1973 in Kristiansand) briefly already four years ago through mutual friends, but it was not until the summer of 1999 that they really got to know each other.

They became a couple in the autumn and the romance became publicly known at the end of that year. The Crown Prince himself confirmed the relationship in a TV interview in May 2000.

On 1st December of that year, the royal court announced the engagement between the Crown Prince and Miss Tjessem Høiby.

Education

The Crown Prince took his upper secondary diploma at Kristelig Gymnasium, Oslo, in the spring of 1992. Just two weeks after graduation, he started naval training school, KNM Harald Hårfagre, at Madlamoen on the outskirts of Stavanger.

After five weeks of basic training he returned to the school bench and spent a year at the Officers’ Candidate School/Navy at Horten. Afterwards he carried out the first level of education at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy in Bergen. From August 1995, he served a year of internship as second-in-command on one of the Navy’s missile torpedo boats.

From the autumn of 1996 he studied political science at the University of California, Berkeley and took his BA exam in the spring of 1999. In the years 1999-2000 he attended lectures at the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Social Science at Oslo University. Since 14th August 2000 he has been a full time trainee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The course lasts one study year.

Official Duties

Crown Prince Haakon participated for the first time in a meeting of the Council of State on his 18th birthday, when he became Crown Prince. On Friday 22 May 1992 he presided over the Council of State for the first time, substituting for King Harald who was abroad.

After leaving the University of Berkeley in June 1999, he went on an extensive official tour visiting “the Norwegian America”. In October/November 1999, he was member of the Norwegian Delegation at the UN General Assembly in New York and spoke on racial diversity in society. He is patron and Honorary Member of numerous organizations and societies.

Leisure interests

Since childhood the Crown Prince has been attracted to sports and outdoor recreation. He is a good skier keen on cycling and paragliding. Like his father and grandfather, he is also a sailing enthusiast.

He is also interested in a wide range of music, culture and art, and is an avid patron of the theatre.

Relations to other royal families

The Norwegian Royal Family has close ties to the Danish, Swedish and British royal families. King Haakon VII was the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark.

His wife, Queen Maud, mother of King Olav, was the daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of England. King Olav's wife, Märtha, was the second daughter of Swedish Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg.

At the Crown Prince’s christening on 20 September 1973, his godparents included the three Scandinavian monarchs: King Olav of Norway, King Carl Gustav of Sweden and Queen Margrethe of Denmark.