King Harald as a family man
- You have always defined our family as a team. When times are tough we can lean on each other, and when times are good we can share the elation. This is a source of great strength, said the then Crown Prince Haakon in his speech to his father on his 88th birthday.
Family was always very important to King Harald. He deeply mourned the loss of his mother, Crown Princess Märtha, who died of illness when he was 17 years old. The Crown Princess was only 53 when she died, and King Harald said he never stopped missing her.
King Harald came to have a rich family life, despite a difficult start and the long wait he had before he could get married. It took nine years before Crown Prince Harald was able to announce his engagement to Sonja Haraldsen from Vinderen, Oslo.
It was not uncontroversial that the future king sought to marry a commoner. For King Olav this was not just a family matter, but also a formal matter for the State that could have implications for the future of the monarchy. After consultations with the President of the Storting, the parliamentary leaders and the Government, the King gave his consent for the Crown Prince to marry a commoner.
On 29 August 1968 the Royal wedding was held in Oslo Cathedral. The city was decorated with flags and flowers, nearly 3 000 soldiers representing all military branches stood shoulder to shoulder along the bridal route from the Royal Palace to the Cathedral, and a double Royal Gun Salute of twice 21 rounds was fired from Akershus Fortress.
Family life at Skaugum
After the wedding the couple moved to Skaugum, the official residence of the heir to the Norwegian throne. This is where their children grew up. Princess Märtha Louise was born on 22 September 1971, and Prince Haakon Magnus nearly two years later, on 20 July 1973. Their parents considered it important to give the children as normal an upbringing as possible, so both the prince and the princess attended public kindergartens and schools.
- When I look back, what I remember best are the holidays. My mother, my father and my sister – it was the four of us on holiday, and the four of us taking weekend trips in Norway. We did not travel abroad for many years, the then Crown Prince Haakon said in his biography "Haakon" from 2023.
Crown Prince Harald enjoyed spending time with his children, and was happy to join them on the floor to play with Lego when he came home after a day’s work at the Royal Palace.
– The King is, quite simply, a kind man. That is an undervalued quality.
King Haakon in the biography "Haakon", 2023
Grandchildren
Over time, grandchildren arrived. Their Majesties embraced their roles as grandparents in 2001 when Crown Princess Mette-Marit joined the family with her son, Marius Borg Høiby.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra was born on 21 January 2004, as second in the line of succession after her father, then Crown Prince Haakon. Her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, was born in 2005. The first daughter of Princess Märtha Louise and her husband Mr Ari Behn, Maud Angelica, was born in 2003, followed by Leah Isadora in 2005 and Emma Tallulah in 2008.
The King enjoyed seeing his grandchildren often. Sunday family dinners were important, whether they took place at the Royal Palace, Skaugum or Lommedalen.
– I never imagined that I would become one of those doting grandfathers, but I did.
King Harald
The King enjoyed seeing his grandchildren often. Sunday family dinners were important, whether they took place at the Royal Palace, Skaugum or Lommedalen.
On several occasions the King and Queen took their children and grandchildren on trips in Norway and abroad, with Queen Sonja as an enthusiastic tour guide. It was important to King Harald to ensure that his grandchildren visited and appreciated places that had played a major role in Norwegian history. The family sailed along the northernmost coast of the country on the Royal Yacht Norge in 2015, and visited Svalbard in 2018. The entire family travelled to South Africa in 2017, a trip that included a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned, which made an indelible impression.
Not without Queen Sonja
For nearly 58 years, Queen Sonja was King Harald’s closest partner, both in their private life and in his service as the country’s king. In a speech celebrating the 80th birthdays of the King and Queen in 2017, he thanked the Queen, saying “Today I am expressing my thanks for having been given the opportunity and the support I needed to fulfil my role in the manner that has been most fitting for me. This would not have been possible without my wife of nearly 50 years by my side.”
Family and a life in service to Norway
In a monarchy, there is an inextricable link between the family and the life in the service of the nation for both the monarch and the heirs to the throne.
There is a special bond and a unique understanding between the individuals in the line of succession. King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Ingrid Alexandra shared this powerful connection.
- He has become a friend and a colleague. He asks me for advice, and he gives me advice. Our relationship has grown closer and closer. He is a wise young man, King Harald said about his son.
The family’s credo has been that although they will succeed each other in their life as the monarch, each must pursue the path that enables them to do so in their own way.
In his speech to his father on his 88th birthday, the then Crown Prince Haakon said:
- Dear Pappa, you have been my most important teacher and mentor throughout my entire life. You have always trusted me implicitly.
– I have told you this many times before, Ingrid, but a grandfather is allowed to repeat his most important piece of advice over and over: Be yourself. And trust that that will be enough – always.
King Harald in his speech on Princess Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday
