Haakon VIII

Haakon VIII
Haakon VIII (as Crown Prince) in 2025
King of Norway
Reign	28 August 2026 – present
Predecessor	Harald V
Heir apparent	Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra
Prime Ministers	Jonas Gahr Støre
Regent of Norway
Regency	See list 25 November 2003 – 12 April 2004 29 March – 7 June 2005 25 September – 31 October 2020 3 March – 22 April 2024 18–28 August 2026
Monarch	Harald V
Born	(1973-07-20) 20 July 1973 (age 53) The National Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Spouse	Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby ​ ​ (m. 2001)​
Issue	Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra Prince Sverre Magnus
Names Haakon Magnus
House	Glücksburg
Father	Harald V
Mother	Sonja Haraldsen
Religion	Church of Norway
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA) London School of Economics (MSc)
Military career
Branch	Norwegian Army Norwegian Navy Norwegian Air Force
Years of service	1992–2026
Rank	General (Army) General (Air Force) Admiral (Navy)

Norwegian royal family
The King The Queen The Crown Princess Prince Sverre Magnus Queen Sonja Princess Märtha Louise
v t e

Haakon VIII (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈhoːkʊn]; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973) is the King of Norway. He became king on 28 August 2026 when his father Harald V died. He is the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.

He has an older sister named Princess Märtha Louise. He and his wife Mette-Marit live at the Skaugum Estate, which is in the Semsvannet area. His workplace is the Royal Palace (Slottet), in the capital city of Oslo.

Early life

Haakon was born on 20 July 1973 at The National Hospital in St Hanshaugen, Oslo, the only son and younger child of then-Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja, during the reign of his paternal grandfather King Olav V. He was named in honour of his paternal great-grandfather, King Haakon VII.

Haakon has one sibling, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 1971). When Haakon's father became king in 1991, Haakon became the crown prince.

Haakon served in the Royal Norwegian Navy. He graduated from the Norwegian Naval Academy in 1995. He later went to the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1999. Haakon later went to the University of Oslo. He finished his education in 2003 at the London School of Economics, where he was awarded a Master of Science in development studies.

Reign

After the death of his father on 28 August 2026, Haakon VIII succeeded to the Norwegian throne. That day he met government ministers at the Royal Palace for a council of state meeting with his daughter and heir, Ingrid Alexandra. His chosen motto, Alt for Norge (lit. 'All for Norway') had been used by every Norwegian monarch since his great-grandfather, Haakon VII.

On 29 August, Haakon held his first address to the nation as king at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

Haakon took an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of Norway in the Storting on 1 September.

Titles

• 20 July 1973 – 17 January 1991: His Royal Highness Prince Haakon of Norway
• 17 January 1991 – 28 August 2026: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Norway
• 28 August 2026 – present: His Majesty The King of Norway

National Honors

• Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Saint Olav
• Grand Cross of Order of Merit
• Defense Service Medal with Laurel Branch
• Royal House Centennial Medal
• Olav V's Commemorative Medal
• Olav V's Jubilee Medal
• Olav V's Centenary Medal
• King Harald V's Jubilee Medal
• Royal Norwegian Navy Service Medal
• Norwegian Reserve Officers' Association Badge of Honor
• Naval Society Medal of Merit in Gold
• Oslo Military Society Badge of Honor in Gold

Foreign Honors

• Austria: Grand Decoration in Gold with Sash of the Order of Honor for Service to the Republic of Austria
• Brazil: Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
• Bulgaria: Grand Cross of the Order of the Bulkan Mountains
• Denmark: Knight of Order of the Elephant (20 July 1991)
• Estonia: Member 1st Class of Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (10 April 2002), Member 1st Class of Order of the White Star (26 August 2014)
• Finland: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose
• Germany: Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Iceland: Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon
• Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (20 September 2004)
• Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
• Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
• Latvia: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars (20 September 2000), Recipient of the 1st Class of Cross of Recognition (12 March 2011)
• Lithuania: Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (23 March 2011)
• Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolph of Nassau
• Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross with Swords of the Order of Orange-Nassau, HM King Willem-Alexander Investiture Medal
• Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (16 September 2003)
• Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Henry (13 February 2004)
• Slovenia: Recipient of Golden Order for Merits (6 November 2019)
• Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (26 May 2006)
• Sweden: Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim
• Sweden: Recipient of the Golden Jubilee Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Awards:

• 14 August Committee’s Bridge Building Prize 2011
• Olympic Games: Lighter of the Olympic Cauldron; 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, opening by his father, King Harald V
• A horse race bears his name, Kronprins Haakons Pokallop. It is held every year in June, at Drammen Travbane.

References

Other websites

• Haakon's biography on the Royal Court's official website ^{[permanent dead link]}
• Haakon, Norges kronprins. NRK interview for his 18th birthday
• (translation of title: - The couple, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, are doing political work) "- Kronprinsparet driver politisk arbeid"

This short article about a person or group of people can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.