Harald V

Harald V
Harald V in 2021
King of Norway
Reign17 January 1991 – present
Benediction23 June 1991[a]
PredecessorOlav V
Heir apparentHaakon
Prime ministers
Born (1937-02-21) 21 February 1937 (age 87)
Skaugum, Akershus, Norway
Spouse
(m. 1968)
Issue
Detail
HouseGlücksburg[1]
FatherOlav V of Norway
MotherMärtha of Sweden
ReligionChurch of Norway
SignatureHarald V's signature

Harald V (Norwegian: Harald den femte, Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈhɑ̂rːɑɫ dɛn ˈfɛ̂mtə];[2] born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He succeeded to the throne on 17 January 1991.

Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the line of succession at the time of his birth, behind his father. In 1940, as a result of the German occupation during World War II, the royal family went into exile. Harald spent part of his childhood in Sweden and the United States. He returned to Norway in 1945, and subsequently studied for periods at the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Military Academy, and Balliol College, Oxford.

Following the death of his grandfather Haakon VII in 1957, Harald became crown prince as his father became king. Harald became king following his father's death in 1991. He married Sonja Haraldsen in 1968, their relationship having initially been controversial due to her status as a commoner. They have two children, their elder child Märtha Louise and their younger child Haakon, who became heir apparent due to male-preference primogeniture. Märtha Louise is engaged to conspiracy theorist Durek Verrett.[3][4]

A keen sportsman, he represented Norway in sailing at the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympic Games, and later became patron of World Sailing.


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  1. ^ "The Royal Family". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  2. ^ Berulfsen, Bjarne (1969). Norsk Uttaleordbok (in Norwegian). Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co (W Nygaard). pp. 64, 91, 129.
  3. ^ "Norway princess quits royal duties for alternative medicine". BBC. Retrieved 9 November 2022. Verrett [has been] described as 'a charlatan', a conman and a conspiracy theorist
  4. ^ "Norwegians resist spell of Martha Louise's fiancé Durek Verrett". The Times. Retrieved 11 November 2022. He is also a conspiracy theorist with unusual views on everything from cancer to Covid

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