All About Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Anne's Godson

The Norwegian royalty goes back more than 1,000 years, making it a close second to the British monarchy, so it's no surprise that there are many close ties between the two. For example, Crown Prince Haakon, who is next in line for the Norwegian throne, is Princess Anne's godson. The same goes for his father, King Harald V, whose godparents were none other than King George IV and Queen Mary. But being connected to the British monarchy isn't the most interesting fact about the Crown Prince's life.

Haakon has formed a legacy of his own through his work in the Norwegian monarchy where he's achieved numerous accomplishments while awaiting his ascension to the throne. As with any royal, his life has been an eventful one with a layered history of triumphs and scandals alike. Find out more about Haakon's life, including his once-controversial marriage and the path he might've pursued if he was not the Crown Prince.

Crown Prince Haakon was born on July 20, 1973 in Oslo, Norway. He is the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. He has one sister, Princess Märtha Louise, who is two years his senior. As it stands, Haakon is the next in line for the throne because of old succession laws in Norway that only allowed male heirs. However, in 1990, the laws were changed allowing for the firstborn, regardless of their gender, to inherit the throne. Had Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon been born after the law was changed, the princess might've been the rightful heir.

Growing up destined to take the throne did not get in the way of Haakon's early years. In an interview with the NRK, the Crown Prince recalled still being able to enjoy being a child. His parents slowly eased him into his future responsibilities by having him attend and participate in royal functions. Through this, the Crown Prince was able to learn by doing and avoided the shock of being thrust into royal duty.

Crown Prince Haakon admits that being born into royalty still comes with its downsides. Growing up, his status as the crown prince didn't go unnoticed. Haakon wouldn't mention his royal status at school, but unsurprisingly, people found out regardless. Though he recalls that he had not experienced the worst when it comes to bullying, he still remembers how some upperclassmen made him feel uncomfortable and those daily interactions made things difficult to an extent. He opened up about his schooling in his book, "Haakon: Stories of an Heir to the Throne," where he describes the bullying he experienced as a child. There were instances where upperclassmen would kick around his lunchbox for him to chase (via NRK).

Thankfully, he had someone in his corner. Another person who understood what it was like as she had a similar lived experience: His sister, Princess Märtha Louise. Though Crown Prince Haakon never uttered a word about the bully to his sister, she found out on her own and stood by him. He admits that to this day, he still has a tricky relationship with his title. Being destined for the throne makes it difficult to know what people's real intentions are. However, with enough training over the years, he has been able to distinguish those with genuine intentions from those who do not.

During an interview with journalist Geir Helljesen, 18-year-old Prince Haakon expressed his interest in studying abroad for university. Instead of following in his family's footsteps by attending Oxford as his father and grandfather did, he opted for the University of California Berkeley. His years on the west coast proved to be the most formative for him, and his first taste of anonymity since being born. Haakon was able to enjoy day-to-day life blending in with the rest of the crowd. He recalls the foreign feeling of sitting in a cafe reading a newspaper without anyone knowing who he was, which sounds liberating. It was his first order of business upon arriving, and he enjoyed every minute of it. During the next few years in California, Haakon further enjoyed his anonymity, surfing, and visiting record shops. Only his closest friends knew that he was the crown prince of Norway.

To Crown Prince Haakon, the University of California Berkeley was a melding pot. He was able to meet and interact with people from different backgrounds without the pressure of them knowing he was heir to the throne. In 1999, the Crown Prince completed his bachelor's degree in political science. He would later get his post-graduate degree in Development Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2003.

As the saying goes, the heart wants what the heart wants. In the case of Crown Prince Haakon, his heart wanted Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, now known as Princess Mette-Marit. "You notice when Mette enters a room. There is a force there that is not so easily overlooked," the prince shared in an interview with NRK. When they met, Høiby was a single mother. Though that could be a deterrent for some, it drew the prince even closer to her. "The fact that she had a young child really only told me that she wasn't afraid to take on commitment and responsibility," he continued.

On paper, Princess Mette-Marit didn't have the best credentials for a future princess. Aside from being a commoner, she had a troubled past which included possible drug use and ties to convicted felons (One of them being the biological father of her son). However, Prince Haakon's love did not waver. The couple eventually moved in together and later announced their engagement after a year of dating. The public was not pleased due to her possible history of drug use. After keeping mum about their relationship, the pair decided to hold a press conference a week before their wedding to win over public opinion. "My youth rebellion was much stronger than many others. That resulted in me living quite a wild life," Princess Mette-Marit admitted, per BBC.

The royal couple share three children: Marius Borg Høiby (Princess Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship), Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Prince Sverre Magnus. Høiby was still a child when Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit began their relationship, and he had the honor of being the page boy of their wedding. He has never had a royal title, nor any official duties despite being part of the royal family. In 2017, the Palace stated on its website that Høiby was headed for university in California, and he wanted to lead a life outside of the public eye. With that, his official page on the royal family's website was also removed.

Next in line is Princess Ingrid Alexandra. She was born on January 21, 2004, and is second in line for the Norwegian throne after her father. The Crown Prince gushed to the press at the arrival of his firstborn child. A year later, on December 3, 2005, the royal couple welcomed their second child Prince Sverre Magnus who is third in line for the throne.

Shortly after Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit tied the knot in 2001, the royal couple formed The Crown Prince Couple's Humanitarian Fund, which was renamed ten years later to The Crown Prince and Princess's Foundation. Since its inception, the foundation has focused on uplifting the youth of Norway through various initiatives. "We need their courage, creativity, and hope for the future, in order to solve the large and complex challenges the world is facing. Our task is to facilitate so that each young individual can learn and build on their potential," the foundation shared on The Royal House of Norway's website.

The end goal of the foundation is for the youth to integrate properly into society, which means that they're able to complete their schooling and secure a job. But more than that, the foundation takes a holistic approach that also extends to the personal life of the youth, giving them productive outlets during their free time and prioritizing their mental well-being.

In 2005, the non-profit initiative Global Dignity was founded by Crown Prince Haakon, along with Philosopher Pekka Himanen and entrepreneur John Hope Bryant. This move came after discussions they had at the Forum of Young Global Leaders, a non-profit that gathers and supports young leaders of different backgrounds who want to make a positive change in the world.

They felt that the word "dignity" was something that transcended universally in a divided world. According to John Hope Bryant's website, they aspire to "format a 'new language' which could bring everyone together, yet give us all something larger than ourselves to believe in." And so, the basic tenet of this non-profit is to teach people around the world, especially the youth, the value of dignity. In line with this, they have created a curriculum that includes free learning materials including videos, coloring books, and toolkits on the subject matter that cater to different age groups.

The Crown Prince's exposure to nature and outdoor activities at an early age planted a seed for his future advocacies. He is vocal about his love of the outdoors and shares this love with the rest of his family. So much so that he was appointed as the Royal Patron of the Year Outdoor Life in 2015. As part of their campaign, he encouraged the public to participate in outdoor activities for their health and to take advantage of the rich expanse of land Norway has to offer. 

The Crown Prince takes a special interest in the preservation of polar life and marine life, per The Royal Court. He travels often to find modern solutions to climate change and to actively bring attention to the topic. Being part of a constitutional monarchy, he recognizes the limitations of his position but uses his platform to his advantage. "My role does not allow me to participate in political debates, but I can raise my voice when it comes to the great challenges of humanity," the prince shared in an interview with Der Spiegel in 2019. In 2015, to raise awareness on climate change, he went on a Royal Polar Expedition with two other Scandinavian heirs: Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

Crown Prince Haakon became a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador in 2023. Out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of UNDP, the Crown Prince places a special focus on SDG 1, which aims to reduce poverty in half by 2030. As part of his responsibilities, he travels to a new country each year to check in on UNDP projects and whether they are accomplishing their goals as laid out by the agency.

"The UNDP works with a wide range of development issues and with the millennium development goals in a good strategic way," Haakon shared in a video about his travel to Zambia in 2013 (via YouTube). As of 2022, he has visited 14 different countries including Tanzania, East Timor, Liberia, Colombia, and Kenya. "I think it's fantastic to be a small part of that journey" he continued. The Crown Prince confessed that each trip he takes serves as an "important reality check" on the actual living conditions of the people they hope to help.

If not for his royal obligations, Crown Prince Haakon believes he would've excelled at an entirely different field. "I would have been a professional surfer on world tour. Maybe an ex-professional by the way, because now I'm almost 50," the royal joked in his interview with NRK. The royal had been interested in surfing for a long time, but it wasn't until moving to California for college that he tried it for the first time. Since then, he's become quite skilled at the sport.

In 2017, he brought the European Surfing Championship, Eurosurf, to Norway. The competition was held in the southwest of Norway on the Borenstrada beach in Jæren, marking the first time the competition was ever held in a Scandinavian country. Of course, this was an event that the avid surfer could not miss, and Haakon brought his family to watch as well. During his opening speech at Eurosurf 2017, he explained his fascination with the sport. "Surfing has fascinated me since I was a little kid. The simplicity of you and the board in the waves," Crown Prince Haakon shared (via The Royal house of Norway). "For me, this is not only a sport. It is my favorite way of being in nature, submerged in the elements."

Princess Märtha Louise, sister of Crown Prince Haakon, is no stranger to scandal. In 2007, she claimed to be a clairvoyant who could speak to angels, a skill she claims she realized while working with horses. By starting her school, Astarte Education, she wanted to teach this skill to others and it came with a hefty price: A three-year program that cost NOK 12,000 for every six months. After 11 years of operation, the school closed down due to financial problems.

Märtha Louise raised eyebrows yet again in 2019 when she announced her engagement to fiance Durek Verrett, a self-proclaimed shaman, who suggested in his book "Spirit Hacking" that cancer is a choice. Critics also frowned upon her use of the title of princess for profit. In 2022, Märtha Louise would relinquish her role as a royal patron to avoid controversy. However, she still maintained her title of princess at the request of the king.

In his biography, "Haakon: Stories of an Heir to the Throne," the Crown Prince admits that some of the Princess's beliefs challenged him, but that it did not warrant how harsh critics were towards her. Haakon empathized with Märtha Louise's situation as he understood the pressure that came with being under the watchful eyes of the press.

King Harald V has been King of Norway since 1991. The King's health has been deteriorating since 2003 when he was diagnosed and operated on for bladder cancer. Two years later, he underwent surgery for a heart valve transplant which was replaced again in 2020. Since then the King has had a series of ailments that have required rest or hospitalization, with Crown Prince Haakon stepping in to fulfill his duties as regent.

Following an incident in Malaysia where the king contracted an infection, the palace announced in 2022 that the 87-year-old monarch would start lessening his workload. The Palace's statement wrote (via Reuters), "The king will make adjustments to his programme in the future, out of consideration for his age. This will entail a permanent reduction in the number and scope of activities in which the king participates."

Though his health has been concerning in recent years, a May 2024 by Norset for the NRK shows that 57% still believe that King Harald V should remain in office. It is worth noting, however, that there was a slight shift in the public's opinion on abdication from surveys conducted in February versus those conducted in May. In May, the youngest and oldest age groups were more in favor of King Harald's abdication as compared to February. The King has remained firm on his decision not to abdicate.

There is no one better to tell the Crown Prince's story than the Crown Prince himself. In 2023, at the age of 50, he released a biography entitled "Haakon: Stories of an Heir to the Throne," which he co-wrote with author and award-winning journalist Kjetil Østli. The book offers a deeper insight into the mind of the soon-to-be king. He delves deep into his childhood, controversial nuptials with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, his experience of fatherhood, and his relationship with his sister Princess Märtha Louise.

Overall, the book has received positive remarks. Literary critic Jonas Hansen Mayer had high praises for the book in his review for NRK. To Mayer, the Crown Prince and Østli produced an excellently written original biography. After reading it, Mayer believed that the future of Norway was in good hands. Another critic, the culture editor of Dagsavisen, Mode Steinkjer, wrote about how Østli's access and relationship with the Crown Prince offered a more intimate and nuanced perspective one simply could not get elsewhere. This access resulted in a book with a comprehensive rundown of the Crown Prince's life.