Haakon VIII

Haakon acceded to the throne upon his father's death in 2026. He is a trained naval officer and, as king, is formally the Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Armed Forces. He has served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme and has been involved in a range of philanthropic and international initiatives, including membership of the Young Global Leaders network and its Foundation Board. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in development studies from the London School of Economics.

Early life and family

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. At birth he was named Haakon Magnus, and the announcement emphasised that he would be known as Haakon. He was baptised on 20 September in the chapel at the Royal Palace.^[a] He was named in honour of his paternal great-grandfather, King Haakon VII, as well as his maternal uncle Haakon Haraldsen, and Magnus, after the Norwegian saint and martyr. Haakon's grandfather Olav V died on 17 January 1991,^[3] after which his father acceded as King Harald V and Haakon became crown prince.^[4]

Haakon has one sibling, Princess Märtha Louise (born 1971). In 1990, the Norwegian constitution was amended to introduce absolute primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of sex, would take precedence in the line of succession.^[5] Because the amendment was not retroactive, Haakon retained precedence over his older sister.^[6]

Education and military service

Haakon served in the Royal Norwegian Navy. He graduated from the Norwegian Naval Academy in 1995,^[7] then spent a year serving on various naval vessels.^[8] Unlike his father and grandfather, he did not attend Oxford University and instead enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley.^[9] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1999. Haakon subsequently attended lectures at the University of Oslo and completed the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' civil servant introductory course in 2001. He finished his education in 2003 at the London School of Economics (LSE), where he was awarded a Master of Science in development studies, specialising in international trade and Africa.^[8]

As of 15 November 2013, Haakon's rank in the Royal Norwegian Navy is admiral, and in the Norwegian Army and the Royal Norwegian Air Force his rank is general.^[10] In 2016, Haakon completed the Norwegian Army's paratrooper course and was certified as a military paratrooper. The course was administered by the Special Operations Commando.^[11]

Crown Prince

Haakon served as regent several times when Harald's failing health prevented him from carrying out his duties.^[12] In 2003, Haakon was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).^[13] In 2013, he established the SIKT conference.^[13] He regularly attends the annual conference of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), and in 2016 he met the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) for an introduction to Norway's tripartite cooperation model.^[14]

Haakon was a member of the Young Global Leaders (YGL) network from 2005 until 2010, and from 2010 to 2017 he served on the YGL Foundation Board.^[13] Haakon and Mette‑Marit established the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's Foundation.^[13] He is a patron of 4H Norge, ANSA, the Ibsen Stage Festival, the Nordland Music Festival, and several other organisations.^[15] In 2017, he became a patron of the Norwegian Refugee Council.^[16] In May 2022, Haakon joined a University of Tromsø expedition aimed at disseminating knowledge about polar history and scientific research taking place in the Arctic. Over the course of two weeks, he crossed the Greenland ice sheet using a snowkite.^[17]^[18] Following the 2022 Oslo shooting, Haakon stated, "We must protect the right in Norway to love whomever we want."^[19]

In October 2025, Haakon visited Decorah, Iowa, to celebrate 200 years since the first organized Norwegian emigration to the United States. At the celebration convocation at Luther College, Haakon was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law, the same honor given to his father Harald - as crown prince - 60 years earlier. Olav V as crown prince also received an honorary degree from Luther in 1939.^[20]

In 2026, Haakon crewed the Myklebust Ship as a rower with Prince Sverre Magnus.^[21] The footage from the event was later used by the royal house to support the Norway national football team in response to the Viking Row cheer performed by supporters during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.^[22] Following Norway's victory over Brazil during the knockout stage, Haakon joined supporters outside the Royal Palace in Oslo to participate in a synchronised Viking Row celebration.^[23] Upon the return of the Norwegian national football team, Haakon led a Viking Row in front of over 150,000 people gathered outside the Royal Palace as part of the official reception.^[24] He was joined by Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus.^[25] In addition to his official duties, Haakon has a strong interest in cultural matters and has given patronage to a number of organisations. In 2006, he was one of three founders of Global Dignity, alongside Pekka Himanen and John Hope Bryant.^[13]^[26]

Reign

Upon the death of his father on 28 August 2026, Haakon VIII succeeded to the Norwegian throne.^[27] That morning, he met the Council of State for his first King-in-Council as reigning monarch, officially notifying the council of his father's death and announcing his regnal name and royal motto. His chosen motto, Alt for Norge (lit. 'All for Norway'), had been used by every Norwegian monarch since his great-grandfather, Haakon VII.^[28]

On 29 August, Haakon delivered his first address to the nation as king at the Royal Palace in Oslo. He spoke of his coming responsibilities, his family, and commemorated the life of his father.^[29]

Haakon took an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of Norway in the Storting on 1 September.^[28]^[30]

Personal life

Personal interests

Haakon has long been involved in sport and has shown a particular interest in windsurfing and surfing, although he has not competed at a professional level.^[31] He is also known as an enthusiastic music fan and has attended and hosted several music festivals.^[32]

Haakon has taken part in several Olympic ceremonies. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, King Harald declared the Games open while Haakon lit the cauldron.^[33] In 2016, his daughter Ingrid Alexandra performed the same role at the II Winter Youth Olympics, also held in Lillehammer.^[34]

Haakon accompanied the band Katzenjammer in their recording of the song "Vi tenner våre lykter" ("We light our lanterns") for their 2011 Christmas-themed album of the same name. Proceeds benefited "Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Prince and Crown Princess funds".^[35]

Marriage

In the 1990s, Haakon attended the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, where he first met Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, a commoner, at a garden party during the festival season. They met again several years later when she was the single mother of Marius Borg Høiby.^[36] When their engagement was announced in December 2000,^[37] public and media reaction was largely negative.^[38] Many Norwegians expressed concern about Haakon's choice of partner, primarily due to Mette-Marit's status as an unmarried mother.^[39]^[40] The father of her child had been convicted of drug-related offences,^[41] and critics also highlighted her limited formal education, previous relationships with convicted felons, and her social circle, which some commentators described as one "where drugs were readily available".^[42]^[43] The couple's eight-month engagement included a period of cohabitation in an Oslo apartment, a decision that drew criticism from the Church of Norway, an evangelical Lutheran denomination.^[41]

Haakon and Mette-Marit married on 25 August 2001 at Oslo Cathedral.^[44]^[45] Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, later King Frederik X, served as best man.^[46] They have two children: Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra (born 21 January 2004 at Oslo University National Hospital) and Prince Sverre Magnus (born 3 December 2005 at the same hospital).^[47] Haakon is also the stepfather of Marius Borg Høiby.^[47] Their official residence is the Skaugum Estate, situated near Semsvannet.^[48]

Mette-Marit had contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein over several years,^[49] while Haakon had met Epstein only once, according to the Royal Palace's communications manager, Guri Varpe.^[50]^[51]

Other relationships

Although briefly dating cosmetic heiress Celina Midelfart in 1993, Haakon's first publicly known and official relationship was with model Cathrine Knudsen, with whom he was involved from 1994 to 1996. Haakon has also been in brief romantic relationships with violinist Marte Krogh [no] and physiotherapist Mona Woll Håland.^[52]

Titles, styles, honours and awards

Titles

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

Arms

Royal coat of arms
Royal standard
Monogram as Prince

Honours and medals

National honours and medals

Grand Master and Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav °
Grand Master and Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit °
Defence 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 1991–2016^[53]
Royal Norwegian Navy Service Medal °
Norwegian Reserve Officers' Association Badge of Honour °
Naval Society Medal of Merit in gold °
Oslo Military Society Badge of Honour in Gold °