Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈhôːkʊn]; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973), is the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne. He is the only son and second child of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.
Haakon represents the fourth generation of the reigning Norwegian royal family of the House of Glücksburg. He married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in 2001, and they have two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.
Haakon is a trained naval officer and, as crown prince, holds senior military rank in 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 BA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MSc in development studies from the London School of Economics.
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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 Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja. His father was the son of the reigning monarch, 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. He was named in honour of his paternal great-grandfather, King Haakon VII, his maternal uncle Haakon Haraldsen, and Magnus, after the Norwegian saint and martyr. Haakon's grandfather Olav died on 17 January 1991, after which his father acceded as King Harald V and Haakon became crown prince.
Haakon has one sibling, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (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. The change was not applied retroactively, so Haakon continues to take precedence over his older sister.
In the Netflix documentary Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, his brother-in-law Durek Verrett alleged that Haakon and his parents did not "know what racism was".
Education and military
Haakon served in the Royal Norwegian Navy. He graduated from the Norwegian Naval Academy in 1995, followed by a year aboard missile torpedo boats and other navy vessels.
He later attended the University of California, Berkeley, where 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, where he was awarded an MSc in development studies, specialising in international trade and Africa.
As of 15 November 2013, his rank in the Royal Norwegian Navy is Admiral, and in the Norwegian Army and the Royal Norwegian Air Force his rank is General.
In 2016, he completed the Norwegian Army's paratrooper course and was certified as a military paratrooper. The course was administered by the Special Operations Commando.
Relationships, marriage and children
Early relationships
Haakon's first publicly known relationship was with cosmetics heiress Celina Midelfart, with whom he was involved from 1994 to 1996.
Marriage
Haakon married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, a commoner and single mother, on 25 August 2001 at Oslo Cathedral. Frederik X, served as best man.
When their engagement was announced in December 2000, public and media reaction was largely negative. Many Norwegians expressed concern about Haakon's choice of partner, primarily due to Mette‑Marit's status as a single mother. The father of her child had been convicted of drug‑related offences, 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". The couple's eight-month engagement included a period of cohabitation in an Oslo apartment, a decision that drew criticism from the conservative Church of Norway.
Haakon and Mette‑Marit have two children: Princess Ingrid Alexandra (born 21 January 2004 at Oslo University National Hospital in Oslo) and Prince Sverre Magnus (born 3 December 2005 at the same hospital). Haakon is also the stepfather of Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby. Their official residence is the Skaugum Estate, situated near Semsvannet.
Mette-Marit had contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein over several years, while Haakon met Epstein only once, according to the Royal Palace's communications manager, Guri Varpe.
Activities
From 25 November 2003 to 12 April 2004, Haakon served as regent during the King's treatment for cancer and subsequent convalescence. He again acted as regent from 29 March 2005 until the King had fully recovered from heart surgery undertaken on 1 April, a period that ended on 7 June. Haakon served as regent for a third time in 2024 during the King's hospitalisation for an infection and pacemaker implantation. In August 2026, he was made regent again while his father recovers in hospital, following fluid retention caused by treatment for haemolytic anaemia.
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.
In 2003, Haakon was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In 2013, he established the SIKT conference. 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.
Haakon was a member of the Young Global Leaders network from 2005 until 2010, and from 2010 to 2017 he served on the Young Global Leaders Foundation Board.
Haakon and Mette‑Marit established the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's Foundation. He is a patron of 4H Norge, ANSA, the Ibsen Stage Festival, the Nordland Music Festival, and several other organisations. In 2017, he became a patron of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
In May 2022, Haakon joined a University of Tromsø expedition aimed at disseminating knowledge about polar history and the scientific research taking place in the Arctic. Over the course of two weeks, he crossed the Greenland ice sheet using a snowkite.
Following the 2022 Oslo shooting, Haakon stated, "We must protect the right in Norway to love whomever we want".
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. He is also known as an enthusiastic music fan. In his youth, he attended music festivals across Europe, including the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and the Quart Festival in Kristiansand.
He has taken part in several Olympic ceremonies. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, the King declared the Games open while Haakon lit the cauldron, echoing the family's Olympic heritage. In 2016, his daughter Ingrid Alexandra performed the same role at the II Winter Youth Olympics, also held in Lillehammer. Haakon attended the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
He 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".
Titles, styles, honours and awards
Titles
20 July 1973 – 17 January 1991: His Royal Highness Prince Haakon of Norway
Since 17 January 1991: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Norway
National honours and medals
Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav °
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
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 °
Austria: Grand Decoration in Gold with Sash of the Order of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
Belgium: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown ° (24 March 2026)
Brazil: Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
Bulgaria: Grand Cross of the Order of the Balkan 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)
Awards
14 August Committee's Bridge Building Prize 2011
Olympic Games : Lighter of the Olympic Cauldron; 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, opened by his father, King Harald V.
A horse race bears his name, Kronprins Haakons Pokalløp. It is held every year in June, at Drammen Travbane.