That night, NRK broadcast the government's rejection of the German demands to the Norwegian people. With the assistance of Allied forces, Norway was able to hold back the invaders, but by the end of May, the resistance was beginning to falter. The heavy cruiser Blcher sailed into the Oslofjord in the . Named by a free people as a free man to lead his country, he will be completely our own. Harald became king following his father's death in 1991, with Haakon becoming his heir apparent. He was baptised with the names Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel, and was known as Prince Carl (namesake of his maternal grandfather the King of Sweden-Norway).[3]. Jesper Christensen portrayed the King in the 2016 film The King's Choice (Kongens nei) which was based on the events surrounding the German invasion of Norway and the King's decision to resist. Although the succession law had been changed in 1990with the eldest child, whether male or female, assuming the throneit applied . On the deck of the Heimdal, the Prime Minister gave the following speech to the king: For almost 600 years, the Norwegian people have not had their own king. The government unanimously took his side. During his reign he saw his father Frederick VIII, his elder brother Christian X, and his nephew Frederick IX ascend the throne of Denmark, in 1906, 1912 (also of Iceland from 1918 to 1944), and 1947 respectively. To avoid being taken into custody by the occupying forces, the Royal Family, the Government and most members of the Norwegian Storting escaped from Oslo by train. Queen Maud died unexpectedly while visiting the United Kingdom on 20 November 1938.[14]. The King and the Royal Family have attended the Olympics on many occasions. However, if the cabinet felt otherwise, the King said he would abdicate so as not to stand in the way of the Government's decision. He attended the Norwegian Military Academy and studied law and economics at Balliol College, Oxford University. No acts of legislation or decisions approved by the Council of State are valid until sanctioned by the King and countersigned by the prime minister. The King has an important role to play during a change of government. The king of Norway is one of the poorest monarchs on Earth, and this royal family lives the most modest life compared to the other royal families in Europe. He returned to Norway in June 1945 after the defeat of Germany. The situation was dramatically altered, however, by their deteriorating situation in the Battle of France. [37], The King Haakon VII Sea in East Antarctica is named in the king's honour as well as the entire plateau surrounding the South Pole was named King Haakon VII Vidde by Roald Amundsen when he in 1911 became the first human to reach the South Pole. The great Viking king of Norway, Harald Hardrada (1015 - 1066) was a true international warrior. King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav seek cover as German planes attack Nybergsund 11 April 1940. Crown Prince Olav married his cousin Princess Mrtha of Sweden on 21 March 1929. He was 85 years old. However, this came to an abrupt end on 9 April 1940, when German troops invaded Norway. Although Norway had legally had the status of an independent state since 1814, it had not had its own king since 1387. Crown Princess Mrtha and the three children, Princess Ragnhild, Princess Astrid and Prince Harald, fled to safety across the border to Sweden. Haakon refused to abdicate the throne and cede legitimacy to Germany's occupation government in Norway. The day-to-day activities conducted at the Royal Palace in Oslo include official audiences, and discussions with the prime minister, foreign minister and representatives from the armed forces. On June 7, King Haakon left the country and established a government-in-exile in London. ), king of Norway (1957-91), succeeding his father, King Haakon VII. He also had a son, providing an heir-apparent to the throne, and the fact that his wife, Princess Maud, was a member of the British Royal Family was viewed by many as an advantage to the newly independent Norwegian nation.[8]. Prince Harald was the first prince born in Norway in 567 years. Olav also represented Norway in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, winning a Gold Medal in sailing. The five other kings who have borne the name are Harald Fairhair, Harald Greycloak, Harald Bluetooth, Harald Hardrada, and Harald Gille. Christian Frederick, who was King of Norway briefly in 1814, the first king of the Norwegian 1814 constitution and struggle for independence, was his great-granduncle. Harald V swore the Royal Oath in the. As a younger son of the Crown Prince, there was little expectation that Carl would become king. The homecoming of the Royal Family was celebrated by thousands of cheering spectators who lined the streets to welcome them back after five years of occupation. In 1955 he graduated from Oslo katedralskole and in the autumn of that year, Harald began studies at the University of Oslo. [26] With this threat looming, the Storting's representatives in Oslo wrote to their monarch on 27 June, asking him to abdicate. Crown Princess Mrtha died of cancer on 5 April 1954. To commemorate the 10 0th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb, we invite you to join us for a week of inspiring programming on Egypt. The King meets with the Council of State at the Royal Palace every Friday. The Blcher sank at 06.22 hours, and much of its crew of over 1,300 men was killed. The bride's father gave them Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate as a country residence for his daughter's frequent visits to England. The Storting first convened at Hamar the same afternoon, but with the rapid advance of German troops, the group moved on to Elverum. Harald V (Norwegian: Harald den femte, Norwegian pronunciation:[hr dn fmt];[3] born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. I didn't know the story of King Haakon VIIdemocratically elected king of Norway!and his noble opposition to the German National Socialist invasion of the Kingdom of Norway in 1940 until today. Harald is an honorary president of the International Soling Association. Prince Carl was invited to become king . Unlike some monarchs, Harald does not have the power to dissolve Parliament; the Constitution does not allow snap elections. It soon became clear that Norway would be unable to withstand the German forces, even with Allied support. The democratically minded Carl, aware that Norway was still debating whether to remain a kingdom or to switch instead to a republican system of government, was flattered by the Norwegian government's overtures, but he made his acceptance of the offer conditional on the holding of a referendum to show whether monarchy was the choice of the Norwegian people. In Norway the German occupation authority, led by Reich commissioner Josef Terboven, attempted to establish a legal occupation government, elected by the Storting, to collaborate with the Nazis. Haakon VII reigned during two world wars. His parents already had two daughters, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid. [28], During Norway's five years under German control, many Norwegians surreptitiously wore clothing or jewellery made from coins bearing Haakon's "H7" monogram as symbols of resistance to the German occupation and of solidarity with their exiled King and Government, just as many people in Denmark wore his brother's monogram on a pin. I wanted to be sure that it was a people and not a party that wanted me to be king, as my task above all should be to unite, not divide. [4] However, when the King and Crown Prince inquired of Swedish foreign minister Christian Gnther whether they could sleep one night in Sweden without being interned, their request was refused. In 1940, as a result of the German occupation during World War II, the royal family went into exile. The Crown Princess's death was a tremendous loss for him and his family as well as for Norway,[8] and he named his daughter Mrtha to honour her memory. Does King Harald betray Bjorn? 7. juni 1945: Kong Haakon og Kronprinsfamilien kommer tilbake til Norge etter 2. verdenskrig. The King has also represented Norway at opening ceremonies of Olympic Games, among them Torino and Beijing. No other British ship received the sighting report, and 1,519 British officers and men and three warships were lost. [38], In 1914 Haakon County in the American state of South Dakota was named in his honour. With Haakon's loss of mobility, and as his health deteriorated further in the summer of 1957, Crown Prince Olav appeared on behalf of his father on ceremonial occasions and took a more active role in state affairs. Haakon went on to say that he could not appoint Quisling as prime minister, since he knew neither the people nor the Storting had confidence in him. Norway struggled to hold out against German military power. Crown Prince Olav visited his family in the U.S. as often as conditions allowed but remained based in London. In recent years the King has also become involved in issues related to welfare and conditions for children. The young prince was baptised at Charlottenlund Palace on 7 September 1872 by the Bishop of Zealand, Hans Lassen Martensen. With his sailing crew he won World Championship bronze, silver and gold medals, in 1988, 1982 and 1987, respectively. In June, Haakon decided that the best course of action was to leave Norway. After several months in Sweden, the Crown Princess and her children travelled to the USA by sea. The only survivor of the event is the current King who has always held to his opinion that it was simply a tragic accident. Olav was educated at the Norwegian military academy and at the University of Oxford in England. Foto: Nikolai Ramm stgaard, De kongelige samlinger. The German invasion at the beginning of World . In the autumn of 1945 he was enrolled in third grade of Smestad skole as the first member of the royal family to attend a public (state) school. Four years later in 1958 he would lose his maternal grandmother Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. King Harald V is the current King of Norway. The Blcher was hit by artillery from the fortresss cannon, nicknamed Moses and Aron, and then by torpedoes fired from the adjacent island of Northern Kaholmen. While the Constitution vests the King with executive power, he is not politically responsible for exercising it. Photo: NTB scanpix. The Kings constitutional role (Subject entry page). Usually, the retiring prime minister will advise the King on who should assume the role of the new prime minister. He was third in line to the throne, after his father and elder brother, Prince Christian and spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother. Prince Harald was the first . He is a Stranger Knight of the Garter, an Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, and a Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain, as well as numerous other orders of chivalry. King Claudius addresses the threat from Prince Fortinbras, and he reveals that Fortinbras is seeking his revenge on Denmark without the knowledge of the sitting king of Norway, Fortinbras' uncle: Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras, He is also in the line of succession to the British throne, being a descendant of Edward VII of the United Kingdom. His godparents were: his paternal grandparents King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway; his maternal grandparents Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden; King Leopold III of Belgium; Queen Mary and King George VI of the United Kingdom; and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark. Later that same night, they announced to the Germans that Norway officially refused to recognize the legitimacy of Quisling's government, and would continue to resist Germany's occupation at all costs. Such childhood experiences are reflected in a trace of an American accent when he speaks English. As early as 1939, both the Allies and Nazi Germany began to make invasion plans of Norway. Left to right: Front row seated: Princess Astrid; Prince Harald; Princess Ragnhild. Harald visited Norwegian servicemen training in the United States. On the 7 th of June, King Haakon of Norway and his ministers left the country. [40], For his struggles against the Nazi regime and his effort to revive the Holmenkollen ski festival following World War II, King Haakon VII earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1955 (Shared with Hallgeir Brenden, Veikko Hakulinen, and Sverre Stenersen), one of only 11 people not famous for Nordic skiing to receive this honour. Here Haakon attended weekly Cabinet meetings and worked on the speeches which were regularly broadcast by radio to Norway by the BBC World Service. The only son of Crown Prince Olav (the future King Olav V, 1903-1991) and Crown Princess Mrtha (1901-1954), he acceded to the Throne when his father passed away on 17 January 1991. [23] In 2016, King Harald V competed with a team for the sailing World Championships on Lake Ontario, Toronto. He decided it would be best to leave the country, together with Crown Prince Olav and the Government. In response to some of his detractors he stated, "I am also the King of the Communists" (Norwegian: "Jeg er ogs kommunistenes konge").[13]. King Haakon, Crown Princess Mrtha and the children returned on 7 June, five years to the day that the King and Crown Prince had been forced to leave the country. [17], Inspired by Haakon's stand, the Government unanimously advised him not to appoint any government headed by Quisling. [12]. Haakon told his cabinet that, if they disagreed with his decision, he would not stand in their way. [3] His father was the eldest son of King Christian IX and Louise of Hesse-Kassel, and his mother was the only daughter of King Charles XV of Sweden (who was also king of Norway as Charles IV), and Louise of the Netherlands. was the first king of Norway. Haakon told the cabinet: I am deeply affected by the responsibility laid on me if the German demand is rejected. But everything did not go according to plan. Photo: Per Bratland, Nina Bratlands arkiv, King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav with General Otto Ruge, commander-in-chief of the Norwegian Army (Photo: Scanpix). [32] He is also an honorary Colonel in the British Royal Marines. Carl was less than two years younger than Christian, and the two princes were educated together and had a joint confirmation at Christiansborg Palace Chapel in 1887. However, this required the Kings abdication. When King Olav fell ill in the spring of 1990, the Kings functions as Head of State were filled by the Crown Prince Regent. In 1940 the entire royal family had to flee Oslo because of the German invasion. Germany invades Norway and Denmark. The members of the Royal Family, the Government and the Storting boarded a special train at the Oslo Eastern Railway Station and headed northwards. Once again, the Norwegians' king will be the strong, unifying mark for all national deeds in the new, independent Norway The King and Crown Prince Olav would remain in Norway and the Crown Princess was to make her way to Sweden with the three children. (The others are Norway's Stein Eriksen, Borghild Niskin, Inger Bjrnbakken, Astrid Sandvik, King Olav V (his son), Erik Hker, Jacob Vaage, King Harald V (his paternal grandson), and Queen Sonja (his paternal granddaughter-in-law), and Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark). On 26 April the group moved to Drottningholm in Stockholm. King Gustaf V has been accounted to have had an amicable relationship with his Norwegian guests, but the topic of the war in Norway was not to be raised. On April 9, 1940, German troops invaded the country and quickly occupied Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Narvik. The Allies had a fairly secure hold over northern Norway until late May. [6] The coronation was in keeping with the constitutional mandate, but many Norwegian statesmen had come to regard coronation rites as "undemocratic and archaic". The King, however, told the envoy that he could not make any decisions without consulting his cabinet. He became the first Norwegian-born monarch since Olav IV died in 1387, a gap of 604 years. King Haakon VII died on 21 September 1957, and Prince Harald became Crown Prince, attending the Council of State for the first time. The Royal Escape from Oslo: 9 April 1940. The Norwegian king Haakon VII and his government left Norway for Britain at the same time. In connection with the consecration, the King and Queen conducted a 10-day tour of Southern Norway. The king replied: Mr. President of the Storthing, gentlemen. Until 2012, the King of Norway was, according to the constitution, the formal head of the Church of Norway. Every year the King and Queen usually pay a visit to a county in Norway. Crown Prince Olav returned to Norway on 13 May 1945, where he was joined by King Haakon and the other members of the Royal Family on 7 June. The responsibility for the calamities that will befall people and country is indeed so grave that I dread to take it. Later in the 14th century, Norway was joined to both Denmark and Sweden. The Government supported the Kings decision and maintained its oppositional stance. The crown prince undertakes various public ceremonial functions, as does the king's wife, Queen Sonja. When they reached Elverum, Crown Prince Olav and his family parted company. This fall, which occurred just a month before his eighty-third birthday, resulted in a fracture to the thighbone and, although there were few other complications resulting from the fall, the King was left using a wheelchair. Upon becoming independent in 1905, Norway decided through a referendum to remain as a monarchy, with its first monarch being the Danish-born King Haakon VII, whose family consisted of the British Princess Maud and their son Olav.It is King Haakon's descendants that today make up the current royal family of Norway. They were deported on the "Donau," a ship requisitioned by the Quisling government, which took them to . The sinking of the Blcher delayed the German troops advance on Oslo, giving the Royal Family, the Government and the Storting representatives the time needed to escape to safety. The members of the Norwegian Royal House are Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja and Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Convened at Elverum in Eastern Norway, the Storting gave the King and the Government full authority to rule the country for the duration of the war. [11], The reign of King Harald has been marked by modernization and reform for the Norwegian Royal family. While the Constitution nominally vests the King with the power to appoint the government, in practice the government must maintain the confidence of Parliament. What happened to the Norwegian royal family? [7] It was there that the couple's only child, Prince Alexander, the future Crown Prince Olav (and eventually King Olav V of Norway), was born on 2 July 1903. [27], After one further German attempt in September to force the Storting to depose Haakon failed, Terboven finally decreed that the Royal Family had "forfeited their right to return" and dissolved the democratic political parties. There they lived for the duration of the war, later triumphantly returning to Norway in June of 1945. Haakon VII reigned during two world wars. [21][22], Initially, King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav were guests at Buckingham Palace, but at the start of the London Blitz in September 1940, they moved to Bowdown House in Berkshire. Although the Constitution of Norway vests the King with considerable executive powers, in practice nearly all major governmental decisions were made by the Government (the Council of State) in his name. At his death, Olav succeeded him as Olav V. Haakon was buried on 1 October 1957 alongside his wife in the white sarcophagus in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Fortress. After the referendum overwhelmingly confirmed by a 79 percent majority (259,563 votes for and 69,264 against) that Norwegians desired to retain a monarchy,[9] Prince Carl was formally offered the throne of Norway by the Storting (parliament) and was elected on 18 November 1905. Harald V (Norwegian: Harald den femte, Norwegian pronunciation: [hr dn fmt]; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway.He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991. His Majesty King Harald V of Norway was born on 21 February 1937 at his parents home, the country estate of Skaugum, near Oslo. [24] Many broadcasts were made from Saint Olav's Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe, where the Royal Family were regular worshippers. Harald attended the Norwegian Military Academy and Balliol College, Oxford, and attained the rank of captain . On 9 June, the German campaign in Norway was complete. When Carl accepted the offer that same evening (after the approval of his grandfather Christian IX of Denmark), he immediately endeared himself to his adopted country by taking the Old Norse name of Haakon, a name which had not been used by kings of Norway for over 500 years. The once-active King was said to have been depressed by his resulting helplessness and began to lose his customary involvement and interest in current events. His brother is Halfdan the Black. He was second in the line of succession at the time of his birth, behind his father. However, he wasn't present in Vancouver; the Crown Prince attended instead, with the King and Queen attending later in the games. The king's childhood was marked by war. Olav only relented when Harald told his father that if he was not allowed to marry Sonja he would not marry at all. They were followed the next day by the last Allied troops. Score: 4.5/5 (43 votes) . He was 85 years old. [7] The Doris Kearns Goodwin book No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the Home Front in World War II contains a picture of the King (then Prince) playing with FDR's dog, Fala, on the North Lawn of the White House in 1944. As expected, Germany did not take the news of Norway's resistance well. [10] In so doing, he succeeded his maternal great-uncle, Oscar II of Sweden, who had abdicated the Norwegian throne in October following the agreement between Sweden and Norway on the terms of the separation of the union. On the night of April 8, the royal family was warned that the Germans were on their way to Norway. In 1908 the Storting repealed the article in the Constitution relating to coronation. Vikings: Valhalla introduces a slew of new historical characters to audiences. This led to the withdrawal of the rest of the German flotilla, preventing the invaders' planned dawn occupation of Oslo. To further complicate matters, Quisling had already declared himself to be Prime Minister in Oslo just hours earlier. King Haakon, Princess Marthe and her three children photographed at Rosyth as they prepare to return to Oslo at the end of the war. The house was originally from northern Germany, where the Glcksburg (Lyksborg) branch held their small fief. The Norwegian explorer and Nobel Prize laureate Fridtjof Nansen became a friend of the Royal Family. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VIII of Denmark and Louise of Sweden.Prince Carl was educated at the Royal Danish Naval Academy and served in . "[27], Since the start of the twenty-first century King Harald has been unable to perform his duties as sovereign due to ill health on a few occasions: from December 2003 to mid-April 2004 due to urinary bladder cancer, from April to early June 2005 due to aortic stenosis, and in 2020 he was in hospital for cardiac surgery (replacement of a heart valve). The film won widespread critical acclaim, and was Norway's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Hailing from the Yngling clan, descending from King Ingjald of Svealand and Olof the Woodcarver, Harald was born in a place called Tamdrup. His acts are not valid without the countersignature of a member of the Council of State (cabinet)usually the Prime Ministerand proceedings of the Council of State are signed by all of its members. The latter party reached Sweden on the night of 10 April, but although Crown Princess Mrtha was Swedish-born, they encountered problems at the border station. They guard the Royal residences, including the Royal Palace, the Crown Prince Residence at Skaugum, and the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Castle. The King also chose to continue the tradition of royal benediction, a tradition that had been introduced with his father, and was consecrated together with Queen Sonja in the Nidaros Cathedral on 23 June 1991. The wedding was held in Oslo Cathedral on 29 August 1968. Harald spent part of his childhood in Sweden and the United States. [35], King Haakon VII fell in his bathroom at the Bygdy Royal Estate (Bygdy kongsgrd) in July 1955. As the ships entered the Drbak Sound, the commander at Oscarsborg, Colonel Birger Eriksen, gave the order to open fire. Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Mrtha of Sweden. The mark shows honours mentioned on his official website page about decorations. The King is Grand Master of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. Harald is the sixth King of Norway to bear that name, and the first in 855 years. Accompanied by several smaller vessels, the Blcher was transporting German troops to the capital. The king at the time was his grandfather, Haakon VII, the very first king the country got after becoming independent from Sweden in 1905. Crown Prince Haakon served as the country's regent on these occasions, including giving the King's Speech at the State opening of parliament in 2020. In accordance with the Constitution, Crown Prince Harald acceded to the Throne when King Olav passed away on 17 January 1991. Always have we had to share him with others. The King heads the Council of State Fridays, and formally opens the new session of the Storting each year in October. The King's recognition of Quisling's authority would have given legitimacy to Quisling's government and effectively sanctioned the German invasion. They increased military action and launched repeated bombing attacks on Nybergsund, the small town that housed the government. Norwegian King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav moved from Norway to Great Britain where they established a government-in-exile. The newlywed Crown Prince and Crown Princess were received with great jubilation by people throughout the country. Upon becoming independent in 1905, Norway decided through a referendum to remain as a monarchy, with its first monarch being the Danish-born King Haakon VII, whose family consisted of the British Princess Maud and their son Olav.It is King Haakon's descendants that today make up the current royal family of Norway. The King has cooperated closely with Queen Sonja and the Crown Prince in making the royal household more open to the Norwegian public and the Norwegian media. Married then Crown . The following texts illustrate the Norwegian attacks along the western seaboard of Scotland, culminating in the battle of Largs. The King gave his answer on 3 July, and proclaimed it on BBC radio on 8 July. King Haakon became the foremost symbol of the Norwegian peoples will to fight for a free and independent Norway, and his radio broadcasts from London served as a source of inspiration for young and old alike.