News of Norway, issue 5, 1996
The Crown Prince, now 23, will enter an academic program placing him at the level of a junior. Haakon Magnus departs from the tradition followed by his father and grandfather who were educated in military academies and also studied in England. (King Harald received his education in the army; King Olav both in the army and navy). The Crown Prince has not decided how many years he will study in the United States.
Märtha Louise, Haakon's sister, is also moving abroad this fall to the Netherlands where she will continue her studies in physiotherapy. The princess' strong interest in competitive horseback riding is another reason for choosing the Netherlands. She will study in Maastricht, and keep her horses in the stable of a well known coach in the vicinity of Maastricht. Märtha Louise hopes to combine her riding hobby with her work and provide riding therapy for children.
The Crown Prince will travel to California by himself, but he will not be without family "over here." His cousin, Ragnhild Lorentzen, 28, is a student at the same university. For the first semester, Haakon is expected to take up residency in the campus area, but having lived in shared quarters for several years now, he looks forward to living alone. First, he plans to get a bachelor's degree. A master's degree may follow.
The royal family has a tradition of greeting the people from the royal castle balcony every 17th of May. But Haakon Magnus will be absent next year as May is finals month at Berkeley. However, he does not rule out the possibility of representing the royal family at celebrations in America.
Crown Prince Haakon represents the fourth generation of the Norwegian royal family. While his duties as heir to the throne have increased, for several years to come his primary concern will remain his education. In 1992 he graduated from high school where he chose general studies with a focus on business economics and law. He then completed the naval training school, KNM Harald Hårfagre, at Madlamoen on the outskirts of Stavanger. After five weeks of basic training, he returned to school and spent a year at the Officers' Candidate School/Navy at Horten. He continued on to the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy and spent a year-long practical training period aboard ship. This completes His Royal Highness' naval career in which he achieved the rank of ensign.
Crown Prince Haakon grew up in natural surroundings at his father's childhood home, the Skaugum estate in Asker, near Oslo. He and his sister both attended a municipal nursery school and local primary and secondary schools. He has always been encouraged by his parents to undertake sports; like his father and grandfather he is a sailing enthusiast. This hobby is one of the reasons he chose Berkeley as home for the next couple of years. The Crown Prince, like most Norwegians, is also a good skier; he is keen on cycling and paragliding as well.
Although Princess Märtha Louise is two years older than her brother, he is heir to the throne. In the Constitution of 1814, the line of succession was established as "agnatic," i.e. the oldest legitimate "man born of man" inherited the throne. That provision has since been amended so that women can accede to the throne, but as an interim agreement it was decided that the male line should have precedence for royals born before 1990. In practice, this means that Princess Märtha Louise would occupy the throne only if her brother were to die before having any children.
Crown Prince Haakon turned 18 on July 20, 1991, and on that day he participated for the first time in a meeting of the Council of State. On May 22, 1994 he presided over the Council of State, substituting for King Harald who was representing Norway at Expo '92 in Seville, Spain.
The Crown Prince's great grandfather was the seventh king to be called Haakon, and many kings bore the name Magnus in the Middle Ages. The Crown Prince now only uses his first name, Haakon.
The Norwegian royal family has close ties with the Danish, Swedish and British royal families. King Haakon VII was the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark. His wife, Queen Maud, mother of King Olav, was the daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria of England. King Olav's wife, Märtha, was the second daughter of Swedish Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg. Crown Prince Haakon's mother, Queen Sonja comes from an Oslo family and was married to Crown Prince Harald in 1968.