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The Royal Family of Norway is the family of King Harald V of Norway. It officially includes all male-line descendants of any King of Norway and their wives. Members of the Royal Family (other than the King and his queen) hold the style of His or Her Royal Highness (HRH).
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History of the monarchy
Harald I was the son of one of Norway's regional rulers, descended from Sweden's Yngling royal family. He defeated the other rulers to unite the country and become its first king. The Hereditary Kingdom of Norway, established by at least three separate genealogical lines of monarchs each allegedly descending from Harald I the Hairfair, was the only realm of medieval Scandinavia which was officially hereditary, not elective. After the death of Haakon V of Norway, the crown passed to his grandson Magnus IV of Sweden. In 1397, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden formed the Kalmar Union under Queen Margaret I of Denmark who was married to Haakon VI of Norway and Sweden. She unofficially ruled all three countries until her death. Sweden seceded the Kalmar Union ultimately in 1523. In 1469, the Norwegian king pledged Orkney and Shetland to the crown of Scotland as mortgage for a dowry debt. In 1814, Denmark ceded Norway (but not its dependencies Iceland, Greenland and the Faroese) to Sweden; in 1905, Norway became independent. Its new government offered the crown to Prince Carl, second son of Frederick VIII of Denmark. After being approved in a popular vote, Carl was crowned Haakon VII of Norway. Norway is a constitutional monarchy.
List of members
- HM The King (Harald V) (b. 1937) married to HM The Queen (Sonja) (b. 1937)
Their Children:
- HRH The Crown Prince (Haakon) (b. 1973) married to Crown Princess (Mette-Marit) (b. 1973)
- HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra (b. 2004) (The Crown Prince's daughter)
- HH Prince Sverre Magnus (b. 2005) (The Crown Prince's son)
- HH Princess Märtha Louise1 (b. 1971) (The King's daughter) married to Ari Behn (b. 1972)
- Maud Angelica Behn (b. 2003) (Märtha Louise's elder daughter) Not part of the official Royal Family.
- Leah Isadora Behn (b. 2005) (Märtha Louise's younger daughter) Not part of the official Royal Family.
The King's sisters - HH Princess Ragnhild (b. 1930) and HH Princess Astrid (b. 1932) - are styled Princess, but are not listed as members of the Norwegian Royal House and do not have the style of Her Royal Highness because each married a commoner. They are still members of the Royal Family. They are entitled to the style of Her Highness while abroad, however.
- The current king's ancestry is displayed at Ahnentafel of Harald V of Norway.
Line of succession
Until 1990, only males could inherit the Norwegian throne (Salic law). In 1990, the succession law was changed so that the eldest child would succeed to the throne, regardless of gender (equal primogeniture). This change only affects those born in 1990 or later. For those born between 1971 and 1990, females were given succession rights, but their brothers would be before them in the line of succession (primogeniture). Females born before 1971 would still be excluded from the succession. In practice this means that Princess Märtha Louise, despite being older than the Crown Prince, is placed after him and his children in the line. Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid are not in the line of succession: they were born before 1971, so Salic Law applies to them. However, Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be placed before her brother, because she was born after 1990. The current line of succession includes:
- HRH The Crown Prince
- HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra
- HH Prince Sverre Magnus
- HH Princess Märtha Louise
- Maud Angelica Behn
- Leah Isadora Behn
Notes
1In 2002, the King (with Princess Märtha Louise's consent) removed Princess Märtha Louise's style of Her Royal Highness. This was meant to loosen connections with the Royal Family and her business life. However, she retains her title as a Norwegian Princess and her place in the line of succession and still carries out Royal duties on behalf of the King (though they are reduced).
