Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon becomes king after death of father Harald — as royal family still reels from Epstein, rape scandals
New York Post · RC · trust 35/100
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Add The New York Post on Google Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon became King Haakon VIII following the death of his father Harald V – but he inherits the throne at a time when two scandals plagued the Scandinavian nation’s royal family.
Haakon, 53, assumed the Norwegian throne shortly after the 89-year-old Harald, who was Europe’s oldest monarch and King Charles’ distant cousin, died at Oslo University Hospital on Friday morning.
His ascension comes as the royal family tries to navigate its way through a crisis, as it emerged that Haakon’s wife and Norway’s new queen, Mette-Marit, sent fawning messages to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and that his stepson was convicted of rape.
Haakon, Harald’s youngest child, became heir to the throne in 1991 following the death of his grandfather, King Olav V, when the country followed the agnatic-cognatic primogeniture, which rules that males are first in the line of succession.
Haakon was born on July 20, 1973, two years after his sister, Princess Märtha Louise.
King Olav died one year after Norway changed its constitution to follow the absolute primogeniture rule, which allows a parent’s eldest child to ascend to the throne regardless of gender, but Haakon was not demoted.
Princess Märtha Louise is currently third in the order of succession, behind Haakon’s daughter Ingrid Alexandra and his son Sverre Magnus.
Ingrid Alexandra, 22, is the future queen of Norway and is expected to be the country’s first female monarch since Queen Margaret, who ruled over what was known as the Kalmar Union – Norway, Denmark and Sweden – from 1387 to 1412.
But Haakon – despite being born into the Norwegian royal family – was self-conscious of his status during his childhood in the 1980s.
“Yes, I was a royal, but I did not want to talk about it… At school it made me anxious,” he penned in his 2023 autobiography entitled “Haakon.”
He preferred to stay out of sight “because that is when things went wrong. Attention, other people could have that,” he wrote in his book.
Haakon chose to study at the University of California, Berkeley after he graduated from the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy – not following the precedent set by both his father and grandfather, who studied at England’s esteemed Oxford University.
At the time, he urged the Norwegian media to respect his privacy.
“Please let us live a normal life when studying abroad,” he begged, according to a SFGate report from 1996.
Haakon, who graduated with a degree in political science in 1999, revealed in his book that he wanted to be “as far away as possible” and recalled, “I could be myself” when surfing.
Haakon met his then-future wife, Mette-Marit, at a music festival and in his book, he paid tribute to how she helped him come out of his shell. “I am not very good socially. Mette is a natural talent. She can go into a room and get along with everyone.”
Haakon and Mette-Marit married in Oslo Cathedral on August 25, 2001.
But Mette-Marit – who has become Norway’s new queen 25 years after marrying into the monarchy – has been plagued by scandal in recent months.
Marius Borg Høiby – who is not in the line of succession because he is Mette’s son from a previous relationship – was sentenced to four years in prison in June following his rape conviction.
He faced four rape charges in total. He was convicted on two and acquitted on two others.
Høiby was accused of sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.
Mette-Marit, who suffers from a rare form of chronic pulmonary fibrosis, was caught up in scandal following the bombshell dump of Department of Justice files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein messaged Mette-Marit in 2012 to help him meet young Scandinavian women, one email showed.
“What is the weather like, I am on my wife hunt. paris is proving interesting but i prefer scandinavians [sic],” Epstein wrote Mette-Marit.
“Am still trying to get over the shock that you are in fact wife hunting ..,” the princess responded.
“Two norweivans [sic] here, 24 and 25 . , I like oslo,” Epstein wrote.
“My god! U Must be drunk spelling mistake. The girls are 24 & 25? I like Oslo too. Call me tmr,” Mette-Marit responded.
Mette-Marit also sent fawning emails where she said the pedophile “always makes me smile,” the files showed. She also claimed that Epstein tickled her brain.
Mette-Marit was frank as she admitted to having contact with Epstein as pressure mounted.
“I showed poor judgement and regret having any contact with Epstein at all,” she said. “It is simply embarrassing.”
In March, Mette-Marit told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK she had been “manipulated” and “deceived” by Epstein.
Haakon remained loyal to his wife – despite the scandals that had plagued her.
During the NRK interview, he sat by her side and said marriage was for the “the good days and the bad”.
“Mette is caring, wise and really strong. And that’s why I will always have her on the team when something difficult happens,” he said.
In June, Mette-Marit underwent a lung transplant after her illness worsened over recent months.
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Haakon is inheriting the throne at a time when he has to restore the image of the Norwegian royal family. But there will not be a formal crowning ceremony – unlike what was seen at King Charles’ coronation in June 2023.
Haakon will have the option of a consecration ceremony. This is where the crown will be on display at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, but he will not wear it.
A series of dignified events will take place in the immediate aftermath of Harald’s death. He died just a week after being hospitalized for a rare blood condition.
Haakon will inform the government of Harald’s death at an event known as a…
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