King Harald V's birthday

Like other Scandinavian monarchies, Norway celebrates the birthdays of members of the royal family. These days are called flag days (holidays and memorable dates, in honor of which the state flag is raised in places established by law). On January 17, 1991, King Harald V (HM Kong Harald V) reigned on the Norwegian throne. He was born on 21 February 1937.

When, in 2000, the Norwegian royal family announced that the heir to the throne would marry an ordinary woman and a single mother, it ignited a heated political debate. But this was not the first time the Norwegian kingdom had caused controversy.

Thirty years earlier, the monarch, then Crown Prince Harald, had also sparked a backlash when he announced he intended to marry a non-royal.

Harald was born on February 21, 1937, on the royal estate of Skaugum, outside Oslo. He was six years old when Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1943. Only a couple of hours before the invasion, Harald, his mother and two older sisters, Ragnhild and Astrid, crossed the border into Sweden and from there traveled to the United States, where they spent the duration of the war.

Crown Prince Olaf was the first to return home - on May 13, June 7, King Haakon and members of the royal family returned to the country.

After the liberation of Norway, Prince Harald attended the Smestad State Primary School. After primary school he entered the school "Catedralskole" in Oslo. In 1956 he began his military career. He studied at the Cavalry School in Trandum and graduated from the Military Academy in 1959. He currently holds the rank of Army General, Air Force General and Fleet Admiral.

In 1957, after the death of his grandfather, King Haakon VII, Prince Harald became Crown Prince and in this capacity took part in a meeting of the State Council for the first time. As crown prince, he was to act as head of state if the king was unable to do so.

After serving in the army, Crown Prince Harald went to Oxford to study. At Ballyol College, where his father had studied three decades earlier, he studied political science, history, and economics.

Harald ascended the throne after the death of his father, King Olaf V, on January 17, 1991.

One of the king’s greatest passions is the yacht. As the crown prince, he was several times part of the national Olympic team in this sport, won several victories in international tournaments. At the 1982 World Championships, he took second place in the competition of yachts with a displacement of up to half a ton, in the summer of 1987 he became world champion on the yacht Fram X with a displacement of 1 ton, and the following year he won the bronze medal of the world championship.

Family. While still crown prince, King Harald decided to marry a clothing store saleswoman, Sonja Haraldsen. His father, King Olaf V, was persuaded by Harald to consent to the marriage for nine years. The father with the same enviable tenacity demanded that his son choose a bride of royal blood. The son was more stubborn than his father. In August 1968, Sonya Haraldsen became Princess Sonya. The decision came after special consultations between the king and parliament over his son's choice and heated discussions in the Norwegian press. Many years later, as Queen, Sonya admitted that she did not believe that the wedding would take place.

The couple have two children, Princess Martha Louise (born 1971) and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus (born 1973). Queen Sonja performs numerous duties corresponding to her positions, as well as public work, in particular, takes an active part in the activities of the UN Commissioner for Refugees. The Queen has a certificate of ski instructor.

Her Royal Highness Princess Martha Louise has a degree in psychotherapist. Along with her mother, she also deals with the problem of refugees, performs various protocol duties. The princess is fond of equestrian sports, choral singing, playing the flute and folk dances. In 2000-2002, Norwegian television broadcast a series of programs about folk tales, which were read by Princess Martha Louise.

Currently, in her life, the priority is the upbringing of a child. Last year, she married the infamous writer and journalist Ari Ben. On April 29, 2003, their daughter Maud Angelica Ben was born.