King Harald V of Norway was born on 21st February 1937 to King Olav V of Norway and Princess Martha of Sweden. At the time of his birth he was 2nd in line to the throne after his grandfather King Haakon VII of Norway and his own father who was Crown Prince of Norway. Through his mother he is related to the Swedish, Danish and Belgian thrones and via his father he is related to the British crown.
King Harald grew up alongside his two older sisters, Princess Ragnhild (1930) and Princess Astrid (1932). In 1940 when Harald was 3 years old The Nazis invaded Norway and his family had to flee. For their own safety the family decided to split up. King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav decided to stay in Norway whilst Princess Martha and her three young children. Despite Martha's Swedish nationality they were only reluctantly let into the country as Sweden was neutral. With mounting pressure for them to leave Martha relocated to Washington, D.C. in August 1940 after having spent 4 months in Sweden.
King Harald spent the next five years in D.C. with his mother and sisters whilst his father and grandfather resided in London. During this time he attended White Hall Country School. In 1945 his family returned was reunited as they went to live in Norway and he began attending a public school. Sadly in 1954 at the age of 17 he lost his mother Princess Martha to cancer. In 1957 King Haakon passed away and Harald's father became King Olav V of Norway and Harald became the new Crown Prince. After graduation in 1955 Harald attended the University of Oslo. In 1959 he enlisted in the Norwegian Military Academy. Following this Harald went to study abroad in Oxford, England.
On August 29th 1968 Harald married Sonja Haraldsen. Harald and Sonja have two children together, Princess Martha Louise (1971) and Crown Prince Haakon (1973). They also share five grandchildren (Maud, Leah & Emma - Martha Louise, Ingrid Alexandra & Sverre Magnus - Haakon) and a step grandson, Marius, from Haakon's marriage to Crown Princess Mette-Marit
In 1991 Harald's father passed away and he became King Harald V of Norway. Since becoming King, Harald has headed the Council of State and is heavily involved in the running of the parliament.
On the personal side, King Harald enjoys sailing and has participated in three Olympic Games. In 2015 he became the world's first reigning monarch to visit Antarctica.
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