His Majesty King Harald V (born February 21, 1937), styled HM The King acceded to the throne as Norwegian Monarch on January 17, 1991. The son of the then Crown Prince Olav and of
Princess Märtha of Sweden, Harald was born at Skaugum in Asker, near Oslo. He was the first Norwegian born prince since the birth of
Olav IV in 1370. As he is a
descendant of Queen Victoria of the United
Kingdom, he is also in the line of succession to the British throne (currently placed 60th). He is also a
descendant of Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first
wife of Napoleon.
After the royal family fled the Nazi invasion of 1940, Harald lived in Washington, DC during World War II. He returned to
Norway, along with his family, in 1945. In the autumn of 1955 he began studies at the University of Oslo. Later he enrolled at the Norwegian Military Academy graduating in 1959. In 1960 he
entered Balliol College, Oxford where he studied
history and economics.
Harald married a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, in 1968, a marriage which sparked much public
controversy. The couple have two children, Princess Märtha Louise and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian
throne.
An avid sailor, Harald represented Norway in the yachting events in the Olympic Games several times during his Crown Prince years, and carried the
Norwegian flag at the opening parade of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964. With his
sailing crew he has won world championship bronze, silver and gold medals, in 1988,
1982, and 1987, respectively.
On December 1, 2003, King Harald was
announced to be suffering from cancer of the bladder. A successful
operation took place on December 8 at Rikshospitalet University Hospital in
Oslo: His bladder was removed and a new one constructed. The King was then on sick leave from all official duties. Crown Prince
Haakon was regent during King Harald's illness and convalescence. The King resumed his
duties on April 13, 2004.
The King was once known to be a chain-smoker, but quit that habit
resolutely when being diagnosed with cancer.
The King is currently the Colonel-in-Chief of The Green Howards
(Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment). He is a four star general and the supreme commander of the Norwegian
armed forces.
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