Timeline Harald V of Norway

King of Norway for 35 years, an Olympic yachtsman and the last European monarch born before World War II. Born at a time when no prince had been born in Norway for 567 years, he fled to the United States as a child during the Nazi occupation and returned to a country that would become one of the world's wealthiest. He defied convention by insisting on marrying a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, after a nine-year courtship his father initially opposed. He modernised the Norwegian monarchy and was beloved for his warmth, humour and a landmark 2016 speech celebrating diversity that went viral worldwide.

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Harald V of Norway 16

1937 Harald V of Norway born at Skaugum Born at the Skaugum estate in Asker, Norway, the son of Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was the first prince born in Norway in 567 years, and church bells rang across the country to celebrate.
1940 Fleeing the Nazi Invasion When Nazi Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940, three-year-old Harald, his mother and his two sisters were rushed northward, crossing into Sweden under fire. They eventually made their way to the United States, settling in Washington, DC, while his father and grandfather King Haakon VII remained in London with the government-in-exile.
1940 – 1945 Exile in the United States Spent five years in exile in the United States, attending school near Washington. He returned to Norway on 7 June 1945, one month after liberation, reunited with a father he barely knew.
1954 Mother's Death His mother, Crown Princess Märtha, died of cancer at the age of 53. She had been widely expected to become queen, and her death deeply affected the 17-year-old prince.
1956 – 1959 Military Training and Education Attended the Norwegian Military Academy and the Cavalry Officers' Candidate School, followed by studies in political science, history and economics at Balliol College, Oxford. He would maintain a lifelong connection to the Norwegian armed forces.
1957 Became Crown Prince His father acceded to the throne as King Olav V following the death of King Haakon VII. Harald became Crown Prince at the age of 20.
1959 – 1968 Nine-Year Courtship with Sonja Haraldsen Began a relationship with Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner and the daughter of a clothing merchant. King Olav and the government opposed the match for nine years, insisting he marry a woman of royal blood. Harald reportedly told his father he would never marry if he could not marry Sonja.
1964 Tokyo Olympics Competed in sailing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the first of three Olympic Games he would attend as an athlete. He sailed in the 5.5 Metre class.
1968 – 1972 Olympic Sailing Career Competed in sailing at three consecutive Olympic Games: Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972. He also competed in numerous world championships and was a passionate sailor throughout his life.
1968 Marriage to Sonja Haraldsen Married Sonja Haraldsen in Oslo Cathedral after King Olav finally gave his consent. She was the first commoner to marry into the Norwegian royal family since the 15th century. The couple would have two children: Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon.
1987 World Sailing Champion Won a World Championship in sailing in the class 8mR (Eight Metre) in 1987, among multiple European and world championship medals over his career.
1991 Accession to the Throne Became King Harald V upon the death of his father, King Olav V, at the age of 53. He was the first Norwegian-born king since Magnus VII abdicated in 1343.
1991 Consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral Consecrated at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, the traditional coronation church of Norwegian kings, alongside Queen Sonja. He was the first Norwegian king to be consecrated there since 1906.
2016 Diversity Speech Delivered a landmark speech at a garden party celebrating the monarchy, declaring: 'Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and boys and girls who love each other. Norwegians believe in God, Allah, everything and nothing.' The speech went viral worldwide and was hailed as one of the most powerful statements on diversity by any head of state.
2024 Hospitalised in Malaysia Hospitalised with an infection while on holiday on the island of Langkawi in Malaysia in February 2024. Had a heart pacemaker surgically implanted later that year. Despite his declining health, he repeatedly refused to abdicate.
2026 Harald V of Norway dies in Oslo Died at the Rikshospitalet in Oslo at 6:35 a.m. at the age of 89, after being admitted on 17 August for treatment of blood anaemia. His son Crown Prince Haakon automatically succeeded him as King Haakon VIII. The Norwegian Prime Minister said 'a whole nation is in mourning.'