We have seen him as a husband, father of small children and bonus dad – on the ski slope, on the surfboard, with the soldiers and in the cabinet. He has walked Birken and crossed Greenland across. A modern, sporty man who is now turning fifty. Faith and doubt Gradually we get to know our future king. He regularly shares his thoughts and questions. About child-rearing and freedom, about water sports, rock, film and literature. But also about being in development, about faith and doubt, about finding one’s way. About being royal in modern times. Crown Prince Haakon took part in the opening of the Cycle to work campaign and cycled from Skaugum to the Castle earlier this year. Photo: NTB What dilemmas he faces, what choices he has had, whether there is room for him in the role of king, whether he can keep the monarchy relevant to the people. Modern Monarchy? Many of the answers lie in the following observation: Several of the world’s most successful democracies are constitutional monarchies. In other words: He thinks the monarchy can be modern and relevant. That it can be a form of government that gives changing political trends stability and continuity. That the monarchy does not stand in the way of democracy, but can be part of it. Even if the top job is inherited. A serious young man, Crown Prince Haakon has gone his own way, yes. But he has never gone dangerously far outside the path that was laid out for him. Crown Prince Haakon on his return from the Haakonsbu hiking team cabin on Hinnøya in 2019. Photo: NTB In 1991, he was interviewed by news’s Geir Helljesen on his 18th birthday. The nation met a thoughtful, serious young man, who wanted to make his own choices, but also support his father. And so it has become, even if he smiles and laughs more – also in interviews – as the years go by. His own path He is educated in the Armed Forces and at university, like his father and grandfather, but not at traditional Oxford like them. The Crown Prince chose Berkeley, the radical prestigious university in California where the student rebellion in his time started. The progressive commitment points towards a long-standing collaboration with the UN’s development programme. His own way, but well within. Waves There was a bit of a wave when the crown prince married a single mother. – We can do this, said King Harald, and the boat took off. Crown Prince Haakon manages Christian Radich outside Hvaler in 2009. Photo: NTB Together with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, he has established the Crown Prince Couple’s Fund, to strengthen community among young people. An initiative that is relatively uncontroversial, while the dignity initiative “Global Dignity Day” attracted more debate. The biggest waves were made when the crown prince agreed in 2010 to sit on a political committee appointed by the Minister for Business and Industry, Trond Giske. Then the boat rocked so strongly that the crown prince had to withdraw from the selection. The limit for political involvement had been reached. Ankerfeste Today’s jubilant has attended a lifelong school. He has seen the role the royal house can play when it gets involved in the life of the nation. From hurricanes and mudslides – where people lose their homes and homes – to the terror on 22 July 2011. He was with victims and relatives at the Sundvolden Hotel already on 23 July, and experienced how the royal house became an anchor for the nation. “Tonight the streets are filled with love. We have chosen to respond to cruelty with closeness,” said the crown prince in his speech to the rose procession at the Town Hall Square. Princess Märtha Louise, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit during the commemoration at Rådhusplassen shortly after the terror attack on 22 July 2011. Photo: NTB In the news interview for the fiftieth anniversary, the Crown Prince said that 22 July was one of the turning points in his life. The national trauma was also the crown prince’s. Vulnerable system The Crown Prince’s great-grandfather King Haakon asked for, and received, the people’s support as monarch in a referendum in 1905. It is the people who determine the form of government, says the Crown Prince in an news interview in connection with the 50th anniversary. In the program that was prepared for the 40th anniversary, the crown prince said that the Norwegian people continue to support the monarchy – by not abolishing it. Anyone who reads opinion polls must agree that he is right, even today. Must win the people Crown Prince Haakon says he has occasionally doubted the responsibility he was born to. As king, Haakon must also win over the people, just as his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were able to. The position of the monarchy rests on this trust, the chosen one should be decent and willing. The strength in the fact that the crown prince has rationalized himself to the point that he wants to become king also shows the vulnerability. What if the chosen one does not want to, or is unsuitable? Ready when required The monarchy debate is not his debate, says the crown prince. He makes himself available as long as the people want. And the people’s verdict is so far more than clear. The debate about the form of government in Norway is almost non-existent. It limits itself to ordinary proposals in the Storting on the introduction of a republic, which are voted down by an overwhelming majority. Crown Prince Haakon inspects the Garden at Huseby camp in Oslo earlier this year. Photo: NTB In the book “Republikken Norge” from 2015, Kjetil Alstadheim shows that there are hardly any parliamentary representatives who in principle defend that the role of head of state should be inherited. This is probably still the case. The royal family’s overwhelming support is practical and driven by emotion. Therefore; it works and the people are satisfied, and thus also the politicians. Everything indicates that Norway will remain a constitutional monarchy for the foreseeable future. Hard-working and convinced Today, the Crown Prince is said to be the hardest-working person at the Palace. Perhaps not so surprising when the royal couple are in their eighty-seventh year, the crown princess is struggling with her health, Princess Märtha Louise has opted out of official duties and Princess Ingrid Alexandra is still a teenager. But still – the crown prince stands because he has faith in the role. He chose what the system demanded of him, which only he could choose. He chose to be king. But, the people decide, says the jubilee. See the interview news’s Geir Helljesen did with the crown prince when he turned 18:
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A royal balance artist – Expression
