The Life and Controversies of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

Early years

The new king was born Haakon Magnus on July 20, 1973, and went to a state primary school, as is expected of royals in the egalitarian Scandinavian nation – though his secondary school was private.

He joined the navy before studying politics at the University of California, Berkeley and, later, development studies at the London School of Economics.

Haakon developed an early love of music and surfing. He has said that if he were not a royal, he would have aspired to be a pro surfer on the World Tour.

A marriage tangled in scandal

He met his wife Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby in a bar at a music festival in 1999 in the southern Norwegian city of Kristiansand. The fact that she was a commoner and a single parent, with a son from a previous relationship, initially triggered a media furore. Two decades later, the US Justice Department released extensive email correspondence between Mette-Marit and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

At the same time, her first son Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, – now Haakon’s stepson – was standing trial for rape and domestic violence, charges he denied.

In June, Marius Borg Hoiby was found guilty of two out of four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison. Both he and the prosecution have appealed the sentence.

Haakon stood by his wife through it all. He said he wanted to support his stepson, but released a statement expressing sympathy with the alleged victims and said Hoeiby should face the judicial system like any other citizen.