As in other Scandinavian monarchies, Norway celebrates the birthdays of members of the royal family. These days are called flag days (holidays and memorable dates in honor of which the national flag is raised in places established by law). Since January 17, 1991, the Norwegian throne has been ruled by King Harald V (King of Norway), who ascended the throne after the death of his father, Olaf V.
Although the Norwegian Constitution confers important executive powers on the king, they are almost always exercised by a council of state on behalf of the king (the Royal Council or Cabinet). The King of Norway is not directly involved in government. It authorizes laws and royal resolutions, receives and sends envoys from abroad and to other countries, and hosts heads of state. It has a more tangible impact as a symbol of national unity. The King is also the Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Armed Forces and Grand Master of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit«.
Harald was born on February 21, 1937, on the royal estate of Skaugum, which is located outside Oslo. He was six years old when Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1943. Only a couple of hours before the invading occupiers, Harald, his mother and two older sisters, Ragnhild and Astrid, crossed the border into Sweden and from there moved to the United States, where they remained until the end of the war.
After the liberation of Norway, Prince Harald attended the public primary school «Smestad». After primary school he entered the «Katedralskole» school in Oslo. In 1956 he began his military career. He studied at the cavalry school in Trandum and graduated from the military academy in 1959. Currently he holds the ranks of General of the Army, General of the Air Force and Admiral of the Fleet.
In 1957, after the death of his grandfather, King Haakon VII, Prince Harald became crown prince and in this capacity took part in a meeting of the State Council for the first time. As crown prince, he was to act as head of state in the event that the king was unable to do so.
After serving in the army, Crown Prince Harald went to study in Oxford. At «Balliol» College (where his father studied three decades earlier) he studied political science, history and economics.
One of the main hobbies of the king of — yachts. As crown prince, he was included in the national Olympic team in this sport several times and won several victories in international tournaments. At the 1982 World Championships he took second place in the yacht competition with a displacement of up to one and a half tons, in the summer of 1987 he became the world champion on the yacht «Fram X», and the next year he won a bronze medal at the world championship.
While still crown prince, King Harald firmly decided to marry clothing store clerk Sonia Haraldsen. Harald spent nine years persuading his father, King Olaf V, to agree to this marriage. The father, with equally enviable tenacity, demanded that his son choose a bride of royal blood. The son turned out to be more stubborn than his father. In August 1968, Sonia Haraldsen became Princess Sonia. The decision was reached after special consultations between the king and parliament regarding the choice made by his son and heated discussions of the situation in the Norwegian press. Many years later, already a queen, Sonya admitted that until the last moment she herself did not believe that the wedding would take place. The couple have two children — Princess Martha Louise (born 1971) and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus (born 1973).