– Fifty, that is. I admit it. I have grown older, Crown Prince Haakon wrote in last year’s biography, the book “Haakon – stories regarding an heir to the throne”, penned by Kjetil S. Østli.
Today he can admit that it has been 51 years, so far.
As usual, the crown prince does not want to trumpet where and how the actual birthday will take place.
– The Crown Prince’s birthday is celebrated privately, writes communications adviser Sara Svanemyr at the Royal Court to NTB.
In a birthday interview last year, the crown prince told a bit regarding how the family usually celebrates:
– We usually wake up the person whose birthday it is. Then we like to make some slices and breakfast, and we usually bake a brownie and put some candles on. We sing the birthday song and bring some presents. And then we like to have a birthday party in the evening with a few more from family and friends.
A different year
The Crown Prince and the rest of the family are leaving behind a year with several milestones. First there was last year’s grand celebration of the crown prince couple’s 50th birthday, which they had added on August 25, which is their wedding day. The outdoor party with 376 guests spread over 48 tables in the backyard of the Palace was the first of its kind for the Norwegian royal family, and according to Queen Sonja “completely in the spirit of the Crown Prince Couple”.
The children are seriously on their way out of the nest, with Prince Sverre Magnus’s 18th birthday in December and Princess Ingrid Alexandra going north for her first service in January.
On 17 May, Prince – and Russian – Sverre Magnus was neither present on the stairs at Skaugum nor on the castle balcony. The princess, who serves in Brigade Nord in Indre Troms, posed in army uniform when the royal family greeted the children’s train in Oslo on National Day.
More tasks
The last year has also included several periods where Crown Prince Haakon has stepped in and acted as regent. At short notice, he had to take over at the annual gala dinner for the representatives of the Storting and give the king’s speech, when King Harald (87) had corona.
After a respiratory infection for King Harald in January and subsequent hospitalization in February on a private holiday in Malaysia, the king had a cardiac regulator operated on in March. When he was back in April, changes were announced which will entail more tasks for the crown prince.
– The king will make adjustments to his program going forward, out of consideration for his age. This will entail a permanent reduction in the number and scope of activities the king participates in, the Royal Palace stated.
– We will get it together. We solve that in the best possible way. We work as a team, commented Crown Prince Haakon NRK.
New life phases
In last year’s biography, Crown Prince Haakon described that “the feeling of aging comes as a hitch”. He mentions a number of factors that make him feel older.
– The drive to find the new and fresh is not the same, and you don’t quite fit in at the places where the new music is played.
He reflects that dealing with one’s own aging is one of life’s challenges.
– You are forced to realize that one period is over, now a new one begins. It is different and not full of promise in the same way as previous phases.
At the same time, he expresses humility and gratitude.
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At the moment it is a holiday for the members of the royal house, and perhaps Crown Prince Haakon will be able to spend his birthday where he is most comfortable: Near and in the sea and ocean. In his biography, he describes his “biggest extravagance”:
– Going to a nice beach and just lying in the sun and being unproductive and drinking coffee and listening to music. I like it so much that I feel guilty.
This summer it is also 25 years since the crown prince fell for Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in Kristiansand, it might be included in this year’s celebration.
The next item on the official program is when the crown prince couple will follow the Olympic exercises in Paris from 6 August.
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2024-07-21 17:15:56
