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Norway

King Harald of Norway in Canada to participate in sailing World Championships

The Norwegian Royal Court announced today that His Majesty, King Harald is in Toronto, Canada, for the sailing World Championships. They begin mid-August.

His Majesty will participate in the North American Championship from 12 to 14 August to get used to the conditions in Toronto. The Royal Court said that the crew of seven have sailed with one another for a number of years, with the most recent being in Geneva, Switzerland, at the World Championships in 2015. This will be the first time the crew has participated in the eight metre race on the North American continent. The Toronto World Championships will consist of five competition days with two races each day. The World Championship will occur from 19 through 27 of August.

While there, His Majesty and the other crew will be based on Norway’s Royal Yacht. It will be their residence, have support ships, and represent the Norwegian presence in Canada. The Crown owns the ship, but the Norwegian military manages it. This has been a base for King Harald on many different occasions and voyages. In June, His Majesty and his wife, Queen Sonja, used the Royal Yacht to tour Norway for their Silver Jubilee. The Royal Court has said this will be among some of the last activities of the ship. The summer season will conclude for the vessel in September.

Harald is an avid sailor and has represented Norway in the Olympic Games three times. He participated in the yachting events in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. He was also given the honour to be the Norwegian flag bearer for the games in 1964.

King Harald has been on the throne since 17 January 1991. He married Queen Sonja in 1968, and they have two children. Their eldest child, Princess Märtha Louise, recently announced the separation from her husband, Ari Behn. Their youngest child, Crown Prince Haakon is the heir to the throne. In 1990, the Norwegian constitution was altered to grant absolute primogeniture, but it only affected those who were born in 1990 or later. 

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.