Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon has given a major TV interview as he marks his fiftieth birthday and he’s told NRK exactly what career he would pursue if he wasn’t royal.
His surprising revelation also reveals a special link with his daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra. For the future king says he would have tried to make a living by surfing – a sport the princess has won titles in.
Crown Prince Haakon’s interview saw him talk candidly about his life, his experiences and how he sees his future as King.
Crown Prince Haakon became Norway’s Crown Prince at the age of 17 when King Olav V died in 1991. He was introduced to the role of monarch early on and when King Harald was seriously ill with cancer at the start of the 2000s, he himself feared becoming King at a young age.
The Crown Prince of Norway says: “The first big milestone in my life that I can think of is when my grandfather died. Then I was 17 years old, and then there was such an incredible sea of light and flowers. It was winter and very cold, but then lots of people came and lit candles. It made a big impression on me. Then of course there was a change in my life too, where I got a new role, and my father too.”
His Royal Highness continues: “My father has been very good at bringing me and the Crown Princess into things. Both my mother and father are involved in that way. It makes things a lot easier, and we learn a lot. One of the things that he has been concerned with is saying that you have to do things your way. That we should not be a copy of the way he does it. That I have to find my way of doing things. I think that is a good lesson that I want to take with me further.”
The Crown Prince concludes: “I often get asked what I would have done if I wasn’t the Crown Prince. Then I would have been a professional surfer on world tour. Maybe an ex-professional by the way, because now I’m almost 50.”
