King Harald of Norway has comfortably reigned for 31 years and his succession is shored up by his son Crown Prince Haakon and granddaughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
The succession to the Norwegian throne is set out in the country’s constitution, in Article 6, which stipulates that only children born in lawful wedlock and only those born in the direct line of descent from the last reigning monarch are included.
Norway moved away from male-preference primogeniture in 1990, though it was not retroactively applied, as was the case in Sweden. Therefore, Princess Märtha Louise, who is two years older than her brother Crown Prince Haakon, did not displace him in the line of succession. She has said in interviews though, that the choice was offered to her, but she declined the opportunity to become a queen regnant.
King Harald’s elder sisters, Princess Astrid and the late Princess Ragnhild, were not included in the line of succession as the constitution stipulate that anyone who was born before 1971 (the year Princess Märtha Louise was born) but after the constitution first passed on 18 November 1905, would be subject to the rules at the time of their birth.
At the time Princesses Ragnhild and Astrid were born—in 1930 and 1932 respectively—the laws of succession prohibited female succession.
For a time, there was a very real worry about the succession of the Norwegian throne: King Haakon VII, the first king of modern Norway only had one child, Olav, and he had three children, of whom only Harald, the current king, was eligible to succeed.
Should the law have not changed—or if in the future, the current family line becomes extinct—the Norwegian Parliament has two options to replace the monarch.
Article 7 stipulates the rule for if the king or queen has no successor: “If there is no Princess or Prince entitled to the succession, the King may propose his successor to the Storting [Parliament], which has the right to make the choice if the King’s proposal is not accepted.”
Alternatively, if the king or queen has died without issue or successor: “If the royal line has died out, and no successor to the throne has been designated, then a new Queen or King shall be chosen by the Storting. Meanwhile, the executive power shall be exercised in accordance with Article 40.” The executive power from Article 40 would be wielded by the Council of State.
The Norwegian Royal Family has a relatively short line of succession in comparison to other countries: there are only seven people in line to the throne.
The laws of succession stipulate that succession is limited to those born in the direct line of descent from the last reigning monarch, or brother or sister thereof, or is themselves a brother or sister of the monarch. So even though the Norwegian Royal Family can connect themselves to many other royal families in Europe, only people who are directly descended from King Harald can claim accession rights.
The current line of succession to the Norwegian throne is: Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra (who is poised to be Norway’s first modern queen regnant), Prince Sverre Magnus, Princess Märtha Louise, Maud Behn, Leah Behn and Tallulah Behn.
