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Norway

Who is Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway?

On the occasion of Prince Sverre Magnus’s birthday today, 3 December, we take a look back at the young Prince’s life.

His Highness Prince Sverre Magnus was born 3 December 2005 in Oslo. When he was born, he was 52 centimetres long and weighed 3.944 grams.

The name of the Prince was announced by the King and Crown Prince in the Extraordinary Cabinet meeting with the government at the Royal Palace on Monday, 5 December 2005 at 9 pm. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg announced the name to the press that was gathered outside the Palace just after the meeting had ended.

Prince Sverre Magnus was baptized on 4 March 2006 in the Castle Chapel. He was carried by his grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Sonja. His godparents were Espen Høiby, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Princess Rosario of Bulgaria, Bjørn Steinsland and Marianne Gjellestad.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess’ family. Published 20 July 2013 on the occasion of The Crown Prince’s 40th birthday. Photo: Sølve Sundsbø, The Royal Court.

He is the second child of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway. He has two older siblings, the first child of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Marius Borg Høiby, and an older sister, the future Queen of Norway, Princess Ingrid Alexandra.

Prince Sverre Magnus is, therefore, number three in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne after his older sister and his father, the Crown Prince. The Prince is referred to only as His Highness. This was decided by the Prince’s Grandfather, King Harald V of Norway. King Harald justified the decision with the argument that the Norwegian Royal Family has as a tradition of being a small family, and the King wished it would remain like that in the future. Because of this, the Prince’s birthday is not an official flag day in Norway, and it is not saluted from the Norwegian fortresses on his birthday.

The Royal Family gathered outside the Queen’s new art stable. Prince Sverre is on the right. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen.

In the autumn of 2007, Prince Sverre Magnus started in kindergarten in Asker, and in the fall of 2011, he began in 1st grade at Jansløkka School, where Princess Ingrid Alexandra also went. On 18 August 2014, the Prince began at the Montessori School in Oslo.

In 2016, the Prince was awarded King Harald V’s Jubilee Medal, to celebrate that his grandfather, King Harald, had been King of Norway for 25 years.

Here is Princess Ingrid Alexandra together with her cousin, Maud Angelica Behn, and her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen.

In recent years, the Prince has been more and more visible to the public. 2017 has so far been a busy year for the Prince. He has participated in many of the celebrations of his grandparents, King Harald and Queen Sonja, who have both celebrated their 80th birthdays this spring. As late as 4 July, the Prince participated in the opening of the Queen’s new art gallery and the unveiling of a statue of Queen Sonja. In late July 2017, it became known that Prince Sverre Magnus had broken his ankle after having had an accident while riding a bike.

The Royal Court explained on their website that the Prince likes to play the drums. The Prince is well known in both his family and in the media for his humour and good personality, as well.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.