In Memoriam: King Olav V (1903-1991)

King Olav V died in Oslo, Norway on January 17, 1991 at age 87.  He was born Prince Alexander Edward Christian Frederik of Denmark at Appleton House on the Sandringham House estate in Norfolk, England on July 2, 1903.  His parents were Prince Carl of Denmark, son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, and Princess Maud of the United Kingdom, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  In 1905, when the union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved, Olav’s father was elected king of Norway, taking the name King Haakon VII.  At that time, Olav’s name was changed from Alexander to the more Norwegian-sounding Olav and he became Crown Prince of Norway.

Crown Prince Olav married Princess Märtha of Sweden, daughter of Prince Carl of Sweden (son of King Oscar II of Sweden) and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (daughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark) on March 21, 1929.   Märtha died of cancer in 1954 before Olav succeeded to the Norwegian throne in 1957.

King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha had three children:
1) Princess Ragnhild, born in 1930 and who married Erling Svend Lorentzen
2) Princess Astrid, born in 1932 and who married Johan Martin Ferner
3) Prince Harald, born in 1937 and who succeeded his father as King Harald V

When Olav died in 1991, he was greatly mourned by the Norwegian people.  On the nights between his death and his state funeral, the Norwegian people lit hundreds of thousands of candles in the courtyard outside the palace in Oslo.  Many letters and cards, which have all been preserved by the National Archives, were placed among the candles.  Olav was nicknamed “Folkekongen” which means “The People’s King.”

Link: King Olav V