Line of Succession to the Norwegian Throne

© Unofficial Royalty 2012

Norway’s line of succession to the throne is based upon cognatic primogeniture where males and females have equal succession rights. The monarch must belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church and marriages must be with the consent of the monarch.

In 1990, the succession to the throne was changed to absolute primogeniture where succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign regardless of gender, and males and females have equal succession rights. However, this applies only to the grandchildren and further eligible descendants of King Harald V. King Harald’s son and daughter are still ranked according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture which was the norm between 1971 and 1990. Crown Prince Haakon and his eligible descendants thus take precedence over his older sister Princess Märtha Louise and her eligible descendants.

Only legitimate descendants of the reigning monarch and the reigning monarch’s siblings and their legitimate descendants can be in line to the throne. King Harald V’s elder sister Princess Astrid and her descendants, along with descendants of the King’s deceased eldest sister Princess Ragnhild are excluded from the line of succession according to the agnatic primogeniture (only males can succeed), which was the norm prior to 1971.

For more information see Order of Succession and Wikipedia: Succession to the Norwegian throne.

For more information about the Norwegian Royal Family, past and present, see Unofficial Royalty: Norwegian Index.

King Harald V, the only son of King Olav V of Norway, is the current sovereign of the Kingdom of Norway.

The current order of succession is:

  1. HRH Crown Prince Haakon, born 1973, son of King Harald V
  2. HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra, born 2004, eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon
  3. Prince Sverre Magnus, born 2005, second child of Crown Prince Haakon
  4. Princess Märtha Louise, born 1971, daughter of King Harald V
  5. Maud Angelica Behn, born 2003, eldest daughter of Princess Märtha Louise
  6. Leah Isadora Behn, born 2005, second daughter of Princess Märtha Louise
  7. Emma Tallulah Behn, born 2008, third daughter of Princess Märtha Louise

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