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His Majesty King Harald V (born February 21, 1937) became King of Norway in 1991. The son of the then Crown Prince Olav and of Princess Märtha of Sweden, Harald was born at Skaugum in Asker, near Oslo. He is the first King of Norway to have been born in the country since King Olav IV was born there in 1370, and he is also a descendant of Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Napoleon. As he is a descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, he is also in the line of succession to the British throne (currently 60th in the line).
Harald lived in Washington, DC during World War II, but returned to Norway to complete his education at the Norwegian Military Academy and then at Balliol College, Oxford. Harald married a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, in 1968, a marriage which sparked much public controversy. The couple have two children, Princess Märtha Louise and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne.
Harald became King of Norway upon the death of his father on January 17, 1991.
An avid sailor, Harald represented Norway in the yachting events in the Olympic Games several times during his Crown Prince years, and carried the Norwegian flag at the opening parade of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964. With his sailing crew he has won world championship bronze, silver and gold medals, in 1988, 1982, and 1987, respectively.
On December 1, 2003, King Harald was announced to be suffering from cancer of the bladder. A successful operation took place on December 8 at Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo: His bladder was removed and a new one constructed. The King was then on sick leave from all official duties. Crown Prince Haakon was regent during King Harald's illness and convalescence. The King resumed his duties on April 13, 2004.
The King was once known to be a chain-smoker, but quit that habit resolutely when being diagnosed with cancer.
The King is currently the Colonel-in-Chief of The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment). He is a four star general and the supreme commander of the Norwegian armed forces.
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