King Harald V of Norway Net Worth

What is Harald V's Net Worth?

Harald V is a Norwegian royal who has a net worth of $40 million. Harald V has served as the King of Norway since his father, King Olav V, died in 1991.

The current Norwegian royal line, formally known as "House of Glücksburg," dates back to 1905, when Prince Carl of Denmark was elected King of Norway following the country's peaceful separation from Sweden. He took the name Haakon VII, establishing the modern Norwegian monarchy. Haakon VII is King Harald's grandfather.

Harald is also an avid sailor, having represented Norway in several international sailing competitions and winning three medals at the World Championships in the 1980s.

King Harald V of Norway is widely regarded as one of Europe's more modest monarchs in terms of personal wealth. His private fortune stems from inherited assets, personal investments, and a modest annual allowance from the Norwegian state. Unlike many royal families, the Norwegian royals do not privately own castles or extensive land holdings—most royal residences are state-owned. King Harald receives a personal annual stipend of roughly $1 million for private expenses, while the broader royal household is funded through a state budget of around $30–35 million per year.

Known for their frugality and transparency, the Norwegian royals lead relatively modest lifestyles. King Harald has a well-known passion for sailing but does not own a private jet or superyacht.

Early Life and Education

Harald V was born on February 21, 1937 at the Skaugum estate in Akershus, Norway as the only son of Crown Prince of Norway Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha, who was from Sweden. His paternal grandparents were King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway, and his maternal grandparents were Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden. Harald had two elder sisters, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid. In 1940, during the Nazi invasion, Harald, his sisters, and their mother fled to Sweden. Four months later, they traveled to Finland to board a US Army transport ship headed to the United States. With his mother and sisters, Harald lived in Washington, DC and Scottsdale, Arizona during the remainder of World War II, while his father and grandfather lived in London.

During the war, Harald attended the White Hall Country School. In 1945, he returned to Norway with his family and enrolled at a public school. Harald went on to attend Oslo Katedralskole, graduating in 1955. He subsequently began studying at the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Military Academy, graduating from the latter in 1959. Meanwhile, following the death of his grandfather in 1957 and the ascension of his father to the throne, Harald became Crown Prince of Norway. In 1960, he enrolled at Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied history, politics, and economics and was an avid rower.

Sailing

A skilled sailor, Harald represented Norway in the yachting events at the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Summer Olympics. At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, he served as his country's flag-bearer during the opening ceremony. Harald later sailed for Norway in the World Championships, winning his first medal, a silver, in 1982. He later won gold in 1987 and bronze in 1988. Much later, in 2005, Harald and his crew won gold at the European Championships aboard the royal sailboat Fram XV. He is a patron of World Sailing and an honorary president of the International Soling Association.

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King of Norway

Upon the death of his father in early 1991, Harald became the new King of Norway. In the process, he became the first Norwegian-born monarch since Olav IV in the 14th century, and the first King of Norway named Harald in 855 years. During his reign, he has worked to modernize and reform the Norwegian royal family, in part by opening up the royal household to the public and the media, and also by accepting some commoners into the family. Harald has also overseen many large-scale renovation projects throughout Norway, including on the Bygdøy Royal Estate and Oscarshall Palace. He has dealt with several crises during his reign, as well, including the New Year's Day Storm in 1992, the Norway terrorist attacks in 2011, and the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022. For his handling of these and other events, Harald earned widespread praise.

Among his duties as King, Harald meets with the Council of State at the Royal Palace each Friday, and conducts weekly meetings with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Every October, he formally opens the parliament and delivers a speech from the throne. Harald travels throughout Norway, makes official state visits to countries around the world, and hosts various guests. He has also appeared at many sporting events, opening the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994 and representing Norway during the opening ceremonies in Torino in 2006 and Beijing in 2008. In 2015, Harald became the first reigning monarch in the world to visit Antarctica when he traveled to the Norwegian dependent territory Queen Maud Land. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, Harald became the oldest reigning hereditary monarch in Europe.

Health Issues

Harald has struggled with an array of health issues in the 21st century. In 2003, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, and in 2005 he had aortic stenosis. Harald's health worsened in the early 2020s, and he underwent cardiac surgery to replace a heart valve. He was hospitalized in 2022 with a fever and an infection, and hospitalized again for an infection in 2023. In early 2024, Harald went on sick leave after coming down with a respiratory infection. Not long after that, while on vacation in Malaysia, he was hospitalized and given a temporary pacemaker; a permanent pacemaker was later implanted after he returned to Norway.

Marriage and Children

In 1968, Harald married Sonja Haraldsen at Oslo Cathedral. They had been together for nine years, but because Haraldsen was a commoner, they had to keep the relationship secret. Harald being with a commoner greatly upset his father, but after he told his father he would never marry if he couldn't wed Haraldsen, his father agreed to the marriage. The couple has two children: Princess Märtha Louise and heir apparent Crown Prince Haakon.

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