The Norwegian Royal Family Tree: The House of Glücksburg Explained

When Norway dissolved its union with Sweden in 1905, the country did something unusual for the era: it held a referendum not just on becoming an independent kingdom, but on whether to have a king at all. Norwegians voted overwhelmingly for a monarchy, and invited a Danish prince, Carl, to take the throne. He accepted on the condition that the Norwegian people would also vote on him personally. They said yes, and he was crowned King Haakon VII. That decision, just over a century ago, is the root of the Norwegian royal family tree as it stands today.

A Kingdom That Chose Its King

Prince Carl of Denmark was not a random pick. He was the second son of the future King Frederick VIII of Denmark, and, crucially, he was already married to Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of Britain's King Edward VII. That marriage tied the new Norwegian monarchy directly into the British royal family, and it meant Norway's royal history restarted in 1905 with a king who was, by blood, thoroughly Danish.

Carl took the name Haakon VII on his accession, deliberately choosing a name from Norway's medieval royal past to signal continuity with the country's own history rather than a purely Danish import. His son, born Alexander, was renamed Crown Prince Olav, another old Norwegian royal name. The rebranding worked: the House of Glücksburg has now sat on the Norwegian throne for more than a hundred years, and most Norwegians think of it simply as "the royal family," not a Danish transplant.

The House of Glücksburg: A Shared European Bloodline

The name Glücksburg refers to the ducal House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the Danish royal house that rose to prominence when Christian IX of Denmark inherited the Danish throne in 1863. Christian IX had so many children who married into other European dynasties that he became known as "the father-in-law of Europe" - and that same family tree produced the current royal houses of Denmark, Norway, and, until 1974, Greece.

Christian IX of Denmark (1818-1906)
└── Prince Vilhelm (later King George I of Greece)
    └── Prince Carl of Denmark and Greece
        └── King Haakon VII of Norway (r. 1905-1957), born Prince Carl
            └── King Olav V of Norway (r. 1957-1991)
                └── King Harald V of Norway (r. 1991-present)
                    └── Crown Prince Haakon
                        └── Princess Ingrid Alexandra (heir apparent)

This is why the Danish, Norwegian, and former Greek royal families are, genealogically, one extended house wearing three different crowns - a useful thing to know if you ever find a Scandinavian branch in your own family tree and wonder why the surnames and titles start overlapping.

The Modern Norwegian Royal Family

Today's Norwegian royal family is built around four generations that are all still living, which is relatively rare among European monarchies:

• King Harald V - reigning monarch since 1991, married to Queen Sonja, a commoner he dated for nine years before their engagement was accepted.
• Crown Prince Haakon - heir to the throne, married to Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
• Princess Ingrid Alexandra - Haakon and Mette-Marit's daughter, and first in line after her father.
• Prince Sverre Magnus - Ingrid Alexandra's younger brother.
• Princess Märtha Louise - King Harald's daughter, who lost the right to use her royal title for commercial purposes in 2019 but remains part of the family tree.

Equal Primogeniture: Why Ingrid Alexandra, Not a Son, Is Next

Norway changed its succession law in 1990 to absolute (equal) primogeniture, meaning the eldest child inherits the throne regardless of sex. Because the change wasn't made retroactive, Princess Märtha Louise (born 1971, before the law changed) was passed over in favor of her younger brother Haakon. But Haakon's own children fall fully under the new rule, which is why Princess Ingrid Alexandra, not Prince Sverre Magnus, is second in line to the throne. It's a small but telling detail for anyone building out a royal family tree: succession rules changed mid-generation, so age alone won't tell you the order without knowing the law in effect at each birth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Norwegian royal family related to the Danish royal family?

Yes, directly. Norway's King Haakon VII was born a Danish prince, and both the Norwegian and Danish royal houses descend from Christian IX of Denmark through the House of Glücksburg.

Is the Norwegian royal family related to the British royal family?

Yes, through marriage rather than direct male-line descent. King Haakon VII's wife, Queen Maud, was the daughter of Britain's King Edward VII, linking the Norwegian royal house to the Windsors by marriage going back over a century.

Who is next in line to the Norwegian throne after King Harald V?

Crown Prince Haakon is first in line, followed by his daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who is expected to become Norway's first reigning queen since the Middle Ages.

Why does the Norwegian royal family use the name Glücksburg if they're Norwegian?

The name refers to their dynastic house of origin, the same way a surname reflects a family line rather than nationality. King Haakon VII was born into the House of Glücksburg in Denmark before becoming King of Norway in 1905.

Was Norway always a monarchy?

No. Norway was in a union with Sweden from 1814 to 1905, and before that a union with Denmark for over 400 years. The current monarchy dates only to 1905, making it one of Europe's youngest continuously reigning royal houses.

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