Norway's King Haakon, the new face of a monarchy shaken by scandal

King Haakon, 53, has increasingly seen his family's affairs plastered across front pages: his wife's lung transplant, revelations about her ties to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his stepson sentenced to four years for rape, and the escapades of his eccentric sister and her American husband, a self-proclaimed shaman. Tall, stately and bearded, Haakon himself reflects a Norwegian society that shuns opulence and ostentation. Married to Mette-Marit, a commoner who was a single mother, Haakon has focused his attention on issues that concern many of his generation, including environmental protection and fighting racism and homophobia. "It's important that we protect who we are and for Norway to be a country where we're allowed to love and be with whoever we want," he said the day after a bloody attack against the gay community in Oslo in June 2022. Born on July 20, 1973, the prince attended state-run daycare and schools, in line with the wishes of his parents, King Harald and Queen Sonja, who were keen to see him grow up among "ordinary" Norwegians. After secondary school he spent three years in the navy, where he served primarily as an officer on a torpedo boat. He went on ...