Figure 1.--Prince Olav commonly wore sailor suits as a boy, much like his English cousins.

King Olav was son of King Haakon VII (1872-1957) and Queen Maud (1869-1938). Queen Maud was the daughter of the Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VII, and Queen Alexandra of Britain. Olav was the only son and Norwayt's beloved "little prince". There were songs and poems written about him and his portrait was in evry Norwegian schoolroom. [Goodwin, p. 149.] Olav is pictured with his English Cousin George (1902-42). (Prince George was the fourth son of George V and Queen Mary. He was created Duke of Kent in 1934, marrying Princess Marina of Greece in the same year. He was killed in an air crash in 1942 while on active service with the RAF.) Queen Maud of Norway being George V's sister, and the Norwegian royal family spent regular holidays at Sandringham. Olav was an outstanding sportsman and competed in the Olympic Games as a yachtsman. Crown Prince Olav of Norway married March 21, 1929 to his first cousin Princess Märtha (Märtha Sofia Lovisa Dagmar Thyra) of Sweden, the daughter of Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg. They had three children. The Crown Prince spent a large part of World War II in exile in Britain and succeded his father Haakon VII to the throne in 1957. Olav's only boy, Prince Harald, succeeded his father to the throne of Norway when he died on January 17, 1991. Crown Princess Märtha, though, sadly died before she could become queen. When King Olav V of Norway, died in 1991, a whole nation mourned dearly. His reign lasted for thirty-four years and every day of it was wise. As far as we know, the king didn't have a single disagreement with his own people during his reign. King Olav V gained the unconditioned confidence and undisputed love of a whole nation, so not to wonder all of us wept when he passed away. However, the foundation had been laid by his father.

Parents

King Olav was son of King Haakon VII (1872-1957) and Queen Maud (1869-1938). Queen Maud was the daughter of the Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VII, and Queen Alexandra of Britain.

Childhood

Olav was born at Appleton House on July 2, 1903. Appleton House was located at Sandringham, Norfolk. Sandrungham House of course was the residence of Queen Maud's parents, King Edward VII and Alexandria. He was the only son and Norway's beloved "little prince". He was the first prince born in Norway for hundreds of years. There were songs and poems written about him and his portrait was in evry Norwegian schoolroom. [Goodwin, p. 149.] We do not know much about Prince Olav's childhood. We do see photographs of him bundled up and playing outside in the snow during the Winter.

Childhood Clothing

We do not know a great deal about how Prince Olav was dressed as a boy. We have a few images of the Prince in our aechive. We do note him often wearing sailor suits like his English cousins. They were very traditional styled sailor suits. The ones we note are white suits, but we assume he also wore blue suits. We also see him as a younger boy wearing kneepants with leggings and a heavy coat with a sailor cap. We see him wearing a reffer jacket with a turtle neck sweater.

British Association

Olav is pictured with his English Cousin George (1902-42). (Prince George was the fourth son of George V and Queen Mary. He was created Duke of Kent in 1934. Te Duke married Princess Marina of Greece in the same year. (He was killed in an air crash in 1942 while on active service with the RAF.) Queen Maud of Norway being George V's sister, and the Norwegian royal family spent regular holidays at Sandringham. Olav was an outstanding sportsman and competed in the Olympic Games as a yachtsman.

Marriage

Crown Prince Olav of Norway married March 21, 1929 to his first cousin Princess Märtha (Märtha Sofia Lovisa Dagmar Thyra) of Sweden, the daughter of Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg. Crown Princess Märtha, though, sadly died before she could become queen.

Children

The Crown Orince and Princess Martha had three children, a son and two daughters. Princess Ragnhild Alexandra was born in 1930. Princess Astrid Maud Ingeborg was born in 1932. Their younger brother Harald who would become King V was born in 1937. The royal family was disrupted by World War II when NAZI Germany invaded (1940), but were reunited and returned to Norway (1945).

World War II

The RoyalFamily was one of their primary targets. Forced to flee in great haste, King Haakon, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and the Government left the capital by train only hours before the German occupation forces arrived. The King and the Government held out against the Germans moving into the backwoods until Norway capitulated in June. Hitler demanded they then surrender, but the King andCrown Prince fled to London, where they set up a government-in-exile. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess parted company at Hamar. Crown Princess Märthaand the children crossed the border into Sweden under cover of darkness on April 10. President Roosevelt offered assylum and several months later they went to the United States.

Reign

Crown Prince Olav succeded his father Haakon VII to the throne in 1957.

Death

When King Olav V of Norway, died in 1991, a whole nation mourned dearly. His reign lasted for thirty-four years and every day of it was wise. As far as we know, the king didn't have a single disagreement with his own people during his reign. King Olav V gained the unconditioned confidence and undisputed love of a whole nation, so not to wonder all of us wept when he passed away. However, the foundation had been laid by his father.

Succession

King Olav's only son, Prince Harald, succeeded his father to the throne of Norway when he died on January 17, 1991.

Sources

Goodwin, Doris Kearns. No Ordinary Time. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II (New York: Simon&Schuster, 1994), 759p.

Created: April 10, 2003
Last updated: 6:37 PM 2/10/2005