Olav V of Norway
Olav V (July 2, 1903 - January 17, 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 to 1991. He was born in England, the son of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and was christened Alexander Edward Christian Fredrik, Prince of Denmark. When his father became King Haakon VII of Norway in 1905, he assumed the name Olav.On March 21, 1929, he married MÃÂärtha of Sweden, like him a direct descendant of Josephine de Beauharnais, with whom he had one son Harald, and two daughters, Ragnhild and Astrid. As exiles during World War II, Crown Princess MÃÂärtha and the royal children lived in Washington, D.C, where she struck up a close friendship with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She died in 1954, before her husband ascended the throne.
He was a king of the people, and extremely popular. There exists stories about him, such as the time he got a personal excemption from the law that required all drivers to wear a seat belt. But he, like his subjects, stayed in the legendary E-18 traffic jams, even though he could legally use the public transportation lane. During the Energy Crisis of 1973, car driving was prohibited, but King Olav, not wishing to miss an opportunity to go skiing outside Oslo, took the subway. When he tried to pay for his tickets, the conductor told him that people further back had already paid for his ticket.
The night after he died, Norway saw a great grief manifestation as hundreds of thousands of candles were lit in the courtyard outside the Royal Castle in Oslo, with letters and cards placed inbetween. All these cards are today kept at the national archives.
He was succeeded by his son Harald V.
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Preceded by: Haakon VII | List of Norwegian monarchs |
Succeeded by: Harald V |