Danish King Frederik X described Norway’s late King Harald V as “Uncle Harald” in a condolence letter, a wording that reflects the close ties between the two royal houses.
According to reporting by DR, the phrase points to decades of family and personal connections between Denmark and Norway. Historian and royal expert Emma Paaske, host of the DR program “Dronningeriget”, told P1 Morgen that the relationship was both familial and friendly.
Paaske said the bond was especially strong between Queen Margrethe and her second cousin Harald. They holidayed together on several occasions, including skiing trips, and visited each other privately as well as on official duty.
Reuters reports that the Norwegian palace announced Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, on Friday, August 28, at 06:35. He was 89 and had been on the throne for 35 years. The Norwegian monarch had faced repeated hospital stays in recent years.
TV2 reports that Frederik sent his condolence letter to Norway’s new King Haakon shortly after the palace announcement, writing that Harald had great significance for his mother and for the Danish royal family. BT notes that the Danish royal household published the letter on its website, where Frederik and Queen Mary described Harald as a fine man with a twinkle in his eye and a big heart.
Norwegian outlet Nettavisen also covered the letter, reporting that Frederik wrote that Harald’s warm manner and steady calm could put anyone at ease in his company.
Shared Danish ancestry
Harald, like Margrethe, was a great-grandchild of Denmark’s King Frederik VIII. Paaske said there is a great deal of Danish blood in the present Norwegian royal family.
When Norway left its union with Sweden in 1905, the country had no king. A government committee reviewed possible candidates from European royal houses, and the choice fell on the Danish Prince Carl, a son of Frederik VIII.
Per Paaske, Prince Carl asked the Norwegian government to hold a referendum first, so that Norwegians could vote on whether they wanted him. Among those eligible to vote, men over 25, the result was a clear yes.
Carl took the regnal name Haakon, which sounded more Norwegian, and styled himself Haakon VII. Paaske explained that Norway had earlier kings named Haakon, allowing him to link himself to that tradition despite being the first of the new line.
Paaske said Harald and Margrethe also drew on their relationship as monarchs, exchanging ideas in what she called a very particular club. The connection has continued into the next generation, with Haakon telling DR around the Danish succession that he and Frederik are friends as well as colleagues.
The two were last seen together in June, running through the streets of Stockholm while attending Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 80th birthday celebrations.
