deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The Kingdom of Norway (the official name of Norway.). This familiar Nordic country in the north of Europe is bordered by Sweden on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.

The country was established in 872 so it has been a continuous country for 1,153 years. It is where the Vikings come from. In it’s history it had rulers with ‘cool’ names such as Magnus The Good and Saint Olav. Modern Norway has what is known as The Nordic Welfare Model which includes Universal Health Care and Social Security for all. In 2017 it was ranked first in the World Happiness index. It has one of the lowest crime rates in the world.

Today, July 20, is the birthday of Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne of Norway.

Haakon is the only son of King of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. (He is the second child of the King and Queen but despite the parliament doing away with the rule of only men may succeed to the throne, called  absolute primogeniture, his older sister, Princess Martha Louise, is on in line for the throne.

Haakon represents the fourth generation of the reigning Norwegian royal family of the House of Glücksburg. 

Haakon married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in 2001, and they have two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.

(Some slight controversy surrounded this marriage as Meete-Marit Tjessem Hoiby was a commoner, single mother at the time of the marriage.)

Haakon is a trained naval officer and, as crown prince, holds senior military rank in the Norwegian Armed Forces. He has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme and has been involved in a range of philanthropic and international initiatives, including membership of the Young Global Leaders network and its Foundation Board. He holds a BA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MSc in development studies from the London School of Economics.

The flag we know for Norway was designed in 1821 by Fredrik Meltzer. The flag features the Nordic Cross. Meltzer said the ‘Intense Red’ shows a comradeship with Denmark and the ‘Dark Blue’ is for their kinship with Sweden. When you add the white border it equals freedom. An interesting factoid is when the flag is lowered it is not folded into a triangle, it is rolled up in a cylinder and tied.

The 2026 Norway team came to the World Cup and made a big splash