2 min readSince his death last Friday, King Harald is widely being remembered by his country as the “grandfather of Norway.” But to those closest to him, he was simply a grandfather.
The Norweegian Royal Palace this weekend shared a never-before-seen photograph of Harald with his four granddaughters, taken on his 88th birthday in February 2025, offering a rare and intimate glimpse of the late monarch in a private family setting.
The image shows King Harald alongside Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the daughter of King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit, as well as Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora, and Emma Tallulah Behn, the three daughters of Princess Märtha Louise and her late first husband, author Ari Behn. The palace shared the photograph as part of a carousel of family images, which also included a photograph of Harald with his two children when they were young; a formal portrait with Harald, Queen Sonja, and all five grandchildren including Prince Sverre Magnus; a candid image of the family on a camping trip with a young Marius Borg Høiby; and a final photograph of Harald and Princess Ingrid Alexandra smiling at each other.
“King Harald was very fond of children, and spent a lot of time with his family and grandchildren,” the palace wrote in the caption, translated from Norwegian. “He often expressed how proud he was of his children and grandchildren.” The post also included a quote from the king himself, spoken after the birth of his first two grandchildren: “I never thought I would be as crazy as all the other grandparents, but I have become one.”
King Harald was known to be especially close to his family. In an emotional speech during his first televised address on Saturday evening, King Haakon thanked his father for being a “good dad” to him and his sister, Princess Märtha Louise. “I am going to miss him. I am going to miss his laughter,” Haakon said. “I am going to miss his good-natured way to meet people and situations.”
Queen Sonja and King Harald with Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus in 2017.
Along with his sister, Princess Astrid, his wife, Queen Sonja, and two children, Harald is survived by five grandchildren. Ingrid Alexandra, 22, is the eldest child of King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit and is now Crown Princess of Norway and first in line to the throne. Her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, is second in line. Maud, 23, Leah, 21, and Emma, 17, do not hold royal titles but they are in the line of succession.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.