Since the sad passing of King Harald V of Norway, King Charles has made his special relationship with the Norwegian royals clear, referring to the late monarch as his “dear cousin.”
He added of the close bond: “The United Kingdom and Norway share particularly close historical and family ties,” and this is particularly true for King Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, who has a little-known link to Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon of Norway.
Princess Anne of Great Britain and King Haakon have a strong bond (@ Getty Images)
Princess Anne’s Norwegian ties
King Charles’ only sister, Princess Anne, was named one of the newly crowned King Haakon of Norway’s godparents when he was born in 1973.
King Haakon has quite the glittering roster of godparents, with the role also bestowed upon the late King Olav V of Norway, who was King Haakon’s grandfather, 94-year-old Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner, the new King’s paternal great-aunt, the late Prince Carl Bernadotte, his paternal cousin, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, his paternal cousin, and finally, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, his paternal cousin.
Princess Anne with King Haakon in 2005 (@ AFP via Getty Images)
Princess Anne was last publicly seen with her godson in 2024, when she visited Norway’s Home Front Museum. The duo greeted one another with a kiss, clearly comfortable in each other’s company.
Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway with Princess Anne in May 2024 in Oslo (@ Getty Images)
It is expected that the Princess Royal will be by her godson’s side for his father’s state funeral, which is yet to be announced.
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King Haakon is not the Princess Royal’s only godchild; the King’s sister has been bestowed this important honour seven times.
It’s tradition for royal parents to look to members of other monarchies to take on the important role, with Princess Anne godmother to both royal and non-royal godchildren.
Princess Anne is godmother to seven people (@ Getty Images)
She first became a godmother to Philip, Hereditary Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who was born in 1970, and was the grandnephew of Princess Anne’s late father, Prince Philip – making him Princess Anne’s cousin.
Next up was King Haakon, born in 1973, followed by Alice McVittie, born in 1976, who is the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm McVittie, believed to be friends of the royals.
Princess Anne became a godmother again in 1980, to Prince Peter of Yugoslavia, and a second time in 1980 to Lucy Margot Therese Cameron, daughter of one of King Charles’ close friends, Donald Cameron, who died in 2023.
Princess Anne is also godmother to Lady Eloise Anne Elizabeth Anson, born 1981, and a cousin of Princess Anne’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
She became a godmother for the final time in 1988, to Kelly Louise Doreen Knatchbull, whose husband is a second cousin of Princess Anne.
Princess Anne’s own godparents
Princess Royal has her own set of glittering godparents, including her maternal grandmother, Queen Elizabeth I, and Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark, her paternal grandmother.
Princess Anne as a baby at her christening in 1950 (@ Central Press)
Her paternal aunt, Princess Margarita, Hereditary Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, is another godmother, while her paternal great-uncle, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was also given the role, as well as her first cousin once removed, The Honourable and Reverend Andrew Elphinstone.