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The Norwegian royal family’s ‘humble’ life: King Harald and Queen Sonja have a net worth of US$30 million – and spend it on public transport and joint parties
STORYHannah Lazatin
- Queen Elizabeth and co. cost US$500 million a year to upkeep with 26 lavish mansions – but Norway’s royals cost US$7.3 million and only have nine homes
- King Harald is a three-time Olympian who even won second prize at the Sailing World Championships in Toronto at 79, and went on a surfing holiday for his 80th birthday
The UK royals are arguably the most popular royal family in the world. Their lives are synonymous with privilege, prestige and fortune.
However, not all royals live an opulent and excessive lifestyle. Known as one of the world’s least affluent monarchies, Norway’s royal family lives a much more modest life compared to their royal counterparts.
The net worth of Norway’s royal family currently stands at US$30 million. The upkeep of the monarchy allegedly sets the state back by US$72.3 million a year, which includes their personal security and the expenses of the official royal house, according to Yahoo! News. These figures are a far cry from those boasted by wealthier royal families, such as those in Britain (US$500 million), Monaco (US$1 billion) or Saudi Arabia (US$1.4 trillion).
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To give you a quick primer, the key members of the royal family consist of King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon, who is married to Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The crown prince has two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. The king and queen have a daughter, Princess Märtha Louise.
Despite their smaller income, the Norwegian royal family have a reputation for being “cool”and living relatively normal lives.
Here’s how they spend their wealth:
King Harald loves the active lifestyle
At 84 years old, King Harald has had a long love affair with water sports. He’s well-known for taking part in the Olympic Games for sailing three times throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He still sails to this day, and even competed and won second prize at the Sailing World Championships in Toronto at the age of 79. The following year, he took his family on a surfing trip to South Africa to celebrate his 80th birthday.