Figures adjusted for inflation indicate that Crown Prince Haakon's father, the current King Harald, got much more, as did his grandfather King Olav.
Harald was paid the equivalent of NOK 1.04 million (about US$ 115,000) before he married the former Sonja Haraldsen in 1968. His yearly allowance was hiked to NOK 2 million after his marriage.
Harald's father Olav, meanwhile, got even more. He was paid the equivalent of NOK 1.2 million a year as a single crown prince. That rose to NOK 2.5 million when he married his cousin, Swedish Princess Mãrtha, in 1929.
Haakon receives family assistance in addition to his direct state allowance, and few would argue that his personal resources are poor. The royals also enjoy unique fringe benefits, like subsidized living costs, free cars and tax-free status on gasoline, alcohol, tobacco and other imported items.
Nonetheless, the real cost of maintaining the royals is emerging as a political issue and moves are being taken to attach a serious and publicly known price tag to their roles.
This is especially true for the new so-called "crown prince pair," which will include royal fiancé Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby's young son from a previous relationship.
Reconsideration of the direct state allowance for Haakon, Mette-Marit and her son Marius is attracting attention from the highest levels. Officials at the Norwegian Finance Department, the state Labor Department, the prime minister's office and the Royal Palace are working to come up with a new proposal for how big the tax-payers' budget for them should be.
Aftenposten Interactive English Desk
Nina Berglund
Aftenposten's Norwegian journalist
Liv Berit Tessem
background