Haakon VII in the context of "German occupation of Norway"

The dissolution of the union (Bokmål: unionsoppløsningen; Nynorsk: unionsoppløysinga; Landsmål: unionsuppløysingi; Swedish: unionsupplösningen) between the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden under the House of Bernadotte, was set in motion by a resolution of the Storting on 7 June 1905. Following some months of tension and fear of an outbreak of war between the neighbouring kingdoms (then in personal union) – and a Norwegian plebiscite held on 13 August which overwhelmingly backed dissolution – negotiations between the two governments led to Sweden's recognition of Norway as an independent constitutional monarchy on 26 October 1905. On that date, King Oscar II renounced his claim to the Norwegian throne, effectively dissolving the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and this event was swiftly followed, on 18 November, by the accession to the Norwegian throne of Prince Carl of Denmark, taking the name of Haakon VII.

Maud of Wales (Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria; 26 November 1869 – 20 November 1938) was Queen of Norway as the wife of King Haakon VII. The youngest daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom and a sister of King George V, she was known as Princess Maud of Wales before her marriage, as her father was the Prince of Wales at the time.

A daughter of Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark, Maud was the youngest of six children. She grew up in a warm and informal environment under the supervision of her mother, contrasting with the stricter upbringing of her older siblings. From an early age, Maud showed a spirited and lively nature, enjoying outdoor pursuits and sports; she was among the first British princesses to ride a bicycle and often spent time in the gardens and grounds of Sandringham House. Her education, was primarily conducted at home, under the supervision of private tutors.

Members of the Norwegian royal family are people related to King Harald V of Norway or former Norwegian monarchs who are royals and who hold royal titles. The term does not include non-royal relatives. The current family who holds the throne are members of the House of Glücksburg who ascended to the Norwegian throne after the election of Prince Carl of Denmark as King of Norway (regnal name Haakon VII) during the dissolution of the Swedish-Norwegian union in 1905.

The Norwegian monarch holds the title King of Norway while his Royal consort is Queen of Norway with the style Majesty. The heir apparent to the Norwegian throne holds the title Crown Prince of Norway while his wife is Crown Princess of Norway with the style Royal Highness. The children of the reigning Monarch and the children of the heir apparent are granted the title Prince of Norway or Princess of Norway. Only the eldest child is a Royal Highness, while the others do not have any styles in Norwegian, although the style of Highnesses may be used informally in foreign languages.

A referendum regarding the choice of the new monarch was held in Norway on 12 and 13 November 1905. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Storting's decision to authorise the government to make the offer of the throne of the newly self-ruling country. The Storting had wanted to offer the throne to Prince Carl of Denmark, but the prince insisted that the Norwegian people had a chance to decide if they wanted him to be the future King or not.

The proposal was approved by 79% of voters. Following the referendum, the Storting formally offered the throne to Carl on 18 November; Carl accepted, assuming the throne as King Haakon VII. The new royal family arrived in Norway on 25 November. King Haakon and Queen Maud were crowned in a ceremony in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 22 June 1906. Haakon became Norway's first separate monarch in 518 years.