Rumors of a high-level visit had haunted San Quentin all spring. Who would come? The governor? Perhaps the Prince of Norway? No one knew for sure until Tuesday, April 16.
On that cool and sunny morning, an entourage of some 30 visitors crowded into the newsroom of the San Quentin News. Governor Gavin Newsom, with his towering height appeared impossible to miss, and Warden Chance Andes, but what about the prince?
Presentations of Media Center activities began and no one had introduced any European royalty, but the presence of a uniformed military officer with a Norwegian flag on his epaullettes gave everyone a hint that the prince might sit in the crowd.
As the exhibition ended, the San Quentin News, growing increasingly desperate to interview the royal visitor, asked the military officer, who lightly tapped a nearby-standing man on the back. The man turned around and promptly offered his hand.
“Hi, I am Haakon,” said His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Norway, abeam in a spirit of friendship.
Tall — over six feet — very thin, young, with a full black beard and very dark hair, he had a broad smile that presented a bearing of good cheer. He wore a dark Saville Row-style tailored suit and wingtips.
“This is truly inspirational and exciting to hear all these stories,” said the Crown representative of the Kingdom of Norway. “We are glad that we can make a contribution. We have a lot in common and we can learn from each other.”
Gov. Newsom stayed a few minutes after the prince left and upon exiting, told the San Quentin News, “Always great to see and hear the next step, the next iteration of San Quentin. I see impressive progress since the last time I visited. You put out a great newspaper and you have revolutionized the podcast and created an iconic Media Center.”
As the first-ever royal visitor to San Quentin, (and most-likely the first-ever royal visitor to any prison in the U.S.), Prince Haakon had a full itinerary. His visit began with a meet-andgreet at the San Quentin plaza, an encounter with Quentin Cooks, and a tour of the Donner Earned Living Unit.
A jaunt to Building 38, which the CDCR will transform into the centerpiece of SQRC followed. A quick stopover at The Last Mile preceded the end of the visit at the San Quentin Media Center.
A March 3 BBC news brief reported that Prince Haakon’s father, Harald V, King of Norway, went into hospital to have a pacemaker implanted. This circumstance granted Prince Haakon the temporary role of Prince Regent of Norway. “Regency” describes a period in which someone other than the reigning monarch acts as the de facto head of state of a kingdom. In short, in the newsroom sat an acting king.
Born July 20, 1973, in Norway’s capital Oslo, Prince Haakon’s name came from his paternal grandfather King Haakon VII. Norwegian royals have no last names and might use “of Norway” in situations that require further identification. A story in Business Insider called Prince Haakon the great-great-greatgrandson of Queen Victoria.
