Haldor VII
| Haldor VII | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of the Delkorans | |||||
.jpg) | |||||
| Reign | 1974-present | ||||
| Coronation | 12 February 1974 | ||||
| Predecessor | Charlotte III | ||||
| Heir Apparent | Crown Princess Astrid | ||||
| Chancellors | |||||
| Born | 7 June 1945 Baerendir, Cybria, Kingdom of Delkora | ||||
| Consort | Queen Elsa | ||||
| Issue | Crown Princess Astrid Princess Ellinor Prince Boromir Prince Valmar | ||||
| |||||
| House | Valdenharm | ||||
| Father | Gunnar II | ||||
| Mother | Charlotte III | ||||
| Religion | Vallyar | ||||
Haldor VII is the King of the Delkorans, reigning since 12 February 1974. He is the son of Queen Charlotte III and King Consort Heinrik.
Youth and education
Haldor was born in 1955 to Queen Charlotte III and King Consort Heinrik at the royal family's summer retreat of Konjurhus in Baerendir, Cybria in 1955. After being home-schooled for his primary and lower secondary education, he was enrolled into the prestigious Torenrath Academy, a private boarding school in northern Bandorel, later graduating near the top of his class. He was subsequently accepted into Gothendral University, where he began studying political science and history. In 1972, while studying at Gothendral, Haldor met his future wife, Elsa Borgrensen, and the two later married in 1977.
Following the abdication of his mother in 1974 due to poor health, Haldor was coronated, ascending to the throne as King Haldor VII. After graduating from university in 1978, he spent two years at the Royal Air Force Academy, followed by a year of active duty service in the Royal Air Force as a pilot, flying a number of patrol and reconnaissance missions.
After completing his military service, Haldor returned to Gothendral University, obtaining a masters degree and then a PhD in political philosophy in 1988. That year, he published a dissertation on the Warden Way and its origins in Syaran political culture.
Reign
Having ascended to the throne at such a young age, there was concern that Haldor was unprepared for the responsibilities of being king, and Chancellor Feldengaard even consulted the Federal Privy Council about the possibility of appointing a regent to serve until Haldor had completed his university education. The Chancellor and Privy Council ultimately decided against this however, and Haldor began carrying out his responsibilities as king under the tutelage of his father.
Early on, Haldor developed a reputation as a modern and progressive king, breaking with many of the traditional conventions associated with the role. Notably, at his first state opening of parliament in 1975, he set a new precedent by opting to wear a suit and tie rather than the crown and robe that monarchs had traditionally worn to the ceremony, a move that prompted controversy and backlash from conservatives. Years later, rather than home-schooling their children and then enrolling them in an elite private academy as had been the norm for Delkoran royalty, he and Elsa opted to enroll them into the Norenstal Public School System, where they received the same education as their non-royal peers. At the 1987 state opening of parliament, he broke somewhat with convention by explicitly calling on the Federal Parliament to do more to address the issue of climate change in his royal address, leading many Conservative MPs to accuse him of overstepping his role as a constitutional monarch, although he stopped short of calling for specific policies.
Major events that have occurred during his reign have included the implementation of the final phases of the New Kingdom Program during the chancellorship of Geirbjørn Feldengaard in the late 1970's, the 2012 Norenstal Subway Bombings, the Nalayan Civil War, and the 2018 Arzell Crisis.
Titles
Full title: His Royal Majesty King Haldor VII, King of the Delkorans, Protector of the Realm, and Lord Grand Master of the Vallyar Order
Issue
Crown Princess Astrid, Duchess of the Cybrians (b. 1984)
Princess Ellinor, Duchess of the Bandorelans (b. 1989)
Prince Boromir, Duke of the Vassens (b. 1989)
Prince Valmar, Duke of the Faurelians (b. 1994)