The succession is currently governed by Article 6 of the Constitution, altered most recently in 1990 to introduce absolute primogeniture among the grandchildren and further eligible descendants of King Harald V. The King's children are still ranked according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture, which was the norm between 1971 and 1990; Crown Prince Haakon and his eligible descendants thus take precedence over his older sister, Princess Märtha Louise, and her eligible descendants.

Princess Mätha-Louise:
As part of her withdrawal into private professional life she lost the style "Royal Highness" in 2002, and she holds no style in Norway; the lower style "Highness" is occasionally used informally abroad, but does not officially exist and is not used in Norway. She has often faced criticism in Norway for her claims of being clairvoyant and for exploiting her constitutional title as princess commercially;in 2019 the royal court announced that she will no longer use the title princess in her business activities as a clairvoyan