Norway’s New King Haakon VIII Vows to Follow His Own Path in First Address
Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon VIII, delivered his first address to the nation on Saturday, paying tribute to his late father, King Harald V, who died at 89 after more than three decades on the throne. In a televised speech, Haakon called his father “such a wonderful papa” and praised him as “committed to your values and dedicated to your duties,” according to Deutsche Welle.
“We greatly mourn his loss,” Haakon said, adding, “it gives us consolation and strength to know that there are so many who are grieving with us.”
Haakon automatically became king following his father’s death, as Norway does not hold coronations; they were abolished by parliament in 1908. The Royal House of Norway announced on Facebook that the new monarch has chosen the regnal name Haakon VIII and decided to keep the royal motto “All for Norway,” which has been used for several generations, according to TASS. The announcement followed a meeting of Norway’s Council of State at the Royal Palace in Oslo, attended by the prime minister, cabinet members, and the king as head of state.
A Nation in Mourning
Flags flew at half-mast Saturday as mourners gathered at the palace, laying flowers alongside tributes left by more than 20,000 people, Deutsche Welle reported. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store viewed the late king’s casket after it was brought to the palace from Oslo University Hospital on Friday evening. A national period of mourning has been declared, with no date yet set for Harald’s funeral. Churches across Norway will hold memorial services Sunday, including one in Asker, south of Oslo.
Haakon met earlier on Saturday with leaders of the Church of Norway, parliament, and the Supreme Court. He became emotional while speaking about his mother, Queen Sonja, noting that his parents would have celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on that day.
A New King’s Vow
In his speech, Haakon stressed that he would do things “his own way,” while reaffirming the principles of Norway’s constitutional monarchy. “We believe in our system of self-governance — and in democracy. We believe in a society built on the rule of law, where every individual has equal worth,” he said, as quoted by Deutsche Welle.
Haakon is due to swear an oath in parliament on Tuesday to uphold the country’s constitution and laws. He could opt for a consecration ceremony at Trondheim Cathedral, where Norwegian monarchs were crowned between 1814 and 1906, though no decision has been announced.
The Norwegian prime minister, in remarks reported by Reuters via Deutsche Welle, said Haakon shared many of his father’s qualities, particularly his “ability to create an atmosphere of togetherness.”
A Modern Monarchy’s Heir
Haakon is the fourth king to head Norway’s modern monarchy, which was restored in 1905 after the country gained independence from Sweden. Historically, he is a great-great-great-grandson of Britain’s Queen Victoria, according to the BBC.
Historian Trond Norén Isaksen told the BBC that Haakon will be a different type of king to his father but no less respected. “King Harald was very charismatic, he had a great sense of humour, which everyone appreciates, and Haakon is a bit more reserved, a bit more like his mother,” Isaksen said. “But in recent years he has also become a bit more relaxed and opened up a bit and showed a bit more of his sense of humour... he has been pulling enormous weight for many years given his parents have become older and his wife has been ill.”
Haakon’s daughter, Ingrid Alexandra, 22, now becomes the crown princess and heir to the Norwegian throne. Under the Constitution, she became crown princess after her grandfather’s death and is now first in line to the throne, TASS reported, citing NRK, which said she attended the Council of State meeting.
A Controversial Past
Haakon’s relationship with his wife, Queen Mette-Marit, was not without controversy. There was a fierce public debate in Norway from the moment Haakon first announced they were dating, with some commentators warning that the relationship could spell the end of the Norwegian monarchy, according to the BBC.
Mette-Marit was dubbed “Cinderella of Kristiansand” by the press after the couple met at a music festival. Their relationship drew criticism from the conservative Lutheran Church of Norway, and Mette-Marit publicly apologised for her “wild past” and condemned drug use in an interview before their wedding. The couple have two children, Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre.
In recent years, Mette-Marit has come under scrutiny over her ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced to four years in prison for two rapes in June, a sentence he is appealing, Deutsche Welle reported. Mette-Marit, who has a serious lung disease, underwent a lung transplant in July. The BBC also reported that documents revealed her frequent contact with Epstein and that she admitted to “poor judgement” regarding the friendship.
Despite these challenges, royal correspondents Caroline Vagle and Tove Taalesen have commented on the difficulties facing the new king, according to the BBC, which noted that many Norwegians believe he has big shoes to fill. King Harald was immensely popular with ordinary Norwegians, as shown by his consistent high polling and the outpouring of emotion in the lead-up to his death, the BBC reported.
As crown prince, Haakon worked closely with his father and in recent years was handed more responsibility, increasingly acting as regent while Harald was ill or absent. “I am so lucky that Crown Prince Haakon is the one who will carry this forward,” King Harald wrote of his son in his biography “The King Tells,” according to the BBC.
Deutsche Welle reported that Harald was widely regarded as a symbol of an open and tolerant Norway and praised for leading a modern, modest monarchy. The king had been hospitalized in Oslo since August 17 with hemolytic anemia, according to the outlet.