“I promise and swear to govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and its laws. May Almighty and Omniscient God help me!”. This has been the formula, taken from Article 9 of the Magna Carta, read by Haakon VIII in his proclamation as the new king. The ceremony took place in the Parliament, in Oslo, and his wife, Queen Mette-Marit, did not accompany him due to complications arising from the lung transplant she underwent last June. Their daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, supported the new sovereign. The 22-year-old has become the heir and also took the oath, although in writing and at the Palace. Her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, and the Queen Dowager Sonia, Haakon’s mother, were also present at the event.
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Norway is a constitutional monarchy, and the oath is a demonstration that both the power and authority of the sovereign are regulated by law. The Royal House’s own website emphasizes this point. Haakon VIII arrived at the Parliament in the same convertible car used by his parents, the late King Harald V and Sonia, when they married in 1968. In a speech delivered during the ceremony, he expressed his hope that “the good relationship that has existed” between the Parliament and his father, King Harald, his grandfather, King Olaf, and his great-grandfather, King Haakon, “can be maintained and developed according to the tasks the country will face in the future.” He also confirmed that both he and the queen “are available to fulfill their duties to the country and the people.” His mother, the widow, retains the title of queen.
The President of the Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, responded to the king by reminding him that he assumes “an important and unique heritage.” “Their majesties,” he continued, “have inherited the Kingdom of Norway and this entails great expectations.” The extraordinary session lasted 30 minutes. Both the route to the Parliament and the areas prepared with large screens to follow the meeting were filled with people. The latest survey published the weekend after the death of King Harald, for the public broadcaster (NRK), showed that 72% of Norwegians support the monarchy as a form of government. 20% prefer a republic, and 8% say they do not know. Support for the monarchy has increased by eight percentage points, from 64%, compared to last May.
The drop in popularity last year was due to the scandal over the close link between then-Princess Mette-Marit and the American pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the four-year prison sentence for two rapes imposed on her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, a ruling that is currently under appeal.
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Ingrid Alexandra studies in Sydney (Australia), but has started an academic exchange program at the University of Oslo to be closer to her family. She may play a somewhat more active role from now on, due to her mother’s illness. Queen Mette-Marit has been convalescing since June from a lung transplant, and the palace information service has indicated that she will participate in fewer official events. As for Queen Dowager Sonia, she is 89 years old and will collaborate as much as possible.
From this Tuesday, the chapel of the Royal Palace will remain open every day — from 10:00 to 18:00 — for the public viewing of King Harald. The coffin will then be carried in procession to Oslo Cathedral, where the state funeral will be held on September 9. The coffin will be buried in the crypt located under the church of Akershus Fortress. Founded in the Middle Ages next to the Oslo fjord, it also served as a royal residence.
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