Today, the King of Norway formally ascended the throne after taking an oath to the constitution before Norway’s parliament, becoming the country’s fourth modern independent monarch.
King Haakon VIII of Norway became king immediately after his father’s passing on Friday. In lieu of a coronation, the Kings (and, eventually, Queens) of Norway take an oath to the nation’s constitution in front of the representatives at the Storting in Oslo.
Inside the building’s plenary chamber, the dais was removed to make way for the monarch’s throne, plus a smaller throne beside it. Queen Mette-Marit had been expected to sit beside her husband during the oath-taking ceremony, but her appearance was canceled because of ongoing issues with her recovery from a lung transplant earlier this summer.
“The Queen has had complications on some occasions since the operation, including today,” her pulmonologist explained via a press release from the royal court. “As a result, the Queen must be observed throughout the day.” Instead, Haakon and Mette-Marit’s daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, stood beside her father during the ceremony.
The President of the Storting, Masud Gharahkhani, led the ceremony on Tuesday. The new King addressed him as he read his oath:
President of the Storting,
I promise and swear to govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its constitution and laws, so help me God the Almighty and All-Knowing!
President of the Storting,
At this first meeting between the people’s elected representatives and me as King of Norway, I would like to express the hope that the good relationship that has existed between the Storting and my father, King Harald, my grandfather, King Olav, and my great-grandfather, King Haakon, can be maintained and then developed in line with the tasks that the country will face in the future. The Queen and I would like to confirm that we are available to carry out our work for the country and the people. In this tradition, I, as King of Norway, have also adopted the motto “Everything for Norway.”
King Haakon was in full uniform with decorations for the ceremony, including the collar and star of the Order of St. Olav and the sash and star of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. Beside him, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra wore a long black dress and a veiled headpiece with the St. Olav sash and star, her late grandfather’s Royal Family Order, and three smaller medals: the St. Olav miniature, the Royal House Centennial Medal, and her grandfather’s Silver Jubilee Medal.
The Crown Princess’s jewelry was kept to an absolute minimum for the occasion: just a small pair of pearl stud earrings.
The King and the Crown Princess were joined in the chamber by his mother, Queen Sonja, and his son, Prince Sverre Magnus. Queen Sonja also wore black with pearl drop earrings, a pearl necklace, and her late husband’s Royal Family Order.
Today marks the fourth time that a Norwegian king has taken an oath to the constitution before members of parliament. On November 18, 1905, Prince Carl of Denmark was elected King of Norway, taking the name King Haakon VII. He arrived in Oslo (then called Kristiania) with his wife, Queen Maud, and their son, the newly-renamed Crown Prince Olav, on November 25. Two days later, Haakon and Maud arrived at the Storting, where he swore his oath to the constitution.
More than half a century later, King Olav V arrived at the Storting to take his own oath to the Norwegian constitution. Olav had sworn an oath before the Council of State shortly after his father’s death in September 1957, but he took the formal oath before the Storting during the State Opening of Parliament on January 20, 1958.
Because the plenary chamber was being renovated at the time, the ceremony was held in the Lagting Chamber instead. Olav stood alone during the ceremony. His wife, Crown Princess Märtha, had died four years earlier, and he never remarried.
King Olav V died in January 1991. Five days after his passing, on January 21, his son, King Harald V, arrived at the Storting to take his own oath to the constitution. His wife, Queen Sonja, sat beside him. She wore a small reminder of the woman who previously held her role: a Maltese cross brooch that belonged to her husband’s grandmother, Queen Maud. Harald would go on to reign for thirty-five years until his death on Friday in Oslo. Now, their son reigns as King Haakon VIII.
King Haakon VIII was not the only member of the family who swore an oath to the constitution today. His daughter and heir, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, signed her own written oath after returning to the Royal Palace following the Storting ceremony.
With the constitutional requirements satisfied, the family now returns their attention to mourning the late King Harald. His state funeral will be held in Oslo on Wednesday, September 9.
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