Norway has become, since the death of King Harald last Friday, August 28, one of the world’s informational epicenters. Everything that happens in the Nordic country is scrutinized under a magnifying glass and each move of the royal family analyzed in detail. With the date of the funeral and the solemn guest list laid out for the near future, the first steps of Haakon VIII as the new king are placed at the center of the news. Nothing that is happening in Oslo is casual or improvised.
As planned, on Tuesday, September 1 King Haakon of Norway has sworn the Constitution before the Storting, the country’s Parliament, in a solemn ceremony in which there has not been a coronation ceremony as such: this gesture was abolished in 1908 but, as his father Harald and his grandfather Olav did, the new monarch could celebrate a blessing ceremony for his new office in a ceremony at Trondheim Cathedral.
«I promise and vow to govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and its laws, may Almighty God and Omniscient help me». With these words, just as his predecessors did, King Haakon VIII has pledged his fidelity to the Parliament, with Crown Princess Ingrid by his side and Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus observing from the hemicycle during his appearance. On this occasion, the new Queen Mette-Marit did not accompany him for health reasons, although the new monarch did refer to her in remarks addressed to those present.
«In this first gathering between the elected representatives of the People and me, as King of Norway, I wish to express my 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, will stay and develop in accordance with the challenges that the country will face in the future. The Queen and I wish to confirm that we are available to carry out our work for the country and its people. Following this tradition, I, as King of Norway, have also adopted the motto Everything for Norway,» the new monarch assured, who wore the military gala uniform and several decorations.
El rey Haakon de Noruega junto a la princesa Ingrid Alexandra
The absence of Mette-Marit and the prominence of Princess Ingrid
As the ABC daily reports, quoting information provided by the Norwegian Royal Household, «the queen has had complications on several occasions, since the operation, which have worsened today, and therefore must remain under observation all day», according to pulmonologist Are Holm, of Rikshospitalet. The same newspaper has
With the absence of Mette-Marit, the great protagonist of the ceremony has undoubtedly been Ingrid Alexandra, who has acted as the first lady and has appeared at all times beside her father, underscoring her great institutional weight and thus demonstrating the solid continuity of the line of succession. In fact, after Haakon VIII’s oath of office, the princess has signed as heir to Norway, which allows her to be present at cabinet meetings and act as regent in her father’s absence.
Dressed in strict mourning and paying a nod to her grandmother Sonja in Harald V’s oath in 1991, the princess wore the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav, which King Harald granted her when she came of age; the Centenary Medal of the Royal House, the Jubilee Medal of King Harald V, the Army Service Medal, and the Honor Badge of the Brigade Veterans Association.
La princesa Ingrid, la reina Sonia y Sverre Magnus.
After the signing and oath in the Oslo Parliament, and with the chamber standing to applaud the new king and his heir, the national anthem was sung, a version of the United Kingdom’s God Save the Queen. «The oath of the new King in the Storting may seem a formality. But it is more than that. It is one of the cornerstones of democracy. The King Haakon promises to remain within the framework established by the Constitution and other laws. With that, he grants to our elected representatives the power to take care of him and the duty to preserve his unifying figure», Masud Gharahkhani, president of the Storting, declared.
Precisely today has drawn powerful attention to the absence at this solemn Parliament event of the previously omnipresent Marius Borg in the Storting. Perhaps for obvious reasons: the son of Mette-Marit, the offspring of a relationship prior to her marriage to Haakon of Norway, is not part of the line of succession nor is he a blood relative, and he is formally sentenced to four years in prison for 34 charges including two cases of rape, mistreatment of former partners, assaults and threats. Although he serves house arrest at the royal Skaugum estate with an electronic ankle bracelet, his active presence at the farewell events for King Harald of Norway has sparked much controversy in recent days.
