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KING Haakon VIII has ascended the monarchy in Norway, succeeding his father, King Harald, who died early on Friday, August 28, at the national hospital in Oslo, where he was being treated for a rare blood condition, after 35 years on the throne.
The royal family had announced Harald’s death at 89, saying: “It is with deep grief that we announce that His Majesty, King Harald, has passed away.
“King Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet Friday 28 August at 6:35 AM.”
The palace’s website currently features only a black banner, with a picture of the late king, honouring his life.
The late king was a popular leader and credited with modernising the Norwegian monarchy, having broken with tradition by marrying a commoner, Queen Sonja.
Flowers were laid at a memorial near the palace, and the United Kingdom (UK) monarch, King Charles III, said he shared his “most heartfelt condolences.”
King Haakon met with government ministers at the Royal Palace in the capital, Oslo, and has opted to keep the family’s long-standing royal motto: “All for Norway.”
Before his death, Harald had invited the men’s national football team to a reception at the Royal Palace, following their most successful World Cup this summer.
Outside the Royal Palace in Oslo, mourners gathered to pay their respects to the late monarch, some bringing bouquets or single roses.
The Mayor of Oslo, Anne Lindboe, had cancelled her wedding on Friday to her fiancé, Pål Sandvid, following the death of the late king.
Harald set a new precedent for Norway’s royal family by marrying a commoner, after a long wait.
When Harald was crown prince, he met Sonja Haraldsen, the daughter of a businessman, at a party, but he had to wait nine years before he was allowed to marry her.
His intention to wed her instead of someone from a royal family or nobility “sparked considerable debate,” as many “predicted the fall of the monarchy as a result of such a marriage,” his biography on the royal website read.
His father finally gave his consent and the couple wed in Oslo Cathedral on August 29, 1968, meaning they would have celebrated their 58th anniversary on Friday.
Harald’s choice paved the way for his own two children to marry non-royals.
Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said the country was “united in grief and gratitude,” following the death of Harald V.
In a televised memorial address, Støre said the late king’s “legacy lives on” and offered condolences to Queen Sonja and the royal family.
He also welcomed Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon VIII, and Queen Mette-Marit, into their new roles.
Store described how “a whole nation is in mourning and the people of Norway are left with a deep sense of gratitude for a long life in the service of Norway,” adding: “For more than three decades as monarch, Harald V demonstrated an unwavering faith in the Norwegian people.
“He helped us to see the best in ourselves, and in one another.”
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said Harald “embodied dignity, wisdom and an unwavering commitment to his country,” adding that Ukraine will always remember his “steadfast support and solidarity” during the “darkest days of Russia’s aggression.”
“Norway has lost a great figure who stood for prudence and unity,” Germany’s Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said.
Finland’s President, Alexander Stubb,added that Harald will be remembered for his “long-standing and devoted service as head of state, his ability to unite Norwegians from all walks of life and his steadfast commitment to maintaining hope and confidence in the future through all times.”
Sweden’s Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, recalled thatsays for decades, the monarch had been a “safe, respected and uniting force in both Norway and the Nordic region,” adding that his “long and devoted work in the service of Norway will be remembered with warmth and respect.”
Newsreader, Petter Oulie-Hauge, announced the death of King Harald at 89 on NRK, Norway’s public broadcaster, and the ascension of Haakon VIII.
The announcement followed days of news about Harald’s declining condition after he entered hospital on August 17, to receive treatment for a rare blood condition.
He said King Harald V died peacefully in hospital at 06:35 local time on Friday (05:35BST).
A period of national mourning has been declared, and crowds have been laying flowers outside the Royal Palace in Oslo.
Hours after the king’s death, the new King Haakon and his daughter, now-Crown Princess, arrived at the palace to meeting government ministers in an extra-ordinary council of state.
Harald had strong ties to the UK monarchy. He was a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. They shared the same great-grandparents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather, King George V, and King Harald’s grandmother, Queen Maud, were siblings.
Queen Elizabeth’s first state visit to a non-commonwealth country as monarch was Norway in 1955, and she would visit the country on two further separate occasions, in 1981 and 2001.
Haakon VIII is the fourth king to head Norway’s modern monarchy since it was restored in 1905 after the country gained independence from Sweden.
He worked closely with his father as he carried out royal duties, and in recent years, took on more responsibilities as Harald was ill or absent.
He becomes king at a turbulent time for Norway’s royal family. The monarchy is popular, but has been beset by scandal in recent years.
The new king’s wife, Mette-Marit, has apologised for ties to convicted United States (US) sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, has been convicted of rape in a high-profile trial and is appealing against the conviction.
A trumpet played out as the new King Haakon was driven into the Royal Palace in Oslo, dressed in military regalia in a black Audi, as crowds quietly stood and watched on.
Gahr Støre was seen signing a book of condolence in the Royal Palace beside a portrait of the late king and lit candles, signs of official national mourning, followed by other government ministers writing.
Five hours after his father’s death, the new King Haakon, wearing black military regalia, greeted government ministers in the royal palace for an extraordinary council of state meeting.
He shook the hands of each around the room, all dressed in black, faces sombre.
His daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, wearing a black suit, joined her father.
She is next in line to be Norway’s queen after the rules of succession were changed in 1990.
Harald, born on February 21, 1937, on the Skaugum estate near Oslo, over 30 years after Norway gained its independence from Sweden and became a constitutional monarchy.
He was three when dictator, Adolf Hitler, ordered Norway’s invasion by Nazi Germany early in World War 11 and his mother fled with her children across the border to Sweden, before travelling to the US on the invitation of then President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Prince Harald returned with his family to Norway at the end of the war and completed his school and compulsory military service, became crown prince in 1957 and studied social science, history and economics at Balliol College in Oxford from 1960 to 1962.
He ascended to the throne in January 1991, following the death of his father.
