The new king of Norway, Haakon VIII, was sworn in on Tuesday before Parliament, the first major institutional step of his reign, which his wife, Queen Mette-Marit, was unable to attend, still convalescing after a lung transplant.
Becoming king automatically on Friday upon the death of his father Harald V, the 53-year-old sovereign, in ceremonial attire, fulfilled a constitutional obligation symbolizing the supervision of the monarch’s powers by the Constitution.
Royal functions are essentially symbolic and representative in Norway.
“I promise and swear to govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and its laws, may Almighty and All-Knowing God help me!” said Haakon VIII, repeating the established formula.
The swearing-in took place without Queen Mette-Marit, who is still recovering from a lung transplant she had to undergo on June 17 to treat an incurable lung disease.
“It is not uncommon for complications to occur after a lung transplant. The queen has experienced complications several times since the operation, including today,” said the doctor, Are Holm, just hours before the ceremony.
“She must therefore remain under observation throughout the day,” he said, quoted in a press release from the Palace, which had nevertheless announced her presence the day before.
Queen Sonja and the eldest daughter of the new royal couple, Ingrid Alexandra, now crown princess, were however present, both dressed in black.
The assembly also observed a minute of silence in tribute to Harald, who died at the age of 89 at the Oslo National Hospital, where he had been admitted for hemolytic anemia, a blood disease caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells.
Harald’s funeral will take place on September 9 at Oslo Cathedral. He will then rest in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress in the Norwegian capital.
Before that, Norwegians will be able to parade in front of his coffin, on display in the palace chapel until the 8th.
Increased support for the monarchy
Since the death of this popular king, the incarnation of an open and tolerant Norway, support for the monarchy has further increased in the Scandinavian country.
Nearly three in four Norwegians (72%) say they support the monarchy, an increase of eight points compared to May, according to a benchmark poll carried out over the weekend and published by public broadcaster NRK.
According to this survey, only 20% of those questioned would prefer another form of diet and 8% said they were undecided.
Support for the monarchy fell to its lowest in February — with 60% in favor — as the royal family was plunged into a series of scandals.
Mette-Marit, in particular, was under fire for her past ties to American sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein and her son’s legal woes.
Born from a relationship prior to Mette-Marit’s marriage to Haakon in 2001, Marius Borg Høiby was tried and then sentenced to four years in prison for two rapes and 32 other charges, including violence against a former partner.
Under house arrest, under electronic bracelet, while awaiting his appeal trial, the 29-year-old young man was able to visit Harald in hospital on the eve of his death. On Monday, he was one of those who carried the deceased’s remains to the palace chapel, and he also received permission to attend his funeral.
Among the members of the royal family – of which Høiby is not formally a part – Mette-Marit obtains one of the lowest marks in the survey published Tuesday by NRK: she is rated 5.2 out of ten by her fellow citizens.
Queen Sonja receives the highest score (8.9), just ahead of Haakon (8.8).
Haakon and Mette-Marit will not be crowned, Norway having abolished this practice in 1908.
Like his father and grandfather Olav V before him, the new king could, however, choose to receive a solemn blessing at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, a tradition reintroduced by Olav V in 1958.
Ingrid Alexandra, 22, also had to take the oath, but in writing and at the royal palace as far as she is concerned.
