OSLO: Norway’s King Haakon VIII took an oath before parliament on Tuesday, the first major institutional step of his reign, though his wife, still convalescing after a lung transplant, was unable to attend.
Dressed in a ceremonial uniform, the 53-year-old Haakon, who became king when his father King Harald V died on Friday morning aged 89, swore to abide by the Scandinavian country’s constitution, under which the royals have a primarily symbolic function. “I promise and swear that I will govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and Laws, so help me God, the almighty and omniscient,” he recited in the parliament’s main chamber.
Haakon’s wife Queen Mette-Marit, 53, was not beside her husband as she is still recovering from her June 17 transplant. Are Holm, head of the Pulmonary Department at Oslo University Hospital, said in a statement from the palace that complications after a transplant are not “uncommon”.
“The queen has had complications on several occasions since the operation, including today,” Holm said. “As a result, the queen must be kept under observation throughout the day,” he continued.
The couple’s eldest daughter, Ingrid Alexandra, now crown princess at 22, attended her father’s ceremony. She also took the oath Tuesday, but in writing at the Royal Palace. Haakon and the members of parliament also observed a minute of silence in tribute to Harald. Harald’s funeral will be held on September 9 at Oslo Cathedral. He will then be laid to rest in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress in the Norwegian capital.
On Tuesday, thousands lined up outside the Royal Palace’s chapel where Harald is lying in state and will do so until the day before the funeral. The late regent died while being treated at Oslo University Hospital for haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells. – AFP
He faced mounting health problems in his final years, forcing him to scale back his official schedule, but always ruled out abdicating.
Growing support
Harald, widely seen as the embodiment of an open and tolerant Norway, enjoyed massive support despite the slew of scandals that dogged his family in the final stretch of his 35-year reign.
On Tuesday, a poll published by public broadcaster NRK showed that support for the monarchy has clearly increased following Harald’s death. Nearly three out of four Norwegians, or 72 percent, said they supported the monarchy, a rise of eight points compared with a previous survey in May, according to the poll carried out over the weekend.
Support for the monarchy had fallen to its lowest level in February—though 60 percent were still in favour—while the royal family was mired in a series of scandals. In particular, Mette-Marit faced scrutiny for her ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
And her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, is currently under house arrest pending his appeal against a four-year sentence for two rape convictions. The 29-year-old was able to visit Harald in hospital on the eve of his death and on Monday he was among those who brought the late king’s casket to the palace chapel.
He has also been granted permission to attend the funeral. In the NRK survey, members of the royal family—of which Hoiby is not formally part—were also evaluated. Mette-Marit received one of the lowest character scores of 5.2 out of 10, compared to Haakon’s 8.8. King Haakon and his wife will not be crowned, as Norway abolished coronations in 1908. But, like his father and grandfather before him, Haakon could opt for a consecration ceremony at Trondheim Cathedral, where Norwegian monarchs were crowned between 1814 and 1906. – AFP