In his first televised address to the Norwegian people since ascending the throne, King Haakon VIII delivered an emotional, tearful tribute to his late father, King Harald V, on the eve of what would have been Harald and Queen Sonja’s 58th wedding anniversary. The 89-year-old former monarch, who earned widespread affection as the “people’s king” and was widely praised for modernizing the Norwegian monarchy during his 35-year reign, passed away Friday morning in a Oslo hospital while receiving treatment for a rare blood disorder.
Seated at a wooden desk inside Oslo’s Royal Palace, flanked by a framed portrait of Harald, two glowing candles, and an arrangement of delicate white roses, Haakon spoke through waves of emotion to open his first national address as Norway’s new head of state. “Thank you for being such a good dad,” the 53-year-old new king said. He remembered Harald as a loving father to himself and his sister Princess Märtha Louise, a playful, warm grandfather to his six grandchildren, and a devoted, caring husband to his widow, Queen Sonja. As he marked the approaching anniversary of his parents’ wedding, Haakon paused to choke back tears.
Haakon recalled that Harald united the royal family with a quiet, natural authority he often did not recognize in himself, and remained unwaveringly committed to his core values throughout his life. “He constantly reminded us in the family that each of us must do things in our own way. Find our own style. Be ourselves,” Haakon shared. He also reflected on the profound comfort drawn from the thousands of ordinary Norwegians who gathered outside the Royal Palace in the days since Harald’s death, laying flowers, lighting candles, and leaving tributes to the late king. “We are in mourning, yet at the same time it brings comfort and strength that so many are grieving together with us,” he said.
Since news of Harald’s passing broke Friday, crowds have continued to lay flowers outside the palace gates, and the Norwegian government has declared a national period of mourning, though a date for the late king’s funeral has not yet been announced. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was among those who paid tribute, laying a floral arrangement, signing the official condolence book, and meeting with the new king. After the meeting, Støre said the entire nation was “united in grief and gratitude” for Harald’s decades of service.
Haakon is set to formally take office on Tuesday, when he will swear an oath of allegiance before the Norwegian parliament. He will later join his wife, Queen Mette-Marit, for a simplified consecration service — Norway abolished full coronation ceremonies decades ago. But Haakon assumes the throne at a uniquely challenging moment for the Norwegian royal family, which has weathered a string of public controversies and health crises in recent months.
Earlier this year, Mette-Marit faced intense public scrutiny after revelations of a three-year friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light, prompting a public apology from the queen. Just months after the controversy, Mette-Marit underwent a life-saving lung transplant to treat pulmonary fibrosis, a condition she has lived with since 2018. Physicians do not expect to declare her medically stable until 2027, meaning Haakon must balance the demands of his new constitutional role with caring for his wife.
Additional controversy has come from Haakon’s stepson, Marius Borg Høiby, who was raised in the royal family after Haakon married Mette-Marit when Høiby was four years old. Though Høiby holds no official royal title, his June conviction on rape and other criminal charges, which resulted in a four-year prison sentence, has sparked public criticism of the royal family. Høiby is currently appealing the conviction. Haakon’s sister, Princess Märtha Louise, also stepped back from all official royal duties earlier this year after widespread backlash over her 2024 marriage to an American self-described shaman and their controversial joint business activities.
Without explicitly referencing these challenges, Haakon addressed the moment of turmoil in his address, noting: “Our family has experienced the importance of standing together in order to remain steadfast both within ourselves and for one another even during difficult times.” He emphasized that he, Mette-Marit, and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra would “always strive to understand the life situations of different people,” and committed to national unity, saying: “No one who lives in this country knows what we will face together, but what we do know is that we will stand by one another through both good days and difficult ones.” He stressed that the royal family remains committed to a Norwegian society “built on law and justice, where everyone is of equal value.”
While the late King Harald retained broad popular support through the end of his reign, public support for the Norwegian monarchy has declined in recent years: a poll conducted earlier this year for leading Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten found that monarchy support dropped from 72% in 2024 to 54% ahead of Haakon’s ascension. Still, royal analysts interviewed by the BBC expressed cautious confidence in the new monarch, noting that Haakon is widely viewed as a respected, hardworking public servant who is well-equipped to navigate the challenges ahead and unify the nation and royal family.