King Haakon VIII swore an oath of allegiance before Norway’s parliament on Tuesday in the first major stage in the passing of the crown since the death of his father after ۳۵ years on the throne.
Wearing a ceremonial uniform, Haakon, who became king when Harald V died on Friday, promised to uphold Norway’s ۱۸۱۴ constitution with his ۲۲-year-old daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, by his side.
“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,” the ۵۳-year-old king pledged to cabinet ministers and MPs in the main chamber of the ۱۶۹-seat parliament.
Haakon’s wife, Mette-Marit, ۵۳, was unable to attend the ۱۷-minute ceremony because of complications after a lung transplant in June. Her doctors said such complications were not “uncommon”.
Are Holm, a pulmonologist at Oslo University hospital, said the queen had had “complications on some occasions with the operation, including today. As a result, she must be put under observation throughout the day today”.
Harald, whose funeral will be held in Oslo on ۹ September, with heads of state from around the world invited to attend, was widely appreciated in Norway for his warmth, unassuming lifestyle and dedication to preserving national unity.
Tens of thousands of Norwegians have flocked to the royal palace to lay flowers, drawings, candles and flags. A poll for the NRK public broadcaster shows the monarchy’s popularity has risen over the past few months.
The first survey since Harald’s death at the age of ۸۹ found that about ۷۲% of Norwegians supported the monarchy, compared with ۵۴% in May. In February, while the royal family was mired in a succession of scandals, support for the institution fell to ۶۰%.
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Mette-Marit has faced strong criticism for her association with Jeffrey Epstein, while her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, is appealing against a four-year sentence for two rape convictions.
Responding to Haakon’s oath, Masud Gharahkhani, the parliament’s president, who arrived in Norway as a child refugee from Iran, said Harald had personified “the values that underpin our liberal democracy”, including compassion.
There will be no formal coronation of the new king and queen because Norway abolished the ceremony more than a century ago but Haakon may, like his father and grandfather, choose to have his accession consecrated at Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral.
Harald, who will be buried in the royal mausoleum at the Akershus Fortress in Oslo, died while being treated in hospital for haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells.
