Norway’s King Haakon VIII Pays Emotional Tribute to Father Harald V in First Address

Norway’s new King Haakon VIII delivered his first address to the nation on Saturday evening, paying a visibly emotional tribute to his late father, King Harald V, just over a day after the throne passed to him.

Speaking on Norwegian television and radio, Haakon thanked Harald for the way he had raised him and his sister, Princess Märtha Louise. “Thank you for being such a good dad to Märtha and me,” he said, adding that his father had also been “a warm and funny grandfather, a loving and caring husband, a generous father-in-law.”

“You supported and took care of us all,” the 53-year-old monarch said. “I will miss him. I will miss his laugh,” he said, and spoke of his father’s easy, warm manner with people.

The speech included a particularly delicate moment. Saturday was the 58th wedding anniversary of Harald and Queen Sonja, and Haakon’s voice faltered as he addressed his mother directly: “Happy wedding anniversary, dear Mum.”

Harald died on Friday morning, and under Norwegian law Haakon became king at once. His succession had been long anticipated; Harald had been on the throne for more than three decades and oversaw a period in which the monarchy retained broad popular support in Norway.

Now, Haakon said, his task was to carry that legacy forward without trying to copy it. “Now it’s my turn.” He and Queen Mette-Marit, he said, wanted to be present, listen and understand the different circumstances of Norwegian lives. “We believe in a Norway where there is room for everyone.”

He thanked Norwegians for the surge of sympathy after Harald’s death and expressed gratitude for everything his father had done for the country. Haakon is due to take the constitutional oath before the Storting on Tuesday, in a ceremony to be broadcast live.