Crown Prince Haakon ascends Norwegian throne as King Haakon VIII following death of Harald V
Norway's King Harald V died on 28 August at age 89 at Rikshospitalet, passing the crown immediately to his son, who assumes the royal title of King Haakon VIII.
Accession of Haakon VIII
King Harald V passed away at age 89 on Friday, 28 August at 06:35 at Rikshospitalet. Following his death, Crown Prince Haakon immediately became the monarch under the Norwegian constitution, which does not recognize a throne vacancy. The 53-year-old sovereign convened the government at the Royal Palace on Friday to deliver formal notification of his father's passing. During the meeting, he announced that he will reign under the name King Haakon VIII and adopted the traditional royal motto "All for Norway", previously chosen by Harald V, Olav V, and Haakon VII. Haakon will take his constitutional oath before the Storting in the coming days, swearing to govern the kingdom according to its constitution and laws.
- Haakon VII is crowned in Norway's last formal royal coronation
- Olav V introduces the church blessing ceremony at Nidaros Cathedral
- Harald V takes the constitutional oath before the Storting
- King Harald V dies at Rikshospitalet at age 89
- Haakon VIII convenes the government at the Royal Palace
Royal protocol and funeral arrangements
Norway does not hold formal coronations, as the practice ceased following the coronation of Haakon VII in 1906. King Olav V introduced a church blessing ceremony in 1958 at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, a tradition maintained by Harald V in 1991 that Haakon is expected to follow. Official memorial services will take place on Sunday in churches across the country. King Harald V will receive a state funeral, with flags lowered to half-mast at royal residences, government buildings, and military bases until the burial. A national minute of silence will begin at 13:00 on the day of the funeral, after which the late king will be interred in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress in a state-funded sarcophagus commissioned for 20 million Norwegian kroner.
Shifts in royal succession and titles
The accession alters titles and constitutional responsibilities across the royal household. With Haakon assuming the throne, his 22-year-old daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, becomes Crown Princess and first in line to the throne, granting her the authority to represent the royal house and serve as regent during her father's absence. Ingrid Alexandra recently returned from studies in Australia to attend the University of Oslo during her mother's illness. Her younger brother, 20-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus, moves to second in the line of succession, while Mette-Marit becomes Queen of Norway. Harald's widow retains the title Queen Sonja, although the style of Her Majesty remains reserved for King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit.
- Harald V
- 89 years
- Haakon VIII
- 53 years
- Mette-Marit
- 53 years
- Ingrid Alexandra
- 22 years
- Sverre Magnus
- 20 years
Background and constitutional role
The new monarch attended state schools before serving three years in the navy on a torpedo boat. He later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's degree from the London School of Economics. In addition to skiing and watersports, Haakon has supported environmental causes and anti-discrimination initiatives during his time as Crown Prince. He addressed public inclusion following an attack on the LGBTQ community in Oslo in June 2022.
It is important that we protect who we are, and Norway as a country where it is allowed to love and be together with whoever we want.
Norway remains a parliamentary monarchy where executive political power resides with the elected government and parliament, while King Haakon VIII exercises constitutional, ceremonial, and representative functions.
