On Saturday evening, King Haakon VIII addressed Norway for the first time since his accession, paying tribute to his beloved father, Harald V, who passed away Friday morning.
The new king took solace in how Norway mourns alongside the Royal Family, telling the audience, “It has been a powerful and moving experience to see the Palace Square filled with people, flowers, greetings and lights. Thank you very much.”
Speaking directly to his father, King Haakon paid tribute to the love he gave to both himself and to his sister, Princess Märtha Louise, calling him “warm and safe” and thanking him for being a good father, grandfather, and husband.
Of his queen, Sonja, who celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary the day after her husband’s death, King Haakon said, “I know how much she meant to King Harald for standing so firmly in his life’s work. In the life’s work they shared. Today marks 58 years since they got married. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary, dear mother.”
King Haakon continued: “You were the head of the family, who, together with my mother, embraced and brought us all together with a natural authority that you may not have been fully aware of yourself. Above all, you were a person who always stood by your values and commitments. You supported and took care of us all. It makes me proud to think about everything you both stood for—and stood up for.”
Referencing King Harald’s now-famous speech, the new king said, “He brought us together by putting into words who we Norwegians are.”
He continued: “As king, my father represented Norway and Norwegians with pride and joy. Through visits around the country, at events here at the Palace, and at work for Norway abroad.”
The new king then spoke of the future—his future. As the fourth king of the Norwegian monarchy, King Haakon acknowledged “there is a big task ahead of me” and told the audience how his father constantly reminded them all, “everyone must do things their own way.”
King Haakon thanked his new queen, Queen Mette-Marit, his children, including Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and his mother and sister, for being at his side even as they all struggled with their own grief over the loss of the patriarch of the family.
After a long and eventful reign, as King Haakon referred to his father’s 35-year reign, he said that himself, Queen Mette-Marit and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra “want to be present and listening… [we] will always try to understand the life situations of different people.”
King Haakon continued: “We believe in a Norway where there is room for everyone.
“We shall feel the strength of our community – and know with ourselves that we are one people.”
King Haakon’s motto, “Alt for Norge” or “All for Norway” is one that he shares with every modern Norwegian king, and he said, “‘Alt for Norge’ means fighting for everyone in Norway to have the opportunity to live a free life. It also implies a responsibility to ensure that we as a nation contribute positively to the world.
“And that means – in the ultimate consequence – being willing to risk everything, including life, for Norway’s freedom and independence.”
As he closed the first address of his reign, King Haakon once again thanked his father for everything he’d done for Norway and prayed for strength as his own reign begins. “With God’s help and the support of the people, I look forward to the great task that lies ahead. I pray that we will all unite in the old wish: May God preserve our country.”
King Haakon’s memorial speech can be read in full here.
