Haakon VIII will be consecrated as King of Norway in a ceremony filled with history and poignancy.
The consecration ceremony, as close to a coronation as the Norwegian king will come, takes place at a special time.
King Haakon, along with Queen Mette-Marit, will be consecrated on August 22 2027.
The date is just days before the first anniversary of Haakon’s accession as King of Norway. He took the throne on August 28 2026 on the death of his father, King Harald.
Now, this important ceremony will be held on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the moment Haakon VIII became king.
The date is also just three days before King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary.
As is traditional, the consecration ceremony takes place at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Norwegian monarchs were crowned at the church from the 12th century onwards.
In the 20th century, Norway’s parliament decided that coronations were archaic. However, when Haakon VIII’s grandfather, Olav V, became king in 1957, he requested a consecration ceremony at Nidaros cathedral so he could be blessed at the start of his new role. His son, Harald V, continued the tradition and now Haakon VIII will follow in their footsteps.
The cathedral is the burial place of Olav II, who is also Norway’s patron saint.
Across the weekend of the consecration, a number of public celebrations will be held with the King and Queen of Norway also hosting a gala dinner to mark the event.
King Haakon’s heir, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, will be in attendance. The 22 year old was at her father’s side when he went to the Norwegian parliament soon after his accession to swear his oath of allegiance.
Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, the son of King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit, will also attend. However, it is unlikely that Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, will be present as he is currently serving a four year prison sentence under house arrest after being convicted of a number of offences including two counts of rape.
Queen Mette-Marit has made few public appearances since her husband’s accession. She is still recovering from a lung transplant which took place in the early summer after her pulmonary fibrosis worsened. She had kept a low profile throughout 2026 because of ill health and because of the controversy surrounding her friendship with the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Queen Sonja, mother of King Haakon, will also join the royal family at her son’s consecration.
