The new king of Norway has ascended this Friday to the throne of the Nordic country with the name of Haakon VIII and maintaining the motto "Everything for Norway," a few hours after the Royal House announced the death of his father, Harald V, at the age of 89.
"It is my duty to inform the Council of State that my dear father, His Majesty King Harald V, passed away today, August 28, 2026, at 06:35 hours, and that, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, I have assumed the government as king of Norway," he stated during a session with the Executive in which the new crown princess, Ingrid Alexandra, 22 years old, also participated.
"I will adopt the name of Haakon VIII and continue with the same motto that my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather chose: 'Everything for Norway,'" the 53-year-old monarch pointed out, who also expressed his gratitude to the institutions and the citizens for their support of the Royal House, according to an official statement.
Thus, the sovereign has chosen to take the name of his great-grandfather, Haakon VII, who reigned from 1905 to 1957 and was the first king of independent Norway after the break of the union with Sweden, which was in effect from 1814 to 1905.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has emphasized in a note that "Norway has a new king." "On behalf of the Government and the Norwegian people, we wish to express our condolences for the passing of His Majesty King Harald. King Harald was a man whom we all loved," he remarked.
"We know that the passing of King Harald represents a great loss for our new king and for the entire royal family. We thank King Harald for his lifelong dedication to Norway and the Norwegian people. A whole nation is in mourning and deeply grateful," he added, before emphasizing that the institutions "trust that the traditions of the Royal House will continue under the leadership of His Majesty, for the good of the people and the country."
In any case, the new king must swear the Constitution in a ceremony scheduled for next Tuesday, September 1, in the Norwegian Parliament (Storting), as specified by the president of the Chamber, Masud Karahani, in statements to the public television NRK.
The Royal House has detailed that the royal flag was flown at half-mast on the roof of the Royal Palace after the announcement of the death of Harald V —which has led to the proclamation of three days of national mourning— although it returned to fly normally after the new monarch announced his official name.
In contrast, the flag installed on the balcony has remained at half-mast and will continue to do so until the funeral of the late king concludes at the Church of Akershus Castle and his coffin is transferred to the Royal Mausoleum, at which point it will be replaced by the state flag.
In this regard, the institution has indicated that, according to protocol, until the day of the funeral the coffin will remain in the Palace Chapel, guarded by a honor guard. "The royal crown, the royal sword, the scepter, and the royal orb will be placed on the coffin," it has indicated, before specifying that the chapel will open at specific times so that the public can say goodbye to Harald V.
Harald V passed away early in the morning at the Oslo University Hospital, where he had been admitted on August 17 due to fluid retention and a bacterial infection in the blood, in the context of treatment for the hemolytic anemia he suffered from, as confirmed by the Royal House.
The monarch was the dean of the European royal houses and had been suffering from various health problems in recent years, which led to successive hospital admissions, even during his vacations, as happened earlier this year at the University Hospital of Santa Cruz de Tenerife due to a skin infection in a leg.