The new king of Norway has ascended this Friday to the throne of the Nordic country under 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 chosen by my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather: 'Everything for Norway,'" added the monarch, 53 years old, who also expressed his gratitude to the institutions and the citizens for the support shown to the Royal House, according to information released by the public broadcaster NRK.
With this decision, the sovereign opts for the name of his great-grandfather, Haakon VII, who reigned from 1905 to 1957 and became the first king of independent Norway after the break of the union with Sweden, which was in effect from 1814 to 1905.
Harald V passed away early in the day 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 the treatment for the hemolytic anemia he suffered from, as detailed by the Royal House.
The deceased monarch was the dean of the European royal houses and in recent years suffered from various health problems that caused several 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.