The king Haakon VIII of Norway delivered this Saturday his first address to the nation after assuming the Crown due to the death on Friday of his father, Harald, whom he defined as "secure" and "warm".
"Dear father. Thank you for being such a good father to Märtha and to me. Warm and secure. Later you were a warm and funny grandfather. A loving and attentive husband," Haakon highlighted at the beginning of his speech, pronounced from a desk where a photograph of the late monarch could be seen.
The new sovereign emphasized that Harald "was always consistent with his values and fulfilled his commitments," that "he never discriminated against anyone." "You supported us and took care of everyone," he stressed.
Among Harald's achievements, Haakon pointed out that he "apologized" on behalf of everyone to the Sami Lapps for "the injustices committed against them," referring to the policies of forced assimilation, such as the prohibition of their language or their religion. He also recalled that he was the head of State when the 77 murders perpetrated by the far-right Anders Breivik occurred on July 22, 2011.
Haakon insisted that Harald "united us all with natural authority." "I will miss him. I will miss his laughter," he added.
The monarch warned that "the world is once again more insecure and unpredictable than it was during much of King Harald's reign." "Now that my father has passed away, I have a great task ahead," he noted, before promising that "I will always try to understand the situation of each person."
"With God's help and with the support of the people, I look forward to the great task ahead. I pray that we all unite with the old wish: May God preserve our country," he concluded.
Harald V passed away early on Friday at the Oslo University Hospital, where he had been admitted since August 17 due to fluid retention and a bacterial infection in the blood, as part of the treatment for the hemolytic anemia he suffered from.
The deceased king was the dean of European monarchies and had been suffering from various health problems in recent years, which led to 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.