King Haakon VIII opened the Storting for the first time as king on Friday, five weeks after succeeding his father, King Harald V. The ceremony marked the formal opening of Norway’s 171st Storting and another milestone in the country’s recent royal transition.
The King was joined in the parliamentary chamber in Oslo by his daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who is now first in line to the Norwegian throne. Queen Mette-Marit had also been expected to attend, but withdrew because of a respiratory infection. The Royal Court said she remains in rehabilitation following her lung transplant.
Haakon had previously opened Parliament once, in 2020, when he was serving as Crown Prince Regent while King Harald was ill. Friday was, however, the first time he performed one of the monarchy’s most important constitutional ceremonies as Norway’s head of state.
King Haakon opens the Storting five weeks after taking the throne
King Haakon became monarch following the death of King Harald V on 28 August. Four days later, on 1 September, he appeared before the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) to swear the oath required of a new monarch under Article 9 of the Constitution.
Friday’s opening came exactly five weeks after his accession.
It was also the first parliamentary opening attended by Haakon and Ingrid Alexandra together in their new roles as king and crown princess.
The government’s programme read from the throne
As part of the ceremony, Haakon delivered the Speech from the Throne, which is written by the government rather than by the monarch and sets out its priorities for the coming parliamentary year. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre formally handed the text to the King in the chamber.
The speech published by the Norwegian government placed security, household finances and economic uncertainty at the centre of the coming year’s agenda.
“Norway shall be a safe country with opportunities for everyone.”
The government described the international security environment as the most serious since the Second World War, citing Russia’s war against Ukraine, uncertainty in USA politics and growing trade barriers. It also reiterated its commitment to NATO, closer Nordic and European defence cooperation and continued support for Ukraine.
On the economy, the government said it wants households to have more disposable income while avoiding policies that could add to inflation and interest-rate pressures. The speech also stressed the importance of maintaining Norwegian companies’ access to the European market through the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement.
Other priorities included health reform, housing construction, changes to schools, stricter rules around children’s use of social media and greater international cooperation on artificial intelligence.
A ceremony rooted in Norway’s Constitution
The State Opening of the Storting is one of the few occasions when Norway’s legislative, executive and judicial branches are represented together. Members of Parliament and the government attend alongside the Chief Justice and a delegation from the Supreme Court.
The ceremony is rooted in Article 74 of the Norwegian Constitution and traditions dating back to 1814. The King formally opens Parliament with the Speech from the Throne, after which the government presents an account of the state of the country.
For Haakon, Friday’s ceremony added another constitutional duty to the first weeks of his reign, after taking the oath before Parliament in September. For Ingrid Alexandra, it was also one of her first major appearances at the Storting since becoming Norway’s crown princess.
