The King traveled the 700 metres from the palace in an open car. Large crowds had gathered along Karl Johan parade road in the fine late-summer weather, many waving and showing live images.
Arriving at the Storting, whose members wore black, the serious-looking king took his oath. He then gave a short speech in which he expressed hope for continued good relations with the Storting.
King Haakon also announced that he and the Queen are ready to carry out their task “for the country and the people.” Like his father, he adopts the motto “Everything for Norway.”
“Great expectations”
Sitting next to him was the newly crowned 22-year-old Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who will take a written oath in the Storting. Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus were also present.
The constitution states that a new monarch must go to parliament and take the oath, through which he formally promises to follow the laws of Norway. The late King Harald did this four days after his father's death in 1991, and King Haakon is doing so now four days after his father passed away, NTB writes.
Parliament Speaker Masud Gharahkhani (AP), who led the ceremony, paid tribute to the late King Harald as a person who “represented the very best of Norway” and wished the new royal couple well.
You have a heavy and unique legacy that comes with great expectations, he emphasized.
Has complications
The announcement that Queen Mette-Marit would not be attending came from pulmonologist Are Holm at the Rikshospitalet in Oslo earlier on Tuesday. He said that Mette-Marit would instead be under observation during the day following her transplant, which took place in mid-June.
"It is not uncommon for complications to arise after a lung transplant. The Queen has had complications on a few occasions since the operation, including today," he said, according to a press release from the court.
Queen Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018 and her health gradually deteriorated thereafter. In early June, it was announced that she had been put on the list of people in need of a lung transplant.
She left the hospital in mid-July. After King Harald's death, she has appeared in public.
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