Norway mourns King Harald as new era begins under Haakon VIII

Oslo, August 30 — In his first speech since ascending to the throne, Norway's new King Haakon VIII paid tribute to his late father, King Harald V, who passed away the day before. The monarch, 53, spoke of his father's unwavering commitment to values and duties in a televised address. Haakon expressed deep sorrow at the loss of his father, but found solace in the outpouring of grief from the Norwegian people.

"We greatly mourn his loss. At the same time, it gives us consolation and strength to know that there are so many who are grieving with us," he said.

The new king also noted that his parents, King Harald V and Queen Sonja, would have marked their 58th wedding anniversary on Saturday. "Happy anniversary, dearest mamma," Haakon said, his voice trembling with emotion. Flags flew at half-mast across Norway, and scores of Norwegians continued to pay their respects to the late king at the palace.

Haakon thanked his father for being a "wonderful papa" to him and his sister Martha Louise. "A huge task awaits me," he acknowledged. "He reminded our family constantly that each of us must do things in our own way. Find our own path forward. Be ourselves," Haakon said of his father. "Now it is my turn," he declared.

King Haakon's speech was described as "emotional" by nurse Kari Lyngestad, who expressed her happiness and sadness at the same time, believing that "everything is going to be okay, we have a good new king". Teacher Eyvind Storeheier called the speech "fantastic" and predicted that Haakon would be a king of the people.

European monarchies and world leaders have also paid tribute to the late king, with U.S. President Donald Trump hailing him as a "strong, proud, and greatly respected man". The Norwegian royal family held memorial services on Sunday, with a national period of mourning declared. The late king's funeral has not yet been scheduled.