Norway’s King Haakon VIII swears allegiance to constitution

Norway's King Haakon VIII took the formal oath of allegiance to the constitution at the Norwegian parliament in Oslo on Tuesday. This was the first major institutional step of his reign, though his wife, still recovering from a lung transplant, was unable to attend. The 53-year-old Haakon, who became king after his father King Harald V's death, swore to abide by the Scandinavian country's constitution, which grants the royals a primarily symbolic function.

Haakon pledged, "I promise and swear that I will govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and Laws, so help me God." Queen Mette-Marit, Haakon's wife, was not present as she continues to recover from her June 17 transplant, with complications arising which require her to be under observation. Haakon's daughter, Ingrid Alexandra, who is now the crown princess at 22, attended the ceremony and would also take the oath in writing at the Royal Palace.

The couple observed a minute of silence in tribute to Harald. Harald passed away on Friday morning at the age of 89 due to haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by the rapid destruction of red blood cells. He faced increasing health issues in his final years but never considered abdicating. Following his death, support for the monarchy in Norway has increased, with 72 percent of Norwegians backing the monarchy, up from 64 percent in a previous survey.