King Haakon's first speech includes bittersweet message for Queen Sonja

King Haakon VIII has paid a deeply personal tribute to his late father, King Harald V, while marking what would have been his parents’ 58th wedding anniversary with a message to Queen Sonja.

Speaking from the Royal Palace in Oslo on Saturday, the newly acceded King reflected on the extraordinary loss facing his family and the nation, just one day after Harald died at the age of 89.

Haakon directly addressed his mother during the speech, telling her that he was proud of the life and work she had shared with Harald before offering her a simple but moving anniversary wish: “Congratulations on your wedding anniversary, dear mother.”

The King also spoke about his own grief, describing Harald not only as a monarch but as the father he and his sister, Princess Märtha Louise, had known as a warm and reassuring presence.

‘A good dad’ and a warm grandfather

He remembered Harald as a loving father to him and Märtha Louise, a funny and affectionate grandfather, a caring husband and a generous father-in-law. 

He described his father as the natural head of their family, someone who had a remarkable ability to bring relatives together without needing to assert his authority.

Above all, Haakon said, Harald remained true to his values and commitments.

The late King had a special tenderness towards children and young people, Haakon recalled, describing him as an attentive listener who always seemed to have extra time for them.

Harald’s hand was always reaching out

Haakon then turned to some of the moments that, in his view, captured his father's character as King.

He remembered the monarch apologising to the Sami people for historical injustices committed against them and standing alongside the nation in its grief following the 2011 attacks on Utøya and the government quarter.

The new King also offered a more intimate image of his father away from royal duties. 

Harald aboard a sailboat, wearing a cap and sunglasses and laughing loudly while competing alongside fellow sailing enthusiasts.

Another memory took Haakon to the Amazon, where he pictured his father smiling from a hammock after fulfilling a childhood dream of spending time with the Yanomami people. 

King who represented Norway with pride

Haakon said he had represented Norway with both pride and happiness throughout his reign, whether travelling around the country, welcoming people to the Palace or undertaking official visits overseas.

He evoked a series of distinctly Norwegian images: his father standing in the snow at a cross-country skiing event, appearing on the Palace balcony for Constitution Day and representing Norway during a state visit to South Africa to meet Nelson Mandela.

But Haakon stressed that Harald's public life had never been a solitary one.

'Norway has changed so much’

He recalled Harald returning to Norway as an eight-year-old after the Second World War, arriving at Oslo's City Hall quay. 

From that childhood moment to his final days as King, Norway had transformed into a prosperous welfare society where people from different backgrounds lived alongside one another.

The nation is currently observing an official mourning period, while memorial services are being held across the country. 

A service at Asker Church will be attended by Queen Sonja, King Haakon, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus on Sunday.