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King Haakon VIII Swears Oath of Allegiance to Norwegian Constitution

14 sources across 9 countries

Who reported this

  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Deutsche Welle Germany · Centre · Public · German federal public-law corporation
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation
  • UOL Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Folha
  • Folha de S.Paulo Brazil · Centre · Grupo Folha (Frias family)
  • Infobae Argentina · Centre-right · Daniel Hadad
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • Tempo English Indonesia · Centre-left · PT Tempo Inti Media
  • Corriere della Sera Italy · Centre-right · RCS MediaGroup (Cairo Communication)
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

King Haakon VIII of Norway took a formal oath of allegiance to the national constitution and laws before the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, on Tuesday. The ceremony follows the death of his father, King Harald V, who passed away on Friday at the age of 89. During the proceedings, the 53 year old monarch pledged to govern the kingdom in accordance with its laws, while the parliament observed a minute of silence for the late king. Haakon VIII arrived at the parliament in a 1966 black Lincoln Continental convertible, a vehicle previously used in royal weddings. He was accompanied by his daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, his mother, Queen Sonja, and Prince Sverre Magnus. Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra also took a similar oath, which was submitted in writing.

Queen Mette Marit was absent from the ceremony due to complications following a lung transplant she underwent in June. Her physician, Are Holm of Oslo University Hospital, stated that such complications are not uncommon and that the queen required observation throughout the day.

Public mourning for King Harald V continues as his coffin lies in state at the Royal Palace chapel until September 8. The funeral is scheduled for September 9 in Oslo, with international heads of state invited to attend. The late king will be buried in the royal mausoleum at the Akershus Fortress.

Recent polling conducted by Norstat for the public broadcaster NRK indicates that the monarchy remains popular, with 72 percent of Norwegians supporting the institution. This represents an increase from previous polls conducted earlier in the year. While the monarchy is largely symbolic, the oath serves as a constitutional requirement. Norway abolished formal coronations in 1908 to maintain a more modern and simple monarchy.

Some reports noted the presence of Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Queen Mette Marit from a previous relationship, during the procession of the coffin to the chapel. Høiby is currently under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor while appealing a four year prison sentence for rape and domestic violence.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
These reports emphasized the symbolic nature of the monarchy and the personal background of the parliament president as a refugee.
Centre
These outlets focused on the procedural facts of the oath and the basic details of the royal succession.
Centre-right
These outlets provided more detail on the specific royal regalia and the legal status of the family member under house arrest.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.