King Haakon of Norway Fulfills Solemn First Duty as Monarch After Father King Harald’s Death

In one of his first duties as monarch, the new King Haakon of Norway held a cabinet meeting at the Royal Palace in Oslo, following the death of his father, King Harald V.

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NEED TO KNOW

King Haakon of Norway was photographed looking solemn at his first cabinet meeting as monarch

King Harald’s only son acceded to the throne upon the late monarch’s death on Friday, Aug. 28

Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the new heir to Norway’s throne, also attended the meeting with government officials

King Haakon of Norway began his royal duties as the new monarch almost immediately following the death of his father, King Harald V.

Just hours after the Royal Court of Norway announced that King Harald V died on the morning of Friday, Aug. 28, at age 89, the late King’s son held his first cabinet meeting as monarch at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

There, King Haakon made the following announcement: “Prime Minister and ministers: It is my duty to inform the Council of State that my dear father, His Majesty King Harald V, died today, 28 August 2026, at 06:35, and that in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, I have assumed the government as King of Norway.”

“I will take the name Haakon VIII and will continue the same motto that my father, grandfather and great-grandfather chose: ‘Everything for Norway,’ “ he added.

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King Haakon, 53, appeared solemn at the meeting, where he met with members of the Norwegian government, including Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Haakon’s daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, also joined the meeting as the new heir to the throne.

Ingrid Alexandra recently began a new semester at the University of Oslo, where she was taking classes as a transfer student. She returned home from Australia — where she was in the midst of a three-year bachelor’s degree with a focus on international relations and political economy at the University of Sydney — due to recent health issues for her mother, the new Queen Mette-Marit, which included a lung transplant.

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Later on Aug. 28, King Harald’s body will be moved from the National Hospital, where he died, to the Royal Palace.

According to the Royal Court, King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Queen Sonja, Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Märtha Louise will follow the transport.

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King Harald reigned for 35 years, becoming Norway’s monarch at age 53 upon the death of his father, King Olav, in January 1991.

He faced many health issues in past years, including two hospitalizations in 2026. After King Harald was hospitalized in February for dehydration and exhaustion during a vacation, he was hospitalized again on Aug. 17, with the Royal House announcing at the time that it was due to side effects from other ongoing medical treatment. A few days later, the palace said that King Harald’s condition had “worsened,” with members of the royal family canceling planned engagements to be with him.

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King Haakon’s accession comes amid a tumultuous time for his family.

His wife, Queen Mette-Marit, 53, underwent a lung transplant in June after being diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. In an update shared the following month, Haakon said it was “only the beginning of a long road to recovery.”

Earlier in 2026, Mette-Marit made headlines after she was named in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Jan. 30 drop of files relating to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The royal addressed her relationship with Epstein in a tearful interview.

“Jeffrey Epstein is solely responsible for his actions. I must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was. I deeply regret this, and it is a responsibility I must bear. I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing,” she said. “I wish to express my deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the abuse committed by Jeffrey Epstein.”

In addition, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship before marrying Haakon, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced in June to four years in prison after being convicted of multiple offenses, including two counts of rape, according to the BBC and The Guardian. His attorneys said they plan to appeal the verdict, and Marius was photographed visiting the hospital where King Harald was being treated shortly before the monarch’s death.

In addition to Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit are the parents of a 20-year-old son, Prince Sverre Magnus.

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