In memory of King Harald V

At 6:35 yesterday morning, His Majesty King Harald V, my beloved father, died. 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. Sharing the grief makes it easier to bear. It has been deeply moving to see all the candles, messages and flowers filling up the Palace Square. Thank you all for your thoughtfulness and support.

For those of us who were closest to him, he was a tender and wise father. A welcoming and entertaining grandfather. A loving and considerate husband. A brother, uncle and father-in-law everyone enjoyed spending time with. He was the patriarch of our family, and he embraced and brought us all together with a natural authority that he may not always have been aware of himself.

Above all, he was a person who remained committed to his values and dedicated to his duties – both as a family man and as King. He supported and looked out for us all. It makes me proud to think about everything he stood for – and stood up for.

I will miss him. I will miss his laughter. The warmth with which he met people and dealt with situations. My father always helped the people around him to relax.

He was a good listener. Especially when it came to children and young people – who had a special place in his heart. His strong, warm, majestic hand that offered gentle comfort to those in need of reassurance, young and old alike. He met everyone with respect and generosity – and he always treated people equally.

He went to console hurricane victims – wearing a down jacket and wellies.
He apologised, on behalf of us all, to the Sámi people for the wrongs that had been committed against them.
He wept together with us when we lost so many of our people in the attacks on Utøya and the government complex.
He brought us together by finding the words to express who could call themselves Norwegian.

I can see him so clearly in his sailboat, with his cap, sunglasses and booming laugh. Where he was free to be just himself, recharge his battery and find joy in competing with other sailing enthusiasts.

And his broad smile from his hammock in the Amazon – where he finally realised his boyhood dream of living among the Yanomami people for a few days. A dream that emerged from a commitment to safeguarding the wildlife and natural surroundings of our world.

I know that many of you will miss much of this as well.

Throughout our country, and across the world, there are thousands of people who are thinking back to their meetings with him, cherishing those memories even more.

Memories that will live on in people’s hearts and their family lore.

He found it fulfilling to represent Norway and the Norwegian people as King, and he did so with pride. In his visits across the country, at events here at the Palace, and in his work for Norway in international settings.

In the driving snow at the cross-country skiing stadium.
On the Palace balcony on May 17th.
On a State Visit with Nelson Mandela.

It gave him great strength to have my mother, Queen Sonja, at his side as his partner in a life of service. Together, they were a dynamic King and Queen who complemented each other well.

King Harald followed our country over a period of great change. From the time he returned after World War II, an 8-year old stepping onto the Oslo quay, up to today, Norway has undergone a huge, positive transformation. Today we are a welfare society – a society where people with different roots and backgrounds from across the world live together and build communities together.

At the same time, the world today has become more unstable and unpredictable than it was during most of King Harald's reign. This affects us here in Norway as well, and has brought a new uncertainty to our lives.

Now that my father has passed away, a huge task awaits me.

He reminded our family constantly that each of us must do things in our own way. Find our own path forward. Be ourselves. He followed his father, King Olav, who in turn followed his father, King Haakon.

Now it is my turn.

I am deeply grateful to have my family around me, and for the enormous support Queen Mette-Marit and our children give me.

I would also like to thank my mother and my sister for their steadfast strength even as they, too, are grieving the loss of a much-loved husband and father.

Our family has learned the importance of standing together to stand tall. In order to be secure in ourselves and to support each other. Also when things are difficult.

The unity we share gives us the strength we need to do our job for Norway.

Now, as King Harald’s long and eventful life of service draws to a close, it is wewho will walk together into a new era. Queen Mette-Marit and I wish to be present, to be there to listen. The Queen, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and I will always seek to learn more about the diversity of people’s lives.

No one can say what challenges those of us who live in Norway today will need to tackle together. What we do know, though, is that we will walk the path together, in good times and in bad.

We believe in a Norway that stands firmly on the foundation of our history, on all that has shaped us over time.

We believe in our government by the people – and in democracy.

We believe in a society based on the rule of law – where everyone is equal.

A society where we can see and appreciate each other’s resources – so that together, we can create a Norway where everyone can contribute and feel they belong.

We believe in a Norway where there is room for everyone.

We will acknowledge the true strengths of our fellowship – and know with certainty that we are one as a people.

Today I feel profound gratitude towards those who have gone before me. All of them were monarchs of their times. They were loved and respected, and have been important to many people. I have learned a great deal from all of them.

Like King Haakon, King Olav and King Harald, I have chosen to take the motto “We give our all for Norway”.

“We give our all for Norway” means fighting to ensure that all the people of Norway have the opportunity to live free lives.

It also entails a responsibility for ensuring that we as a nation contribute positively to the world around us.

And it means – as an ultimate consequence – being willing to risk everything, including our lives, to safeguard Norway's freedom and independence.

Today we are a family and a people in mourning.

We thank King Harald for everything that he was and everything that he did – for Norway, for everyone in our country.

With God’s help and the support of the people, I look forward to taking on the great task ahead of me. I ask that we all unite together in the traditional prayer of hope:

May God preserve and protect our country.