He’s a tough act to follow: Norway’s King Harald V, who died August 28 aged 89, was much loved for his unwavering service of 35 years and seen as his country’s “grandfather”.
His son and successor King Haakon VIII, 53, paid an emotional tribute to his father in his first speech as monarch, saying Harald ruled with “pride and joy”, and describing him as “such a good dad”. He knows he faces an uphill battle to earn the same respect as his father because of recent scandals that have hit his family.
A royal family under fire
In February, his wife Queen Mette-Marit, 53, apologised for her “poor judgement” after it was revealed she’d been friends with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She was mentioned more than 1000 times in the Epstein files and, in emails, described him as “charming” and “a sweetheart”.
Meanwhile, in June, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, 29, was found guilty of a number of charges, including two counts of rape, and sentenced to four years in prison. He has appealed the sentence and is currently under house arrest.
From controversy to Queen
Marius was four when his mother married Norway’s heir to the throne. Mette-Marit and Haakon’s relationship was controversial at the time because she was a single mother, and Marius’ father had served time in prison for drug and violence offences. Polls showed many Norwegians thought she should not be queen, but over the years people warmed to her thanks to her advocacy work, including trying to remove the stigma surrounding HIV and Aids.
In 2018, she was diagnosed with the lung condition pulmonary fibrosis, and had a lung transplant in July. In his speech, Haakon, a former naval officer, promised to give his all to Norway, but do things his own way.
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