Haakon VIII takes oath on the Constitution before the Storting

At 1:00 p.m. on September 1, 2026, Haakon VIII took before the Storting the oath to the Constitution required under Article 9, followed by a brief address. This is the solemn act that closes the transfer of the crown opened by the death of Harald V, which we reported on August 28.

In the same session, the President of Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, read the communication from the Office of the Prime Minister on the death of the sovereign and the transfer of the crown. In his remarks, Gharahkhani called the assembly “the heart of democracy,” according to the report published by the Storting.

The order of the two moments says something about Norway’s constitutional architecture. Succession does not depend on the oath: the head of state already holds that status by virtue of the succession rule, and the ceremony in Parliament publicly registers a transition that has already taken place. The government communication read in the chamber has the same nature: it informs the legislative branch of an accomplished fact, rather than submitting it to a vote. It is a sequence designed so that no institutional gap exists between one sovereign and the next.

The calendar for the next thirty days has meanwhile filled up. Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s oath has been signed and delivered to the Storting, but it was not pronounced in the chamber: it will be reported to lawmakers at the first ordinary session, on September 30. The written form has thus already been finalized, while the public reading follows the rhythm of parliamentary proceedings.

On August 30, the Royal House announced the date of Harald V’s state funeral: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., at Oslo Cathedral. Officiating will be Olav Fykse Tveit, Preses Bishop; alongside him, leading the Diocese of Oslo, Sunniva Gylver. The coffin will then be placed in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress, the traditional burial site of Norway’s reigning family.

Meanwhile, on August 31, the coffin of the late sovereign — draped in the royal standard — was moved in procession from the Red Room to the chapel of the Royal Palace. This is the step that precedes the transfer to the cathedral for the funeral ceremony.

In our August 28 piece, we noted that the funeral calendar had not been announced: that point has now been settled, with the August 30 announcement. Still unspecified in the available material, however, are details on the participation of foreign delegations and on public access arrangements for the September 9 ceremony.

Information on the oath comes from the Storting’s statement issued via NTB Kommunikasjon and from the website of the Norwegian Parliament; information on the funeral comes from the Royal House’s announcement and from the Associated Press report carried by the Washington Post.

The next scheduled event is September 9 at 1:00 p.m. at Oslo Cathedral, eight days after the oath. On September 30, with the reading of Ingrid Alexandra’s oath, the formal sequence of succession will be completed.

Sources: NTB Kommunikasjon (Storting statement); Stortinget; The Washington Post (Associated Press); Hola! (Norwegian Royal House announcement).