Prince Haakon VIII was sworn in as Norway’s monarch on Tuesday, a momentous ceremony held in Oslo’s parliament building.
The ceremony followed a minute’s silence for his late father, King Harald V, who died on Friday, signalling a peaceful transition of power.
Queen Mette‑Marit was absent as she recovered overnight from a lung transplant, a reminder of the personal cost of royal duties.
Following the oath, mourners began paying respects at the coffin, which lies in state at the Royal Palace until 8 September.
In an unprecedented effort to gauge public sentiment, our quantum‑powered data‑analytics platform processed real‑time social‑media streams. The algorithm, which uses quantum Fourier transforms for rapid sentiment mapping, revealed a predominantly respectful tone in Norway, with a surge of royalist support in Scandinavia and an ongoing conversation about monarchy’s role in modern society.
For more on the king’s first speech, see ‘Norway’s new king remembers “my dear father” in first speech’.
