Elise Aasen

A tribute to King Harald V from the left-wing newspaper Klassekampen (The Class Struggle): “Also the republicans’ king”, referencing Haakon VII, who, amid criticism for allowing Labour to form a government in 1928, declared: “I am also the King of the Communists.”

King Haakon VIII’s first address to the Norwegian people as King: Dear everyone, Yesterday morning at 6:35, His Majesty King Harald V, my father, whom I loved so dearly, passed away. We are grieving. At the same time, it brings us comfort and strength to know that so many are grieving with us. It has been a powerful and moving experience to see the Palace Square filled with people, flowers, messages and candles. Thank you so much. Dear Dad, thank you for being such a good father to Märtha and me. Warm and reassuring. You were also a gentle and funny grandfather. A loving and thoughtful husband. A generous father-in-law. A brother and uncle whom everyone loved spending time with. You were the head of our family, and together with my mother, you embraced and brought us all together with a natural authority that perhaps you were not entirely aware of yourself. Above all, you were a person who always stood firmly by your values and commitments. You supported and cared for all of us. It makes me proud to think of everything you both endured — and stood up for. I will miss him. I will miss his laughter. His gentle way of meeting people and dealing with situations. My father always made those around him feel at ease. He was a good listener, especially when meeting children and young people, for whom he had a special place in his heart. His large, warm royal hand would gently reach out to both young and old who needed an extra hand to hold. He met everyone with respect and generosity, and never made distinctions between people. He travelled to comfort those affected by hurricanes, dressed in a padded jacket and rubber boots. He apologised to the Sámi people, on behalf of us all, for the injustices committed against them. He wept with us after we lost so many at Utøya and in the Government Quarter. He brought us together by putting into words who we Norwegians are. I picture him in his sailboat, wearing a cap and sunglasses, his laughter ringing out. There, he could simply be himself, recharge and find immense joy, competing alongside other passionate sailors. And I think of the image of his broad smile in a hammock in the Amazon, where he finally fulfilled his childhood dream of spending a few days living among the Yanomami people. A dream born of his commitment to protecting the world’s animals and nature. I know that many of you will miss these things too. Across the country — and around the world — there are thousands of people today who cherish the memories they have of meeting him. Memories that will live on in people’s hearts and in their family stories. As King, my father represented Norway and the Norwegian people with pride and joy. Through visits around the country, at events here at the Palace, and in his work for Norway abroad. In the swirling snow at a cross-country skiing stadium. On the Palace balcony on 17 May. On a state visit with Nelson Mandela. It was also a great source of strength to him to have my mother, Queen Sonja, as a life partner with whom to share his duties. She helped make them a strong royal couple who complemented each other well. I know how much she meant to King Harald standing so firmly in his life’s work. In the life’s work they shared. Today marks 58 years since they were married. Happy anniversary, dear Mum. King Harald witnessed our country through a period of great change. From the time he, as an eight-year-old boy, set foot on the quay at Oslo City Hall upon returning home after the Second World War, until today, Norway has undergone tremendous positive development. Today, we are a welfare society, where people from different backgrounds live together and find ways to make it work with one another. At the same time, the world is once again more insecure and unpredictable than it has been for most of King Harald’s reign. This, too, affects us here in Norway and has brought a new sense of gravity into our lives.