Norway is currently burying a king while crowning its new one. Harald V died Friday at 89, after 35 years on the throne, and his son (now King Haakon VIII) took over automatically upon his death. That's how succession works in a monarchy: the throne doesn't sit empty, even for a day of grief. The new king’s accession plays out against the backdrop of formal mourning for the old one. Monday brought the solemn bier ceremony in Oslo: Harald's coffin was moved through the palace's grandest rooms before reaching the Chapel Royal. For the first time in Norwegian history, it was broadcast for everyone to watch. The people carrying that coffin tell you everything about how tangled “modern monarchy” has gotten. King Haakon and his sister, Princess Märtha Louise, as well as the late king’s grandchildren: Ingrid Alexandra, Sverre Magnus, Maud, Leah, and Emma Behn… …and Marius Borg Höiby, Queen Mette-Marit's son. Out on release after being convicted on 34 criminal charges earlier this year, he walked as part of a formal funeral procession broadcast to the entire world. Behind them, Queen Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja held hands. The Chief of the Court, Olav Heian-Engdal, carried the Crown of Norway on a cushion. Palace staff lined the halls in a guard of honor. This is the tension that keeps monarchy watchable: an institution built on formality and continuity, staged for the cameras for the first time ever, with a convicted abuser walking the same procession as a crown and a new king and a crown princess whose role has never mattered more. Nobody gets to look away from any of it, and I don’t think we should. Starting Tuesday, the public can pay respects at the chapel until the funeral on September 9. And Haakon also took his constitutional oath Tuesday (without Mette-Marit there, due to complications not from her public controversies, but from her lung transplant). More on that oath, and the crown jewels that were on display but NOT placed on the new king's head, in my next video. #royalnews #norwegianroyalfamily #crownprincehaakon #crownprincessmettemarit #royaltea
12.79% ERengagement of this clip — above the author's average (10.56%)
top 82%outperforms 18% of the author's clips
29%of the author's average views
