Norway's new king sworn in

Norway's new King Haakon VIII took the oath of allegiance to the country's constitution at the parliament in the capital Oslo on September 1. He succeeded his father, Harald V, who died last week, Deutsche Welle reported.

On August 31, King Harald's coffin was brought to the royal palace chapel. Citizens can say goodbye to the late king until his funeral on September 9.

The ceremony took place in the Storting, the parliament, in Oslo. Parliament Speaker Masud Garahan read out the official announcement of Harald's death and Haakon's accession to the throne. After that, the new constitutional monarch took the oath.

"I promise and swear to govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and laws. May God, who is all-powerful and all-knowing, help me," the 53-year-old monarch said.

**Queen Mette-Marit not attending ceremony**

Ahead of the ceremony, the palace announced that the king's wife, Queen Mette-Marit, would not attend. She made her first public appearance since becoming queen on August 31. But she is still recovering from a lung transplant in June.

According to a palace statement, complications after organ transplants are common. Mette-Marit has had one on several occasions, including on September 1.

"The Queen will therefore be under medical supervision throughout the day. Unfortunately, the Queen will not be able to attend the swearing-in ceremony in the Storting today," the royal physician said.

**What is the role of the symbolic monarchy?**

The Norwegian royal family traces its roots back to the 9th century. The country regained its independence from Sweden in 1905. In a national referendum held at that time, three-quarters of voters supported the idea of restoring a symbolic constitutional monarchy.

The main political power is concentrated in the hands of an elected government and parliament. However, members of the Norwegian royal family retain a "soft power" role in diplomacy and in promoting the country to the world.