Norway is a constitutional monarchy and His Majesty The King is formally the head of state. The country is never without a monarch. When a monarch passes away, the next in line in the order of succession automatically becomes the King or Queen. The King presides over the meetings of the Government in the Council of State at the Royal Palace.  

Article 6 of the Constitution stipulates the order of succession to the Norwegian Throne. Previously the right of succession was reserved for male heirs. Since 1990, however, female and male children have been included on an equal footing in the order of succession. For those born before 1990, it is still the case that a male takes precedence over a female.

The order of succession is lineal, which means that only a child of a King or a Queen, or of a person who is entitled to the succession himself or herself, may succeed to the Throne.

The following sequence of events takes place when a monarch passes away:

  • The President of the Storting, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court are notified of the death of the monarch.
  • The Government is summoned to an extraordinary government conference.
  • An extraordinary Council of State is held at the Royal Palace with the new King. At this time, the Government will be formally informed of the death of the monarch and the name and motto of the new monarch will be presented.
  • When a monarch dies, the new monarch is to swear an oath of allegiance in person before the Storting. This is set out in Article 9 of the Constitution. The new monarch takes the following oath before the Storting: ‘I promise and swear that I will govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and Laws; so help me God, the Almighty and Omniscient.’
  • Moreover, in accordance with Article 44 of the Constitution, the Princess or Prince who is second in line to the throne and has come of age is to give an oath in writing before the Storting.

Accession to the Norwegian Throne since 1905

  • King Haakon VII died on the morning of 21 September 1957. An extraordinary Council of State was convened with King Olav V at the Royal Palace on the same day. Since the Storting was not in session at that time, the oath of allegiance was given before the extraordinary Council of State, and then repeated before the Storting at its formal opening on 20 January 1958.
  • King Olav V died on the evening of 17 January 1991. An extraordinary Council of State was convened with King Harald V at the Royal Palace at midnight. The Storting was in session, and the new King gave his oath of allegiance before the Storting on 21 January 1991.

Oaths of allegiance given in Norway since 1905 

  • The death of King Harald represents the first time in recent Norwegian history that the second in line to the throne is over the age of 18. Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will therefore give an oath in writing before the Storting.
  • When then Crown Prince Olav came of age on 2 July 1924, his father, King Haakon, had already acceded to the throne. The same was the case when Crown Prince Harald came of age on 21 February 1958 and when Crown Prince Haakon came of age on 20 July 1991, Each of them had become second in the line of succession before turning 18, and thus each gave their oath of allegiance to the Storting when they came of age.