Crown Prince Harald of Norway became King Harald V of Norway when his father King Olav V died on January 17, 1991. Harald was 53 years old; his father had reigned for 33 years.
Harald and Sonja at the Storting |
He was accompanied by Queen Sonja, dressed in full mourning with the sash of the Order of St. Olav. Norway hadn't had a queen since Queen Maud died in 1938, and Sonja had been serving as first lady for her father-in-law since her marriage to Harald in 1968.
In June of 1991, allowing some months for the end of the mourning period and for the required planning, a consecration ceremony was held for the new king and queen. The ceremony has historic roots, but has undergone some changes since Norway's independent monarchy was revived.
From 1814 to 1905, Norway and Sweden were united under one monarch. When Norway dissolved the union they went on the hunt for their own monarch, and Prince Carl of Denmark was the man for the job. The Norwegian constitution at the time required that the monarch be crowned in a coronation ceremony. So in 1906, Carl and his wife Maud (daughter of Britain's King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) were crowned King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway.
King Haakon and Queen Maud in their coronation finery |
Harald and Sonja at the consecration ceremony |
Queen Sonja wore a white dress with a train and a dramatic overlay. Instead of a tiara, she wore a kokoshnik-style headdress. Harald and Sonja's children, Märtha Louise and Haakon, participated in the ceremony as well. Märtha Louise was 19 and dressed in the same style as her mother; Haakon was just 17 and did not wear a uniform as he hadn't entered the military yet. The event was designed to be all about Norway, so the only foreign representatives were diplomats - no foreign royalty. Harald hasn't held any large jubilee celebrations yet in his reign. (Video from the consecration can be found here.)
Crown Prince Haakon is next in line to the throne. Thanks to a constitution reform which ensures equal rights for girls in the line of succession, his daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra comes after him.