The Norwegian royal family is still in mourning following the deaths of King Harald and Princess Astrid, a period of grief that has led to the cancellation of all official engagements except for the most important duties. These are mainly those laid out in the Constitution, which a monarch is required to fulfill. The most solemn of them takes place this Friday at the Storting: the Opening of Parliament, an event of the highest institutional importance reserved only for the King, his consort, and the heir.
This was set to be the grand debut of the new head of state, but Queen Mette-Marit has withdrawn from the official agenda just hours beforehand.
Early this morning, the Royal Palace in Oslo informed Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that Queen Mette-Marit will not be able to take part in the opening of the Storting due to a “respiratory infection.”
© LISE ASERUD“The Queen is taking part in the planned training, and we are pleased with her progress. The Queen is still in a rehabilitation period that will last for approximately one year after the operation,” said Dr. Are Holm, head of pulmonology at Rikshospitalet, where the Queen underwent a lung transplant this past June due to chronic pulmonary fibrosis, diagnosed in 2018. This condition has made last-minute withdrawals and absences from her agenda a recurring reality.
As of yesterday afternoon, all three names were still on the agenda for what was to be a historic day. This 171st Opening of the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) is the first of the reign of Haakon VIII. As regent, he presided over this ceremony in 2020 on behalf of King Harald, but for both Queen Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid this was to be their major debut before the nation, the 169 members of the Storting, the full government, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and a delegation from the High Court.
© Per Ole HagenCrown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be at the Storting alongside her father, marking a new stage in her preparation as heir, during a ceremony in which King Haakon will read the Speech from the Throne, a text drafted by the government outlining its program for the coming year. This lays the groundwork for a scenario that has long been considered: that Haakon’s reign may be supported more heavily by the Crown Princess than by the Queen consort, who is still in recovery. Her ongoing health journey will continue to determine her official schedule and her role going forward.
© Rune Hellestad - CorbisAfter she was discharged from the hospital three months ago, Queen Mette-Marit’s medical team made it clear that she faced a rehabilitation period: “The Crown Princess’s health is good, given the circumstances,” explained Dr. Are Holm, head of pulmonology at Rikshospitalet, in July, before detailing that over the next six months Mette-Marit would follow a rehabilitation program and be closely monitored to detect complications such as rejection or infections. The subsequent statement from the Royal Palace in Oslo, reported by NRK, added the decisive detail: no official engagements were planned for the Princess during this period.
© Rune HellestadAt that point, the statement referred to a six-month period. Today, however, the timeline has been extended, and Dr. Holm is now speaking of a full year, one that will coincide with the first year of King Haakon’s reign, a time of enormous institutional significance in which, under normal circumstances, the official agenda of each member accompanying the head of state would be clearly defined. For now, and in institutional terms, this is the beginning of the reign of a King and his heir.
