Norway’s new king stands with daughter to take oath, as support for scandal-hit royals recovers

London: Norway’s new king has taken an oath in parliament to formalise the start of his reign following the death of his father, as public support for the monarchy rises despite months of scandal.

King Haakon VIII promised to uphold the nation’s laws during a ceremony in Oslo that marked his first address to the parliament as monarch.

Standing beside the king was his daughter, Ingrid Alexandra, a student at the University of Sydney who becomes Norway’s crown princess and heir to the throne.

Thousands of Norwegians have gathered outside the royal palace in Oslo to show their respect for the monarchy on the passing of King Harald, who died on Friday at the age of 89.

Scandals have overshadowed some of the ceremonies, however, given the public concerns about Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, and her son, Marius Borg Høiby, who was sentenced in June to four years in prison after being found guilty of rape.

Høiby has appealed the conviction and was released by authorities this week to take part in some of the ceremonies , standing behind King Harald’s coffin when it was carried to the royal palace chapel on Monday.

He is also expected to be allowed to attend King Harald’s funeral next week.

While Høiby has no royal status, given he was born to Mette-Marit before her relationship with Haakon, he was welcomed as a member of the family and included in its events. He did not attend the ceremony in parliament on Tuesday.

Public concerns have also swirled around Mette-Marit after revelations of her friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, but she joined the procession on Monday. She did not attend the parliament, in a last-minute cancellation because she is recovering from a lung transplant in June.

Attention during the oath was on Haakon and Ingrid-Alexandra, both dressed in black as they stood in front of the 169 members of the legislature, known as the Storting.

Ingrid Alexandra, 22, returned to Norway in June from her university studies in Australia and remains a student at the University of Sydney, where she began a three-year bachelor of arts degree with a focus on international relations and political economy.

While she cut short her time in Sydney to be in Oslo when her mother was recovering from surgery, she is studying at the University of Oslo on exchange from Sydney.

The new king was also joined by mother, Queen Sonja, and his son with Mette-Marit, Prince Sverre Magnus, 20.

Norway does not have a coronation for a new monarch and instead marks the start of a reign with an oath in the Storting, highlighting the primacy of the parliament. Unlike others in Europe, the Norwegian royal house was chosen by a committee of the parliament and confirmed by a popular vote in a referendum in 1905.