Princess Anne shares a special bond with Norway's new monarch, King Haakon VIII, as she is one of his godparents. The Princess Royal accepted the role alongside the late King Olav V of Norway, Princess Astrid of Norway, the late Prince Carl Bernadotte of Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe of Denmark.
King Haakon ascended the throne after the death of his father, King Harald V, on Friday. Harald V and the late Queen Elizabeth II were second cousins, sharing the same great-grandparents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. This makes King Haakon a third cousin to King Charles, Princess Anne, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Edward.
King Charles pays tribute to 'dear cousin'
Following the death of Harald V at the age of 89, King Charles paid tribute to his "dear cousin," and Union flags flew at half-mast at Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Windsor Castle and Holyroodhouse.
In a statement released by the Palace, Charles said: "It is with the most profound sadness that my wife and I have learned of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway. For 35 years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility. As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades."
Charles said the United Kingdom and Norway share particularly close historical and family ties, pointing to Britain as one of the first countries to recognise Norwegian independence and establish diplomatic relations in 1905. The British monarch said the special bond was strengthened even further during the "dreadful trials" of World War Two.
He added: "The Queen and I extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Queen Sonja and all her family, as Britain shares in Norway's grief at this time of such heartbreaking loss."
New king's first speech and public mourning
In his first speech as monarch, King Haakon VIII paid tribute to his father and thanked the Norwegian people for their compassion. Tens of thousands of mourners have paid their respects, placing flowers and condolence cards outside the royal palace in Oslo, where the coffin arrived late on Friday.
King Haakon, 53, said: "As king, my father represented Norway and the Norwegian people with pride and joy, through visits around the country, at events here at the royal palace, and while working on Norway's behalf around the world. I'm going to miss him. I'll miss his laughter. His good-natured way of dealing with people and situations," he added, trying to hold back his tears as he vowed to give everything for the country in the future as its new king. "And that means — in the ultimate sense — being willing to risk everything, even one's life, for Norway's freedom and independence."
Norway's monarchy traces its origins to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. When Norway regained its independence from Sweden in 1905, three-quarters of voters in a national plebiscite approved restoring the monarchy. Today, the role is largely symbolic as power lies with an elected parliament, but the Norwegian royal family retains celebrity and a role in promoting the nation around the world.
