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Monday April 29, 2024

Norway’s King Harald, 86, rules out abdication

His mounting health issues led commentators to speculate about possibility that Harald may follow in footsteps of his cousin Margrethe

By AFP
January 24, 2024
King Harald V of Norway pictured attending the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway, on December 10th, 2022. — AFP
King Harald V of Norway pictured attending the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway, on December 10th, 2022. — AFP

OSLO: Norway’s frail 86-year-old King Harald has no plans to abdicate, he reiterated Tuesday in his first public remarks since the surprise decision by Denmark´s Queen Margrethe to stand down. “I stick by what I´ve always said, that I swore an oath to the Storting (parliament) and it is for life,” said Harald, Europe´s oldest monarch, quoted by Norwegian media. He was speaking at a visit to a Norwegian press centre in Oslo, accompanied by his son Crown Prince Haakon. The king, who has been on the throne for 33 years, will turn 87 on February 21. His mounting health issues and advanced age have led commentators to speculate about the possibility that Harald may follow in the footsteps of his 83-year-old distant cousin Margrethe.