President of Storting Masud Gharahkhani delivers memorial address

The President of the Storting, Masud Gharahkhani, has delivered a memorial address for King Harald V.

The speech was broadcast live from the June 7th Room of the Storting.

He said, “The King of Norway, His Majesty King Harald V, passed away today. With that, a captain has left us. The Norwegian people stand together in mourning the loss of a king who stood at the helm for 35 years. The Storting has received the news of his death with great sadness.”

He added, “Like his father and grandfather before him, King Harald was the people’s king, in a society rooted in a constitution and democratic rule.”

Speaking about Queen Sonja, he said, “When Crown Prince Haakon was to choose his life partner, Harald and Sonja had paved the way. The love between two people is the greatest, even for the royals.”

He also emphasised the King’s sense of humour, saying, “King Harald was easy to like. The many thousands he met across the country can attest to that. His greatest quality as a monarch perhaps lay in the sincere warmth and interest he showed in meeting people.”

Speaking about the difficult moments, he said, “During the national mourning after the terror attack on July 22, 2011, he put into words the indescribable pain of losing someone, says Gharakhani, quoting from the king’s speech at the time: ‘As a father, grandfather, and husband, I can only imagine your pain. As the king of the country, I feel for each and every one of you.’ With tears in his eyes, he showed his own grief.”