King Harald: – He offered hope to the people.

At midnight, the world leaves behind one of the heaviest years in modern history. 2020 was the year that everyone’s life was heavily affected by the ongoing pandemic, and while it by no means ceases to exist by the end of the year, 2021 likely offers a lot of symbolism and hope for many.

The new year is marked, as always, with King Harald (83) giving his annual New Years address. Without a doubt, it has also been a difficult year for the royal family, which began 2020 with the funeral of Ari Behn. The pandemic has also affected them this year, in addition to the fact that the king is ill.

King Harald began his speech by talking about the landslide accident at Gjerdrum. Thus, the speech is also re-recorded.

A touching greeting

– Tonight, first of all, I will send greetings to all those affected by the landslide in Gjerdrum. The terrible event deeply impresses us all. I sympathize with you who enter the new year with pain and uncertainty, says the king in the introduction.

The king also wanted to send warm thoughts to all the people, because the year has been difficult for many.

– We are together to live in a pandemic, but it has affected us completely differently. For many, it was the year dreams came true and things got even worse than they were. For others, the family became more cohesive. For most people, it has probably been a combination of most things, he says.

– I want to thank you all tonight. Thank you for giving up birthdays and holidays, for staying away from each other in pure attention, he says.

Mette-Marit was moved to tears

Optimism lover

King Harald says he misses his grandchildren, like other grandparents. Expect 2021 to be different. He says that crises do good in us, even if they are painful.

– Allow yourself to be scared, sad and desperate. We must be generous with ourselves, because the mood fluctuates for everyone, says the king.

King Harald wants to especially thank the children, who he thinks have been good this year. They have lost social media and other meeting places, but they still have.

– I can’t say that everything is fine and that everything will be as before. A child asked me in a letter if I was 100 years old. I replied that I’m not really that old, but that I have been involved in many things throughout my life, he says, and continues:

– I can promise you that the pandemic we are in now is over. We have been through great trials before. We must know with ourselves that we got through it because we never gave up hope, he says.

– Affectionate duckling

The Royal Household Hearing and Seeing expert Caroline Vagle also heard the king’s speech. She thought she was warm and loving.

King Harald delivered a warm and unifying speech. A loving pat on the back to all of us for standing in what he called an open-ended marathon. He also openly recounted how he and the queen miss hugging their beloved grandchildren, he says, continuing:

– The speech is usually recorded before Christmas, but this year like last year a new party had to be added. Last year about Ari, and this year about the tragic landslide in Gjerdrum. As usual, the king was close and loving in his message. And it is precisely in times of crisis that it truly becomes yours. It becomes a unifying figure. Kind of a good grandfather to all of us!

– God saves you

Queen Margaret of Denmark, King Harald’s third cousin, also summed up the year when she spoke Thursday night. There he told how, even in a dark time, points of light could be found. However, he did not hide the fact that the year had been extremely difficult, with illness in the community and in his own family.

– Now we are entering 2021. May it be a year that brings many joys. Let’s be there for each other. I wish you all a happy new year. God save you all. God save Denmark, he said.

Demanding years

2020, as mentioned, has been difficult for various members of the royal family due to the situation of the crown. In late November, the royal couple had to be quarantined after a court clerk tested positive. Fortunately, the royal couple did not catch it. Also in March, they had to be quarantined, as a result of a state visit to Jordan.

It was also the year that King Harald was hospitalized as a result of heavy breathing. It was the end of September. Already in early October, he underwent a heart valve operation, for which he was on sick leave for a month.

This is not the first time that King Harald has carried out such an operation. The same thing happened in 2005, when he had to operate the heart valve between the heart and the main artery. At that time, he received an artificial heart valve, made from biological material.

During the period when the king was on sick leave, Crown Prince Haakon served as regent.