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It is in the book “The King Counts”, written by Harald Stanghelle, that King Harald describes his personal experience of, among other things, the terrorist attacks of July 22, 2011 and the time after. Through eleven conversations, the king has shared personal, though not private, reflections on various topics.
In the book, the king describes a very special atmosphere at the national memorial service in Oslo Spektrum on August 21, where mourners stood up and cried everywhere, and he was going to give a speech.
– It was hard to hold back the tears. And I did not achieve that. He was not proud of that, says the king.
He read the now iconic words: “As a father, grandfather and spouse, I can only feel your pain. As king of the country, I feel sorry for each and every one of you. Then the voice broke.
– It wasn’t a play at all. The feelings just came. The whole scene at Oslo Spektrum made it that way. Many thousands of people. And only in mourning. But he was not proud to be on stage and shed tears. I was a bit embarrassed. It was supposed to be tough, I am, says King Harald.
The key to your strength
Stanghelle tells NTB that his royal book is not a biography, although it does describe much of the king’s life and work. The objective has been to bring to light the attitudes and stories that characterize the country’s monarch and link them with the changes that Norway has experienced in the time of King Harald.
But you can never write a book with King Harald without his personal story being part of it. It is the history of the king interwoven with the history of society. We are talking about important themes that have characterized his time as prince, crown prince and king, says Stanghelle.
He himself remains a Republican in principle, but the process of speaking and writing with the king has given him a new perspective.
– I have gained a deeper understanding of the role of the king in a polarized age, not least the role of the king exercised in the way that King Harald does. He is a modest man in the exalted position of a king, which is one of the keys to understanding his enormously strong position among the Norwegian people, Stanghelle says.
Openness and vulnerability
The book has new elements that other royal books do not have, such as chapters on the death of Ari Behn and the situation of the crown in the last year.
Princess Märtha Louise’s ex-husband took his own life at his home in Lommedalen on Christmas Day last year. He was going to visit family in Kongsseteren the same day. King Harald says the family was reunited when they learned of the death.
– It was a shock. We were very surprised, even though we knew he was in trouble. It’s painful and it takes a long time to get over it, says the king.
The speech that the eldest granddaughter, Maud Angelica, gave to her father at the funeral moved many.
– I was proud of her. “That she can do it,” I thought. He hadn’t accomplished that, says King Harald.
A few months later, the crown crisis was a fact in Norway. King Harald addressed the people on Sunday March 15, the first of the monarchs of Europe to address the crisis in the world. The royal family was also affected, like everyone else.
– We noticed the longing to hug those we love, we were not allowed to do so either. I myself have been so isolated that I have not been afraid of getting infected, says the king, but adds that he is fully aware that he is definitely in the risk group.
Full confidence in the Crown Prince
In the last chapter, King Harald reflects on the future of the monarchy, in Norway, and says that he is not concerned.
– The future of the monarchy has probably never been properly placed on the political agenda in my time, he notes.
He is also very happy with his son and heir, Crown Prince Haakon, whom he gives full confidence to when he himself is knocked out.
– There should be clear lines. During the periods where I have been ill and the Crown Prince has been regent, I have chosen not to participate fully and have stayed away. Otherwise, it will be too difficult for the poor regent, he says, describing the relationship with his son as ever closer.
– It will be fine when the time comes. It gives a good feeling to know that.
However, the king insists that abdication is out of the question.
– When you have taken the oath to the Storting, it lasts a lifetime. It’s that easy for me. We are in ‘the bitter end’.
Scary time
Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon have also contributed to the book, where the last conversation with the king took place on May 28.
In the last chapter, King Harald says that we are living in a terrifying time now that he is watching the development of society.
– I think it’s more and more like the interwar period. I think of nationalism and contradictions in another way. I am concerned about populism and division. And for the resurrection of the extreme right we see in some countries that they may not remember how it once was. Many countries are not so concerned with finding international solutions, they are cultivated. It’s an uncomfortable reminiscence of the time between WWI and WWII.
– I don’t like development at all. But we’ll see how it goes, he says.
