Norway's New King Heads North and Speaks About the Father He Misses

King Haakon VIII went north for his first official visit as king, arriving in Narvik on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the start of a two-day trip.

The stop was his first official municipal visit, the palace term for an official trip to a local community. He held a press meeting in Narvik before continuing to Finnmark, Norway's northernmost county, for meetings with military units, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

Asked what he misses most about his father, King Harald, Haakon answered in personal terms. He said he misses being able to talk to him about something he is happy about or sad about, according to Town & Country.

He was candid about the transition. Adjusting to the new role, he said, is "something you prepare for, but you're not completely prepared for."

He also described what he values in the job. The first thing he thinks about, he said, is that he is proud to be a representative of Norway and that is the best thing about the role.

Harald died on Aug. 28. Haakon, his son and former crown prince, then became Norway's head of state, a largely ceremonial role in the country's constitutional monarchy. In his first address to the nation as sovereign, Haakon called his late father "such a good dad," Reuters reported.

The northern trip carried a defense focus. From Narvik, Haakon inspected the newly established Finnmark Brigade, created in 2025 as Norway's second standing brigade through an expansion of the former Finnmark Land Defence.

What makes this stand out is the continuity. In February, then-Crown Prince Haakon attended the opening of Totalforsvarsåret, Norway's yearlong focus on total defense, together with his father.

Queen Sonja has also returned to public duties. She visited the National Archives in Oslo to view letters and drawings left at Palace Square after Harald's death, in her first official public engagement since his passing.