by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024
King Haakon VII reading the Speech from the Throne speech in 1950. Crown Prince Olav, the future King Olav V, is on the right; Credit – Photo by an unknown photographer, from the collection of Oslo Museum via DigitaltMuseum.
The State Opening of the Storting, the Norwegian Parliament, is held in early October after the Storting has been constituted. On the first working day of October, the Storting meets to elect its vice presidents and secretaries. When that is completed, the President of the Storting declares the Storting to be legally constituted.
According to Article 74 of the 1814 Constitution, the Norwegian monarch or his/her acting regent formally opens the Storting with a speech outlining the Government’s plans for the coming year. The monarch also addresses issues which he/she particularly desires to call the attention of the Storting.
The State Opening of the Storting is one of the few occasions when members of the Storting, known in Norwegian as stortingsrepresentants (Storting Representatives), the entire Government, and members of the Norwegian royal family are gathered in an official ceremony. All three branches of the state – the legislative, the executive, and the judicial – attend the State Opening. Civilian and military officials, members of the Royal Court, and invited guests also attend.
What happens?
The Stortinget, Norway’s Parliament in Oslo, taken from the author’s hotel room; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer 2024
The Norwegian royal family travels the short distance by car from the Royal Palace of Oslo to the Stortinget, the parliament building. Usually the monarch’s spouse and the heir to the throne, the Crown Prince or Crown Princess, also attends the opening of the Storting. Norway’s line of succession to the throne is based upon absolute primogeniture where males and females have equal succession rights.
Military forces and the King’s Guard line Karl Johans gate, Oslo’s main street, between the Royal Palace and the Storinget. The streets of Oslo are decorated with Norwegian flags and lined with thousands of spectators.
King Harald V arrives for the State Opening of the Storting in 2021; Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB
When the Norwegian monarch, his/her spouse, and the Crown Prince or Crown Princess arrive at the Stortinget, they are welcomed by seven Storting Representatives at the main entrance at Løvebakken, the driveway in front of the Stortinget. The seven Storting Representatives accompany them for the duration of their stay at the Storinget.
Queen Sonja, King Harald V, and Crown Prince Haakon (on the right) attend the State Opening of the Storting on October 2, 2010
The Storting Chamber is rearranged for the State Opening of the Storting. The throne is positioned where the President of the Storting and the speaker’s rostrum normally stand. A table for the Storting’s President and Secretary is placed in the semicircle in front of the seats of the Storting Representatives.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg hands the Speech from the Throne to King Harald V during the State Opening of the Storting on October 2, 2018
The monarch is handed the Speech from the Throne by the Prime Minister. The speech, written by the Government, contains the plans for the Government’s policies in the coming year.
King Harald V reads the Speech from the Throne on October 2, 2010
All stand while the monarch reads the Speech from the Throne.
The State of the Realm Address is traditionally read by the youngest member of the Government, here the Minister of Culture Hadia Tajik. Photo: Erlend Aas / NTB scanpix
Next, one of the members of the Government, usually the youngest minister in the Government, reads the State of the Realm Address, a review of the government’s policy over the past year, mentioning what was achieved and important proposals that have been put forward.
The State Opening of the Storting ends with the National Anthem, “Ja, vi elsker dette landet” (“Yes, we love this country”).
The Constitution states that no deliberations or debate may take place in the presence of the monarch. This means the Storting session may not continue until the monarch has left the Stortinget. Only after the monarch leaves the Stortinget may the Storting decide to submit the Speech from the Throne and the State of the Realm Address for deliberation, and then adjourn.
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Works Cited
- Bidragsytere til Wikimedia-prosjektene. (2006). Trontalen (Norge). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trontalen_(Norge)
- Opening of the Storting. (2024). Royalcourt.no. https://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=30059&sek=30058
- The 163rd Storting is open. (2018). Royalcourt.no. https://www.royalcourt.no/nyhet.html?tid=165516&sek=27262
- The State Opening of the Storting. (2024). Stortinget; Stortinget. https://www.stortinget.no/en/In-English/About-the-Storting/Start-of-parliamentary-session/the-formal-state-opening-of-the-storting/