Skip to content

In the wake of the death of King Harald, some of the information on this website will need to be updated in the time to come.

Regency

His Majesty The King is Norway's Head of State. When The King is abroad or incapacitated by illness, Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess may act as Regent in The King’s stead. This follows from Article 41 of the Constitution.

The Royal Palace. Photo: Øivind Möller Bakken, the Royal Court

If neither The King nor the Crown Princess is in the country, or is prevented from performing his duties due to illness, the Council of State—the Government—administers the realm.

The Norwegian Constitution article 41

Article 41:

"If the King is absent from the realm unless commanding in the field, or
if he is so ill that he cannot attend to the Government, the person next
entitled to succeed to the throne shall, provided that he has attained the
age stipulated for the King’s majority, conduct the Government as the tem-
porary executor of the Royal Powers. If this is not the case, the Council of
State will conduct the administration of the realm."

Information on the Regency

If the Crown Princess Regent or the Government administers the realm, this will be indicated in the Royal House’s official programme on this website. Also, the flag of the Crown Princess or the national flag will appear as a marker over the display of the royal programme. Information is also provided in the press section of these pages.

The three flags flown from the Royal Palace

The Royal Standard. Photo: Jan Haug, The Royal Court
The Royal Standard and that of the Crown Princess are largely similar, but the Crown Prince’s flag is swallow-tailed. Photo: Jan Haug, The Royal Court
When neither the King nor the Crown Princess is in the country, the Palace flies the national flag (reproduced with permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Timing

When the Crown Princess Regent or the Government assumes the administration of the realm, this will be indicated from the day on which the King, or where applicable the Crown Princess Regent, leaves the country or is certified as unfit due to illness. Correspondingly, information on the regency is removed when the King returns to the country or is declared fit. The exact timing is not made public.

Flagging fra Slottet