Monarchy of Norway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King of Norway |
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| Konge av Norge (Bokmål) Konge av Noreg (Nynorsk) |
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Royal coat of arms of Norway
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| Incumbent | |
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| Harald V since 17 January 1991 |
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| Details | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| Heir apparent | Crown Prince Haakon |
| First monarch | Harald Fairhair |
| Formation | c. 872 |
| Residence | Royal Palace in Oslo |
| Website | The Norwegian Monarchy |
Norway is a country with a king or queen as its head of state. This means it is a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch's powers are set by a constitution. It is also a hereditary monarchy, meaning the crown is passed down through the family. Norway also has a parliamentary system, where the government is chosen from the elected representatives.
The current monarch is King Harald V. He has been king since January 17, 1991, taking over from his father, Olav V. The next in line to the throne is his only son, Crown Prince Haakon. Crown Prince Haakon and his mother, Queen Sonja, perform many public duties. The Crown Prince also steps in as regent (acting ruler) when the King is away. The Norwegian royal family includes other members like the King's daughter and grandchildren. Since Norway became fully independent in 1905, the royal family has been part of the House of Glücksburg. This family also includes the British and Danish royal families.
While the Constitution of Norway gives the King important powers, these are usually used by the government, called the Norwegian Council of State. This group acts in the King's name. The King formally appoints the government. However, since 1884, the government must have the support of the parliament. This means the King's personal powers are mostly symbolic. They are seen as a way to keep the country stable.
The King does not usually get involved in daily government decisions. He signs laws and official decisions. He also welcomes and sends out ambassadors from other countries. He hosts visits from other world leaders. The King is an important symbol of Norway's unity. He is also the leader of the Norwegian Armed Forces. He is the Grand Master of Norway's special awards, like the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. The King must be a member of the Church of Norway, as stated in the Constitution.
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History of Norway's Monarchy
Norway has had a king since the country was united in 872. Even though Norway has been a hereditary kingdom for a long time, there have been times when kings were chosen by election. For example, in 1905, the people of Norway voted to confirm Haakon VII as their king. Some political parties, like the Socialist Left party, sometimes suggest getting rid of the monarchy. However, these ideas usually don't gain much support. This means the Norwegian monarchy is unique because it has been chosen by the people and regularly gets support from the Storting.
Early Germanic Kingdoms
Before and during the early Viking Age, Norway was split into many smaller kingdoms. These kingdoms likely followed traditions similar to other Germanic monarchies. The king was usually chosen by important farmers in the area. He acted as a judge, a priest for religious events, and a military leader during wars.
Harald Fairhair was the first king to unite Norway. This happened around 872, after he won the Battle of Hafrsfjord. However, it took many years for him to fully control the country. After his death, his kingdom was divided among his sons. Some historians believe that Olaf II, also known as Saint Olaf, was the first king to truly control all of Norway. He ruled from 1015 to 1028. Olaf is also known for helping Norway become Christian. Later, in 1031, he was called Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae ("Eternal King of Norway"). A law in 1163 stated that all kings after Olaf II's son, Magnus I, were not fully independent. They held Norway as a vassal from Saint Olaf.
Norway's Golden Age
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Norwegian kingdom was at its largest and most powerful. It included Norway, parts of modern-day Sweden, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Shetland, and Orkney. The King had good relationships with most European kingdoms. He made alliances with countries like Scotland and Castile. Large castles, like Haakon's Hall, and grand churches, such as Nidaros Cathedral, were built during this time.
In the old Germanic tradition, the king had to be chosen by a group of noblemen. Only those with royal blood could be chosen. However, the oldest son of the previous king was not automatically picked. During the civil war era, unclear rules about who would be king often led to conflicts. Over time, kings gained more power. Eventually, a strict law of succession made Norway a mostly hereditary kingdom.
After Haakon VI of Norway died in 1380, his son Olav IV of Norway became king of both Norway and Denmark. He was also chosen as King of Sweden. When Olav died at age 17, his mother Margrethe united the three Scandinavian kingdoms under one crown. This was called the Kalmar Union. Olav's death meant there were no more male heirs in the Norwegian royal family. He was also the last Norwegian king born in Norway for the next 567 years.
The Black Death in 1349–51 greatly affected the Norwegian monarchy. Many noble families and people died. Also, the income from royal lands dropped sharply. This made the Norwegian monarchy weaker in terms of people, noble support, defense, and money.
Union with Denmark
The Kalmar Union was formed partly because of the history of royal families in Scandinavia. It was also a response to the growing power of the Hanseatic League.
On June 6, 1523, Sweden left the union for good. This left Norway in an unequal union with a Danish king. The Danish king was already trying to centralize the union's government.
For the next few centuries, the Norwegian kings mostly lived abroad. This weakened Norway's government. The Norwegian noble council, called the Riksråd, lost power. The King was also less able to govern based on Norway's needs. This was because he and his advisors knew less about conditions in Norway.
Norway was one of the few countries where the main church area matched the country's borders. The church tried to keep the Norwegian monarchy separate. In the 16th century, the struggle between Norwegian nobles and the king happened at the same time as the Protestant Reformation. This led to a fight against Danish control in Norway, combined with the fight against the Reformation. When both failed, the results were harsh. Danish bishops replaced Norwegian Catholic bishops. The Norwegian church became fully Danish. The Norwegian Riksråd was removed in 1536. More and more foreigners were given important jobs in Norway.
Danish nobles wanted the king to make Norway a Danish province. This would give them more control over choosing future kings. However, Norway's hereditary monarchy meant the King had to keep Norway as a separate kingdom. If the Danish nobles chose a king who was not next in line for the Norwegian throne, the Union would break up. This gave the king an advantage in negotiations. Potential heirs to Norway were in both the Swedish and Schleswig-Holstein royal families. So, the King of Denmark had to protect his position as King of Norway.
During this time, the Danish kings focused more on protecting Danish lands. They paid little attention to Norway's interests. As a result, Norway lost lands like Jemtland, Herjedalen, Båhuslen, Shetland, and Orkney to Sweden and Scotland. Also, all contact with Greenland stopped.
In 1661, Frederick III created an absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway. He introduced new laws for both countries. Until then, the law of Magnus the law-mender from 1274 and 1276 had been Norway's law. Christian IV's Norwegian law was basically a Danish translation of that older law. 1661 also marked the end of local self-government. However, local people quickly started working to regain influence.
Moving Towards Independence
During the Napoleonic Wars, the King of Denmark–Norway sided with France. When Napoleon lost the war, the King had to give Norway to the King of Sweden. This was part of the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. At first, it was suggested that Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroes would stay with Norway. But this idea was dropped, and they became Danish.
When he heard about the treaty, Christian Frederick, the Danish prince and viceroy in Norway, helped start a Norwegian independence movement. This movement succeeded partly because Denmark secretly supported it. But it was also because Norwegians strongly wanted independence. On April 10, a national assembly met at Eidsvoll to write a constitution. Norway declared independence on May 17, 1814. Christian Frederick was elected King. A short war with Sweden later that year ended with the Convention of Moss. This led to Christian Frederick leaving the throne. The Norwegian Storting then elected Charles XIII of Sweden as King of Norway. This created the union between Sweden and Norway. In return, the King accepted the Norwegian constitution, which was only changed slightly for the union.
This meant the Norwegian monarchy became a constitutional monarchy. In this new union, the King was much more a King of Norway than under the Danish system. The only area Norway did not control was foreign policy.
Norway had kept up with new developments from Denmark. However, after the break, Norwegians could develop their politics faster than Denmark. Denmark introduced a constitutional monarchy 35 years after Norway. Parliamentarism came to Norway 17 years before Denmark and 33 years before Sweden. The union with Denmark also had negative effects on the monarchy. For example, Norway lost territory that is now over 2 million square kilometers (mostly uninhabited Greenland). Very little royal activity moved to Norway. So, Norway lacks the grand palaces from that time that can be seen in Copenhagen.
Union with Sweden
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The Treaty of Kiel said that Norway would be given by the King of Denmark–Norway to the King of Sweden. But Norway rejected this, as people wanted self-determination. A Norwegian assembly was called, and a liberal constitution was adopted on May 17, 1814. A short war followed, ending with a new agreement between the Norwegian parliament and the Swedish king.
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The Convention of Moss was a big improvement for Norway compared to the Treaty of Kiel. Norway was no longer seen as a Swedish conquest. Instead, it was an equal partner in a personal union of two independent states. The Norwegian Constitution remained mostly the same, with only changes needed for the union with Sweden. Norway kept its own parliament and institutions, except for the shared king and foreign service.
The Norwegian Storting would suggest Norwegian laws without Swedish interference. The common King would approve them as King of Norway. The King sometimes approved laws that Sweden did not like. As Norway pushed for full independence, the King approved building forts and naval ships to defend Norway against a Swedish invasion.
However, the union was marked by Norway's growing unhappiness with being in any union. The Storting would propose laws to reduce the king's power or to show Norwegian independence. The king would often veto these laws. But since he could only veto the same law twice, it would eventually pass. The 1814 constitution already said Norway would have a separate flag. The current design was introduced in 1821. The flags of both kingdoms were changed in 1844 with a union mark to show their equal status. Despite the king's objections, this mark was removed from the Norwegian flag in 1898. In 1837, local self-government was introduced in rural areas and towns. A Parliamentary system was introduced in 1884.
The Royal House of Bernadotte tried hard to be a Norwegian royal house as well as a Swedish one. The Royal Palace in Oslo was built during this time. There were separate coronations in Trondheim, as the Constitution required. The royal princes even built a hunting lodge in Norway to spend more private time there. King Oscar II spoke and wrote Norwegian very well.
Full Independence for Norway
In 1905, disagreements between parliament and the King reached a peak. The main issue was about having separate Norwegian consuls (representatives) in foreign countries. Norway had become a leading shipping nation. But Sweden controlled both diplomatic and consulate services. Norwegian businesses needed help abroad, but the Swedes knew little about Norwegian shipping. Consulates were not even set up in many important shipping cities. The demand for separate Norwegian consuls was very important to the Norwegian parliament and society. The Storting proposed a law to create a separate Norwegian consulate service. King Oscar II refused to sign the law. As a result, the Norwegian government resigned. The king could not form another government that had parliament's support. So, on June 7, it was decided that he had failed to act as King of Norway.
In a vote by the Norwegian people on August 13, an overwhelming 368,208 votes (99.95%) were in favor of ending the Union. Only 184 (0.05%) were against it. 85% of Norwegian men voted. Women could not vote yet, as universal suffrage was not granted until 1913. However, Norwegian feminists collected over 200,000 signatures supporting the dissolution.
During the summer, a Norwegian group had already contacted Prince Carl of Denmark. He was 33 years old and the second son of the Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. The Norwegian parliament had thought about other candidates. But they chose Prince Carl partly because he already had a son to continue the royal line. More importantly, he was a descendant of independent Norwegian kings. Carl was also married to Maud of Wales, the daughter of King Edward VII. By bringing in a king with British royal ties, Norway hoped to gain Britain's support.
Prince Carl impressed the group in many ways. He understood the liberal and democratic movements that led to Norway's independence. The Norwegian constitution said the Storting could choose a new king if the throne was empty. But Carl knew that many Norwegians, including politicians and military officers, preferred a republic (a country without a king). Attempts to convince the prince to accept the throne based on Parliament's choice failed. Carl insisted he would only accept the crown if the Norwegian people voted for a monarchy in a referendum, and if parliament then elected him king.
On November 12 and 13, in the second national vote in three months, Norwegian voters decided by almost 79% (259,563 to 69,264) to keep the monarchy. The parliament then offered Carl the Norwegian throne by a large majority on November 18. The prince accepted that evening. He chose the name Haakon, a traditional name used by Norwegian kings. The last king with that name was Haakon VI, who died in 1380.
So, the new king became Haakon VII, King of Norway. His two-year-old son Alexander, the next in line, was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince Olav. The new royal family arrived in the capital Kristiania (later Oslo) on November 25. Haakon VII was sworn in as king of Norway on November 27.
A Modern Monarchy
The first years of the new Norwegian monarchy were difficult due to a lack of money. The Norwegian state was poor, and funds were needed for other things besides a large royal court. It was good that Prince Carl had agreed to become king only if he didn't have to keep a large court. However, royal travels and the upkeep of royal homes were somewhat neglected after the initial repairs in 1905. For example, Prince Carl was promised a Royal Yacht when he accepted the throne, but he didn't get one until 1947.
An important event in the early years was in 1928. The King appointed the first Labour government. The Norwegian Labour Party was quite radical then, and even wanted to abolish the monarchy. It was customary for the King to ask the previous Prime Minister for advice on who should be the new Prime Minister. In this case, the previous conservative Prime Minister did not want to give power to the Labour party. He advised appointing someone else. However, the King followed the established practice of parliamentarism. He decided to appoint Christopher Hornsrud as the first Labour Prime Minister. The Labour Party later removed the abolition of monarchy from their program.
During the German occupation in World War II, the King was a key symbol of national unity and resistance. His firm refusal to surrender to the Germans was important for the fighting spirit of the Norwegian people. The powers given to the King in Norway's system made his position very important. It allowed the government in exile to continue its work with full legitimacy.
After the war, the Norwegian royal family managed to balance being royal and being approachable. King Olav V was seen as the "people's king." When he died in 1991, people showed their sadness by lighting candles outside the Palace. Even those who wanted a republic were among them.
In recent years, the marriages of Crown Prince Harald in 1968 and Crown Prince Haakon in 2001 caused some discussions. However, this has not greatly affected the monarchy's popularity. Support for the monarchy remains stable, mostly above 70 percent. In a 2012 poll, 93% of people agreed that the current Monarch does a good job for the country.
King's Official Role
The 1814 constitution gives important executive powers to the King. However, these powers are almost always used by the Norwegian Council of State (the government) in the King's name.
Today, when the constitution mentions "King," it usually means the government, not the King personally. This applies to articles about how the government works. The government, led by the Prime Minister, is accountable to the Storting (parliament).
Immunity of the Royal Family
Article 5 of the Constitution used to say: The King's person is sacred; he cannot be censured or accused. The responsibility rests with his Council. This means the King personally cannot be sued or blamed in court. His status as "sacred" was removed in 2018.
Article 37 states: The Royal Princes and Princesses shall not personally be answerable to anyone other than the King, or whomever he decrees to sit in judgment on them. This means the Princes and Princesses also have legal protection. The King can decide if they should be judged by regular courts or by himself. This has never been tested in real life.
The Council of State
The Norwegian Council of State includes the King, the Prime Minister, and other members. All members are chosen by the King based on the Prime Minister's advice. The Council of State is Norway's government, and the King leads its meetings. It meets at least once a week, usually on Fridays. The King can also call extra meetings if urgent decisions are needed. Since 1884, the government must have the support of parliament. This means the King's appointment is a formality. In practice, the King asks the leader of the political group with a majority in the Storting to form a government. The King relies on advice from the previous prime minister and the President of the Storting. The last time the King appointed a new prime minister against the previous one's advice was in 1928. He appointed the first Labour government then.
Article 12 states: The King himself chooses a Council from among Norwegian citizens who are entitled to vote. [...] The King divides the work among the Members of the Council of State, as he thinks best.
Article 30 states: [...] Everyone who has a seat in the Council of State has the duty to speak their mind honestly, which the King must listen to. But it is up to the King to make a decision based on his own judgment. [...]
Vetoing Laws
The King must sign all laws for them to become valid. He can refuse to sign (veto) any law. However, if two different Stortings (parliaments) approve the law, it becomes valid even without the King's signature. The King has not vetoed any law since the union with Sweden ended in 1905.
Article 78 states: If the King agrees to the Bill, he signs it, and it becomes law. If he does not agree to it, he sends it back to the Storting. He states that he does not find it wise to approve it at that time. In that case, the Bill must not be presented to the King again by the same Storting. [...]
Church of Norway
Until 2012, the King was the official head of the Church of Norway. This church follows the Lutheran branch of Christianity. Since 2012, the Church has been self-governing. However, it is still the official state church, and about 63.7% of the population are members. According to the constitution, the Norwegian King, as head of state, must be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway.
Pardoning People
Article 20 states: The King shall have the right in the Council of State to pardon criminals after sentence has been passed. A pardon means forgiving a crime and its punishment. It can be given if new information about the crime or person comes out after they have been sentenced. A pardon can remove all or part of the punishment. In practice, the Ministry of Justice handles these requests. They can reject an application for a pardon. The King in Council must formally approve a pardon. In 2004, 51 pardon applications were approved, and 274 were denied. In impeachment cases, the King cannot pardon someone without the Storting's approval.
Appointing Officials
Article 21 states: The King shall choose and appoint, after talking with his Council of State, all senior civil and military officials. The King makes these appointments after getting advice and approval from the Council of State.
Dismissing the Government
Article 22 states: The Prime Minister and other Members of the Council of State, along with the State Secretaries, may be dismissed by the King without any prior court judgment, after he has heard the opinion of the Council of State on the subject.
Royal Awards
Article 23 states: The King may give awards to whomever he pleases, as a reward for distinguished services[...] Norway has two main royal awards: the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. The King also gives out several other important medals for various achievements.
Role in War
Article 25 states: The King is Commander-in-Chief of the land and naval forces of the Realm. The King is also Commander-in-Chief of the Norwegian Air Force. This is not explicitly mentioned because the Air Force did not exist in 1814.
Article 26 states: The King has the right to call up troops, to engage in hostilities in defence of the Realm and to make peace, to conclude and denounce conventions, to send and to receive diplomatic envoys. The armed forces see the King as their highest commander. However, the elected government truly controls the armed forces. Norwegian Kings have traditionally had extensive military training. They often pursued a career in the armed forces before becoming king. During World War II, the King played a more active role in decisions. While the government still had the final say, the King's advice was very important. During the German invasion, the Germans gave the King an ultimatum to surrender Norway. King Haakon VII told the government he would step down if they accepted. In 1944, Crown Prince Olav was appointed Chief of Defence because of his military leadership skills.
Coronation and Oath
Before written history, Norwegian monarchs were installed by acclamation. This was a ceremony held at a ting (assembly). The king swore to follow the laws, and the leaders swore loyalty to him. The first coronation in Norway and Scandinavia happened in Bergen in 1163 or 1164. For a long time, both ceremonies were used. This way, the king received power from both the noblemen and the church. Coronations also showed that the king held the kingdom as a fief from St. Olav, the eternal king of Norway. The last acclamation took place at Akershus Castle in 1648. The last medieval coronation in Norway was on July 29, 1514. During the time of absolute monarchy (1660–1814), Norway's kings were crowned in Copenhagen.
Today, the king still goes through a ceremony similar to the acclamation. He takes an oath to the Constitution in the Storting. The Norwegian Constitution of 1814 said that all Norwegian coronations from then on should happen in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. This reconnected the monarchy to the sacred church where kings were buried. The part of the constitution about coronations was removed in 1908. When King Olav V became king in 1957, he still wanted a church blessing for his reign. So, the Benediction of the King was introduced. This is a simpler ceremony, but it still takes place in Nidaros Cathedral. The Royal Regalia (crown jewels) are placed on the high altar. The regalia are now kept in the old Archbishop's Palace in Trondheim. King Harald V and Queen Sonja also received the benediction in 1991.
The Constitution requires the new King to immediately take an oath before the Storting. If the Storting is not meeting, he takes it before the Council of State and again before the Storting when it meets. The oath is: "I promise and swear that I will govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and Laws; so help me God, the Almighty and Omniscient."
Succession to the Throne
The order of succession to the Norwegian throne has followed absolute primogeniture since 1990. This means the oldest child, regardless of gender, inherits the throne. This rule is described in Article 6 of the Constitution of Norway. Only people descended from the reigning monarch can become king or queen. If the royal line ends, the Storting can elect a new king or queen.
Royal Finances
The King, Queen, Crown Prince, and Crown Princess do not pay taxes. Their personal finances are not made public. Other members of the royal family lose this privilege when they marry. It is believed that only the King has a significant personal fortune.
The royal farms make some money, but this is always put back into the farms themselves.
In Norway's 2010 state budget, 142.5 million Norwegian kroner were given to the Royal Household. An additional 16.5 million was given to the monarchs as a personal allowance. Another 20.9 million was set aside for repairing royal property. In 2010, the Royal Household of Norway stated that King Harald V's fortune was close to 100 million Norwegian kroner. In the late 1990s, 500 million Norwegian kroner were set aside for major renovations of royal residences. These renovations are still ongoing. The restoration of the Royal Palace in Oslo went over budget because the palace's structure was in much worse condition than expected. However, the high cost was criticized in the media.
Royal Residences
The royal family and the monarch have several homes across the country. All official residences are partly open to the public.
Current Royal Homes
The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace in Oslo is the main official home of the monarch. It was built in the early 1800s as the Norwegian home for King Charles III (who was also Charles XIV of Sweden). It serves as the official residence for the current Norwegian Monarch.
Gamlehaugen
Gamlehaugen is a large house and estate that serves as the monarch's home in Bergen. It was originally the home of Prime Minister Christian Michelsen. The estate became the royal family's residence in 1927.
Stiftsgården
Stiftsgården in Trondheim is a large wooden townhouse. The royal family has used it since the early 1800s. This building has been the setting for major celebrations during coronations, blessings, and weddings. These events traditionally take place in the Nidaros Cathedral.
Ledaal
Ledaal is a large manor house in Stavanger. It originally belonged to the important Kielland family. Since 1936, it has been owned by Stavanger Museum. It became a royal residence in 1949.
Other Royal Residences
Bygdøy Royal Estate is the official summer residence. It is located in Oslo. Bygdøy has been undergoing major repairs and was not used regularly after King Harald V became king in 1991. The repairs finished in 2007, and the royal family has used it often since then. The Royal Lodge, or Kongsseteren, is in Holmenkollen. The Royal Family uses it for Christmas and the Holmenkollen Ski Festival each year. Oscarshall palace, a pleasure palace, is also in Oslo but is rarely used.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess live at Skaugum Manor in Asker municipality, outside Oslo. The three princesses of Norway live on estates in Oslo, Fredrikstad, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both Skaugum and Bygdøy Royal Estate are working farms. They produce grain, milk, and meat. The money earned is put back into the farms. In 2004, the King gave the management of farming activities at Bygdøy to the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.
The King owns a royal yacht called HNoMY Norge. The Royal Norwegian Navy staffs and maintains it. It is used for both official and private trips in Norway and abroad. The Norwegian Railway Museum keeps a royal train carriage.
The royal family also has several private holiday homes.
Former Royal Homes
- Paléet. A beautiful townhouse that was a royal residence between 1801 and 1849, before the Royal Palace was built.
- Akershus Fortress. This castle in Oslo was turned into a palace by King Christian IV during the union between Denmark and Norway.
- Bergenhus Fortress. The medieval castle was originally a royal residence. Sverresborg provided defense for the city.
- Tønsberg Fortress. This castle in Tønsberg was used as a home by several kings. This included Håkon V Magnusson, who was the last king of Norway before the Kalmar Union was formed.
- Various Kongsgård estates were used by Norwegian kings during the Viking Age and early Middle Ages. These include important estates like Alrekstad, Avaldsnes Kongsgård estate, and the Oslo Kongsgård estate.
Royal Coat of Arms
The Coat of arms of Norway is one of the oldest in Europe. It serves as both the coat of arms for the nation and for the Royal House. This is because it started as the coat of arms for the kings of Norway in the Middle Ages.
Håkon the Old (1217–1263) used a shield with a lion. The oldest record of the arms' color is from the King's Saga, written in 1220.
In 1280, King Eirik Magnusson added the crown and a silver axe to the lion. The axe is the martyr axe of St. Olav. It was the weapon used to kill him in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030.
The design of the Norwegian arms has changed over the years, following different styles. In the late Middle Ages, the axe handle slowly became longer, looking like a halberd. The handle was often curved to fit the shape of shields and coins at the time. The halberd was officially removed, and the shorter axe was brought back by royal order in 1844. This was when an official design was first set. In 1905, the official design for royal and government arms changed again. This time, it went back to the medieval style, with a triangular shield and a more upright lion.
The coat of arms of the royal house and the Royal Standard use the lion design from 1905. The oldest known picture of the Royal Standard is on Duchess Ingebjørg's seal from 1318. The design used as the official coat of arms of Norway is slightly different. It was last approved by the king on May 20, 1992.
When used as the Royal coat of arms, the shield has the symbols of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav around it. It is framed by a royal ermine robe (a fancy cloak), topped with the crown of Norway.
The Royal coat of arms is not used very often. Instead, the king's monogram (his initials combined into a symbol) is widely used. For example, it appears on military badges and coins.
Images for kids
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King Harald V, the current monarch of Norway.
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The Royal Coat of Arms of Norway.
See also
In Spanish: Monarquía de Noruega para niños
- List of Norwegian monarchs
- Norwegian royal family
- Royal coronations in Norway
- House of Glücksburg
- Politics of Norway
- Lèse majesté in Norway
- Abel Prize
- Republicanism in Norway
