Coronation of King Haakon VII of Norway, 1906

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The Coronation of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on this day in 1906, which was the last Coronation in Norway, and crowned the newly appointed independent Norwegian Royal Family. Royal attendees included the Prince and Princess of Wales (wearing her Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara), and Princess Victoria of Britain. The Ceremony was described:

Although Nidaros Cathedral was under restoration at the time, the entire nave was opened for use to accommodate the largest possible audience. Over 2,300 people were in attendance at the cathedral. The ceremony was performed jointly by Bishop Vilhelm Andreas Wexelsen of Nidaros and Bishop Anton Christian Bang of Oslo.

Bishop Vilhelm Andreas Wexelsen greeted the King with these words: “May the Lord bless your going in and your coming out now and for evermore.”

The King and Queen took their seats on the coronation thrones from 1818, which were positioned side by side under a canopy below the central turret. The service began, and following the first section of Johan Halvorsen’s coronation cantata, the coronation was performed.

King Haakon, attired in the coronation robe, stepped forward and knelt before the high altar. Bishop Wexelsen anointed the King’s forehead and wrists. The King then seated himself on the coronation throne that was positioned in front of the high altar, and Prime Minister Christian Michelsen and Bishop Wexelsen together placed the crown on the King’s head. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jørgen Løvland then presented the King with the royal sceptre, while Minister of Trade Sofus Arctander presented the royal orb. The sword of state was presented by Minister of Defence Wilhelm Olssøn. Bishop Wexelsen said a prayer for the King’s solemn duties and offered a blessing. The King then returned to the coronation throne under the canopy, wearing the coronation robe and bearing the royal regalia.

Following the third section of the coronation cantata, Queen Maud stepped forward. The Queen was anointed and crowned following the same ritual used for King Haakon. She then returned to the coronation throne bearing her robe and regalia.

President of the Storting Carl Berner concluded the ceremony by stating that the coronation was complete, urging the attendees to join him in declaring “God save the King”.

22Royal Court

One thought on “Coronation of King Haakon VII of Norway, 1906

  1. I wonder why do the Scandinavian countries forgo a proper coronation and opt instead for a “inauguration”, an “announcement”, a “swearing-in”, or any other such euphemism for coronation. I think that if whoever is going to be king or queen they should be properly crowned, like Queen Elizabeth II was. I think it takes away from the formality and gravitas of the occasion and makes it look as if it were the case of an elected official such as a president, a prime minister, or a cabinet member.

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